Everyone can agree that it’s been a rough 12 months. But coming into springtime brings hope, and as the pandemic slows and the vaccines are distributed, many in assisted living communities and other forms of elder care are indeed hoping that the next few months bring joy and togetherness we sometimes found lacking over the last year.
Being outside and enjoying nature are two ways that not only help to keep your immune system healthier, but can decrease stress and anxiety, and inspire happiness. Here in Florida, we have the blessing of beautiful weather and warm sunshine, so many seniors are already enjoying their opportunity to spend time outdoors. Another great way to inspire joy is to be creative and explore your inner artist – so here are some tips to help the senior in your life to break out of their funk and smile.
Joy in Difficult Times
Experts know of a feeling of looking and feeling happier – known as positive affect or PA – is found more abundantly when creativity and expression are a part of daily life. The good news is, you don’t have to pain like Renoir, sculpt like DaVinci or compose music like Bach to enjoy high level of PA. In fact, the act of creating seems to have a universal positive effect on humans, no matter what the skill level! That means that you should find ways to be creative and artistic even if you don’t share it with anyone else– do it for the sheer joy of it.
Even if you don’t want to paint or sing, exploring nature also raises PA. So let’s take a look at some fun suggestions to get you going!
Make a Butterfly Garden: It takes very little space and money to create a butterfly haven in the corner of your lanai or patio. Brightly colored nectar-filled flowers, along with milkweed, will attract the butterflies. You can keep them coming back by making sure that you also have small “pools” of water for them to drink from. You’ll want to empty the small dish often, as standing water can attract bugs. You can also put a shallow container of sand among the flowers, making sure to wet the sand down every day. Another great tip – get a hummingbird feeder. The need only sugar water to attract them.
Take Up an Instrument: Music offers significant therapeutic benefits to all people, but can be especially wonderful for seniors. Music can soothe anxiety, spark memory, and even raise your level of joy. Learning how to play an instrument results in sharper cognitive health, and can be easier to accomplish than you think. If you have a piano onsite, ask someone who knows how to play to teach you – which is likely to bring them joy as well! If you are not comfortable with learning an instrument, you can ask others to play for residents, or have a “music listening party” when everyone plays their favorites from online music libraries.
Look Up: With balmy evenings ahead for many months, this is a great time to take up stargazing. But don’t just look, take the opportunity to learn! There are several apps that can be download to a phone or tablet which allow you to plug in your location and see a chart of the night sky so that you can identify constellations and follow the stars across the sky. A telescope is not needed, but if you decide you love stargazing, it might be a great addition to your patio.
Create Live Floral Arrangements: If you live at a community with gardens, ask the caretaker if they can spare any fresh cut flowers. If you live at home, start a flower garden! Or you can even ask visiting family and friends to bring you flowers to create with. Flowers bring joy to any room, and giving them to your friends (or even leaving them at the front desk for your favorite administrator) is an act sure to give you joy.
If you are looking for an assisted living or memory care center that caters to your loved ones social and emotional well-being, we invite you to tour A Banyan Residence in the Villages.
