The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may make some of your senior loved one’s favorite activities unsafe now, but that doesn’t mean he or she has to give up on having fun. Some of the best activities for seniors can easily be done by someone with tremors or muscle weakness. In fact, these activities can shift your loved one’s perspective if he or she has been facing difficulty with the loss of certain abilities.
1. Hold a Video Game Competition
Older adults were around during the time when many video games first came out, and some of the best ones are making comebacks. Find a video game console your loved one can use to play his or her favorite games, and show him or her how to operate the controller. Since video games can be played while sitting down, your loved one can still get a thrill from competition without worrying about falling. Your loved one can also try using the console to play active games when there’s a professional caregiver around for support.
Many seniors in the early stages of Parkinson’s are able to live on their own, but they may need a bit of help with the everyday tasks of life, such as exercising and preparing nutritious meals. Aging adults who require assistance with the tasks of daily living can benefit from reliable Home Care Naples. Families trust Assisting Hands Home Care to provide the high-quality care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. Our caregivers are trained to help seniors prevent serious illnesses and encourage them to make healthier decisions as they age.
2. Paint Outdoor Landscapes
Running and hiking on treacherous paths may be off the table now, but your loved one can still enjoy spending time outside. Learning to paint landscapes gives your loved one a reason to head outside, and there’s enough of a challenge in practicing new techniques to keep him or her interested. Help your loved one put together a kit of art supplies he or she can use on the front porch, and arrange for a caregiver to occasionally take your loved one to a new location, such as a lake or pond, that’s perfect for painting.
3. Grow a Garden
Gardening can be as simple as a single container on a windowsill, or your loved one may choose to go all out by turning the backyard into an orchard. To make this activity extra safe, try to put your loved one’s plants up higher where he or she can reach them without having to worry about tripping over pots or barriers. Your loved one will get a bit of exercise from this pursuit, and he or she may even be interested in eating a healthier, Parkinson’s-friendly diet.
Mobility issues in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease can make caring for aging adults increasingly challenging. If you’re the primary family caregiver for a senior loved one living in Naples, live-in care is available if your loved one’s health has become too difficult to manage without professional expertise. At Assisting Hands Home Care, we take measures to help seniors prevent illness and injury by assisting with exercise and mobility, preparing nutritious meals, helping with bathing and other personal hygiene tasks, and much more.
4. Join a Reading Club
Reading is one of the safest activities there is, provided a person doesn’t try to read and walk at the same time. Reading clubs also provide new social contacts to reach out to in an emergency. Keep in mind your loved one may find it difficult to hold books or turn pages in the later stages of the disease. If this is the case, encourage reading with a friend or caregiver who can provide support for the book, or your loved one can try audio versions of his or her favorite stories.
5. Volunteer for a Charity
Your loved one deserves to feel like a contributing member of society. If Parkinson’s symptoms have made your loved one give up working, help him or her find a volunteer position that’s safe to do with limited abilities. For instance, your loved one may enjoy answering phone calls at a local charity or playing with animals from a shelter.
Caring for a loved one with Parkinson’s can be extremely challenging, and a compassionate professional caregiver can be a wonderful source of support. If your elderly loved one is living with a serious medical condition and needs help managing the tasks of daily living, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a Naples elderly home care agency you can trust. Our caregivers are available 24/7, there are no hidden fees in our contracts, and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our in-home care services. To create a comprehensive in-home care plan for your loved one, call us today.
