Aging I.Q. News

During the hot months of summer, it is often advisable, for seniors especially, to stay indoors and keep cool.  Seniors are more prone to heat-related illnesses (see our previous post on Senior Care Tips and Summer Precautions for Elders).

How can you stay active while keeping cool?  What can caregivers do to keep elderly loved ones engaged and active?  Here are some tips for indoor activities and summertime fun for seniors and caregivers:

• Take this time to organize pictures, scrapbooks and share family memories.  Plan ahead for the holidays and organize family gifts of photos or a memory book.
• Plan ahead for the holidays by putting together gift lists and organizing address books and cards.
• Consider audio books if reading is difficult.  Check with your local library about Books on Tape/Talking Books programs.  Visit the Pinellas County Library Cooperative’s Talking Books program to learn more about this free program for qualified seniors and others.  Large print books or an eReader may help someone with visual challenges.
• If your loved one enjoys music, consider putting together a special music collection on an ipod or burning a CD and buying a portable CD player that can be easily within reach (it may be a good time to consider burning those old albums to CDs for better portability/ease).
• Plan outings to local museums and indoor cultural events.
• Take in a movie, especially on a hot afternoon when the prices are lower and the air conditioning feels great!
• Do a little shopping at the mall or spend some time at a local bookstore and get an iced coffee or treat while you linger over a book or magazine.
• It is a good time to get organized!  Slowly go through closets or files, work together on shredding items and cleaning out/organizing.
• Set a goal to learn something new together…it is great for the brain!  Practice a new language (or pick up an old one that you haven’t used in a while, or teach each other if one generation has a jump start); learn a new craft such as crocheting; take an art class (or practice along with one of the art lesson TV shows); learn and practice a new game-chess, cards, the latest board game; read a different genre book than you would usually or join in with an online book club or review Oprah’s old picks.
• Take a course at the local recreation center or…

This article was sourced from Easy Living FL.