Five Outdoorsy Activities for Seniors with Limited Mobility

By Care Street Home Care Staff | August 16, 2024 | Comments Off on Five Outdoorsy Activities for Seniors with Limited Mobility
Companion Care at Home in Highland Park NJ

Companion Care at Home in Highland Park NJ

If your loved one has always enjoyed the great outdoors but now has limited mobility, that doesn’t mean he has to give up his love for nature. Even if he’s wheelchair-bound or needs to use an ECV to get around, there are still plenty of activities he can take part in outside so that he can still feel the fresh air and sunshine that he loves.

Continuing to do Activities They Love Keeps Seniors Healthy

Many seniors become depressed when they can no longer do the things that they’ve always loved to do. Those passions and hobbies are a part of what makes them a whole person. Just because the body isn’t as strong as it used to be, it doesn’t mean the heart and brain don’t still want to enjoy those activities. As a caregiver, finding ways to help them still enjoy the hobbies that have always been a part of their lives will benefit them mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Four Great Outdoorsy Activities for Seniors

For some of these activities, your senior may be able to do them on his own. For others, he may need a family member or companion care at home provider to join him to assist during certain aspects of the activity. If your senior chooses to partake in any of these with a larger community group, make sure to do some research beforehand to make sure they’ll be able to accommodate his mobility needs.

  • Birdwatching. While your loved one may not be able to bird hunt with a bow and arrow anymore, he can still enjoy the beauty wild birds bring to the world. A good bird book (or app), a pair of binoculars, and a little bit of patience may be all he needs. Check your local area for bird sanctuaries, state parks, and large waterways to discover places where birds gather and where your loved one can easily sit and watch it all unfold.
  • Star gazing. Like birdwatching, star gazing doesn’t require a lot of physical effort but it gets you outside and under the vast roof we call our skies. For star gazing, look at investing in a good telescope so your loved one can sit or stand and search the galaxies above him for all the celestial bodies that call it home.
  • Fishing. There’s nothing much more relaxing than fishing. Your companion care at home provider can help your loved one cast out his line and then together sit back and see if any fish are biting. Look for piers and boardwalks that touch the waters to make it easy for your loved one to do some fishing from stable land without having to try to be safe on a canoe or fishing boat.
  • Camping. Many State Parks have wheelchair-accessible cabins you can rent so that your loved one can spend a night or two out in the wild listening to the crickets at night and watching fireflies dance around him.

Being creative and having help from someone like a companion care at home provider can help your loved one continue to pursue his outdoorsy passions while staying safe. The rewards from being able to still do those activities are plentiful.

Reference
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10801018/

If you or an aging loved one is considering companion care at home in Highland Park, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care today. Call (732) 607-8870.

Care Street Home Care Staff
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