Fun and Laughter in Old Age

With an old age population on the rise, we need to take a good look at how we can enrich the lives of these seniors, and remove the picture from our minds of an elderly sitting in a chair knitting all day (nothing wrong with the activity – but all day?) or snoring out of sheer boredom.

These elderly people can still enjoy interacting with others, and one is inclined to leave them out when they don`t hear as well as they used to, or aren`t as exciting and interesting as other company might be.

We all need fun and laughter in our lives, but sadly so many elders are inactive, have no enthusiasm for life and feel left out it. Yes, we no doubt provide all the physical needs, like a comfortable bed, food and warmth, but do we see to their emotional needs? Maybe if we have an elder living in our home, we might want to keep her out of our kitchen for example not thinking that perhaps she misses being able to see to the odd meal, even if only for herself. She has probably catered for her family for so many years and it is difficult to relinquish that independence. It`s a big mistake to say that they have done their share and should now take it easy. Let them gauge how much they can do without being tired out too much.

Our way of thinking towards the elderly has to change, and we should work towards a better quality of life. The elderly are a very important part of family life and we should include them in as many activities as possible.

Music is very uplifting and whilst the different generations in the house may have varied taste in music, have a time when each one has a choice of music to listen to, and one can even include physical movements or dance in time to the music, which can also create a lot of fun and laughter. Physical activity, especially if it is fun, is great for an elder (or any age) and it helps to keep one happy and the mind alert.

A happy person is generally a healthier person, and so if in old age one can keep active with hobbies, perhaps with making a collage or scrap booking, doing puzzles, crossword puzzles to keep the mind alert, going for walks etc it would surely benefit the entire family and enrich their lives.

Perhaps one could also include an elder when planning meals, find out if there is any particular choice of meal that they would fancy, and include their input when preparing a shopping list.

Meals on Wheels are committed to providing the elderly with nutritional, cooked meals when they do not have the resources to fend for themselves.