Cathy Cress

Expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management

10 Intellectual Quality Of Life Activities for Elders

Loneliness & Isolation a Plague Among Elders 

Geriatric care managers who work with isolated or depressed clients who can use quality of life to bring back joy.

Care Manager Nina Herndon, the national expert of elder quality of life, cites in her chapter on Quality of Life, in Handbook of Geriatric Care Management a quote from the aging visionary Bill Thomas MD  in his book,  “What Are Old People For”  .Thomas says this is the plague of so many elders, who suffer loneliness, isolation, helplessness, and boredom because their environment is empty of companionship, intimacy, self-direction, and meaningful activity. Care Managers can fill this void with quality of life. One way to do this is:

Intellectual Quality of Life activities that engage older person  mentally

  • Hobbies
  • Learning
  • Brain aerobics
  • any form of creativity

Here are 10 other  ideas for seniors who live at home, or in Assisted Living

For seniors who are independent.

  1. For seniors who wish to travel again but need support to arrange a trip-Work with a senior travel agency to have the elder plan a trip that the elder would love to take but never did. Arrange for senior to take a class on planning travel and to  plan the trip Help them go online
  2. Games checkers dominos, puzzles, simple card games with a deck of cards with whales on them if they like the sea or more complicated games like bridge.
  3. Help the client join a local  book club with the kind of literature he likes to read (non-fiction- fiction – romance? )
  4. Help the client join a book club at the local library.
  5. Help the client join a Lifelong Learning  Osher group near you with intellectual activities if they enjoy book groups, Current Events, Cosmology, Shakespeare – whatever they love to learn or learn again.
  6. Introduce elders to your local community college or local college or theater company musicals and get tickets plus arrange transportation.
  7. . Identify what music they like and arrange to take them to local concerts, arrange to watch and listen on television or TV, if they have an I Phone Make a playlist of their favorite music, get them Alexa to just tell Alexa what music they want to hear, or join a choir if they used to do that and arrange transportation
  8. Attend a senior computer class or arrange for a 1-1 services with someone who can easily work with seniors and computers.
  9. Suggest joining in a games group at their local senior center or joining local games meet up- an example where I live https://www.meetup.com/Santa-Cruz-Board-and-Parlor-Games/
  10. Order Joyful Moments,  Geriatric Care Manager, Nina Herndon’s Quality of Life activity kit book, to get more ideas                         
Get More information about how to set up a Quality of Life Program check out My Geriatric Care Management Operations Manual that includes step by step  procedures on how to set up a Quality of Life Program 

   

 

 

8 Intellectual Quality Of Life Activities for Elder at home or Assisted Living

Loneliness & Isolation a Plague Among Elders
Geriatric care managers who work with isolated or depressed clients in Assisted living or at home can use quality of life to bring back joy.

Care Manager Nina Herndon, the national expert of elder quality of life, cites in her chapter on Quality of Life, in Handbook of Geriatric Care Management a quote from the aging visionary Bill Thomas MD  in his book,  “What Are Old People For”  .Thomas says this is the plague of so many elders, who suffer loneliness, isolation, helplessness, and boredom because their environment is empty of companionship, intimacy, self-direction, and meaningful activity. Care Managers can fill this void with quality of life. One way to do this is:

Intellectual Quality of Life activities that engage older person  mentally

  • Hobbies
  • Learning

    An elderly couple playing chess together outdoorshttp://195.154.178.81/DATA/shoots/ic_783134.jpg
  • Brain aerobics
  • any form of creativity

Here are 6  ideas for seniors who live at home, or in Assisted Living

For seniors who are independent.

  1. For seniors who wish to travel again but need support to arrange a trip-Work with a senior travel agency to have the elder plan a trip that the elder would love to take but never did. Arrange for senior to take a class on planning travel and to  plan the trip Help them go online
  2. Games checkers dominos, puzzles, simple card games with a deck of cards with whales on them if they like the sea or more complicated games like bridge. Join local games” meet up” on parlor games. Here is an example where I live.
  3. Help client join a local  book club with the kind of literature he likes to read (non-fiction- fiction – romance? )
  4. Help the client join a book club at the local library.
  5. Help the client join a Lifelong Learning  Osher group near you with intellectual activities if they enjoy book groups, Current Events, Cosmology, Shakespeare – whatever they love to learn or learn again.
  6. Introduce elder to your  local community college or local college  or theater company musicals and get tickets plus arrange transportation http://www.cabrillostage.com/
  7. . Identify what music they like and arrange to take them to local concerts, arrange to watch and listen on television or TV, if they have an I Phone Make a playlist of their favorite music, get them Alexa to just tell Alexa what music they want to hear, or join a choir if they used to do that and arrange transportation.
  8. Order Joyful Moments,  Geriatric Care Manager, Nina Herndon’s Quality of Life activity kit book, to get more ideas                         

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