Don’t let Grandma stop cooking!

 Don’t let Grandma stop cooking!

Suitable activities for people with reduced mobility

We start this topic with a great desire to encourage all mothers and grandmothers not to neglect the love of cooking – one of the top hobbies that unite people and make them happy! You’ve heard that food is happiness, haven’t you? Due to the latest dishes of Grandma Sevda in Blocks Adult Care, we can confirm that.

However, despite the sunny memories of the past week, we are opening this topic also because we want to talk about activities and hobbies that older people with reduced mobility should not miss. Of course, each will sound logical and pleasant, and you will see no reason why someone would not practice it. The truth is that as soon as people slow down or lose their mobility, they become hopeless, feel useless, think they no longer have a place in this world, and start to despair, having lost (according to them) the most important thing. We want to prove to you that this is not the case at all. As long as the spirit and consciousness are with them, and as long as there is someone to encourage them to invest their time in another pleasant activity, they will feel just as good and even more complete in their daily lives.

Our elderly parents or loved ones may lose their mobility as a result of a stroke, severe arthritis or fall injuries. All of this can lead to spinal cord injury, paralysis, muscular dystrophy (which in recent years has also occurred among much younger people) and cerebral palsy. When and If this happens, do not forget about the initial shock. Yes, it exists, but it is overcome with time, when the emphasis is placed on other interesting and really meaningful, enriching activities in everyday life. There are many possible ways for our parents to have fun, to maintain their mood, to be engaged and connected to the world around them.

We will try to help you choose a hobby or activity by introducing you to some easy, enjoyable activities that require only a desire to do them.

Read

Great hobby, a favorite one not only for people with limited mobility. This is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend your time and keep your brain engaged. Reading can improve memory and sleep, reduce stress and slow cognitive decline. If your loved ones don’t like to read and books have never been “their thing”, you can try magazines, audiobooks or intriguing podcasts to immerse themselves and learn something new that will оoccupy their minds and open up new topics for conversation.

Organizing reading clubs is a popular practice in nursing homes abroad, which Blocks Adult Care will also impose soon, as some residents love reading, and this will further improve socialization, an important part of nursing homes of family type.

Try different hobbies

Only people who have a hobby know what it’s like to “dive” in it every day. In most cases, it obsesses us, and we can even say that it interferes with our work sometimes! The positive thing about older people is that the hobby can become their continuous job. Activities that do not require much movement, such as cooking, baking, knitting, gardening (recently the term “balcony gardening” became popular, not even requiring a large area but only a few pots, soil and love), playing a music instrument or learning a new language. On the bright side, this is the perfect time for your loved ones or parents to embark on something completely new, perhaps having interests they have never had the opportunity to explore before. Learning is a wonderful way to keep you mind awake and to overcome bored, even though your children say otherwise!

Do exercise

No, we are not wrong. Even if you have limited mobility, you have the opportunity to do exercises (so-called chair/seated exercises), which will raise your heart rate, improve blood circulation, increase flexibility and range of motion. No equipment is needed, just one chair to have a stable back support. You can now find many videos on the Internet showing exercises within 10-15 minutes. Enough time for you to feel your body alive and muscles stimulated.

Be creative

Painting, coloring, sewing (clothes or tapestries for example) is a great start that will help you unlock your creativity. This can include creating and arranging a family photo album or creating a cookbook, a painted memory with all the recipes you’ve ever followed in the kitchen and are probably continuing. It would also be a great gift for children and grandchildren to be passed down through the generations. A 2010 study by the American Journal of Public health found that creative activities help people who are struggling with chronic illness. They reduce negative emotions, stress and anxiety, increase positive one and improve overall health.

Spend time outside

We shared this advice in other articles, as we are happy that the location of Blocks Adult Care (at the foot of Vitosha Mountain) allows walks in the nature and fresh air. Even if the residents have limited mobility, they have the opportunity to go outside, to contemplate the landscape, to be peaceful in nature. An interesting fact is that one of the popular hobbies abroad is the so-called birdwatching. People who practice it love birds and love to observe their behavior in their natural habitat. That is why they study them, learn to recognize them and understand what and why they do everything. Although for most people the movement of birds seems pointless, for their fans it is far from that case.

Play games

Board games (Monopoly, Scrabble), puzzles, dominoes or chess? Some play to kill time, others do so out of a passion for games, the strategies they apply, the development of characters or techniques. The choice of such a game is fascinating, and after its completion you or your loved ones will experience the feeling of satisfaction of achieving the goal. These activities are among the most beneficial for brain function and, as you already know, are recommended for people who have memory problems.

Watch movies, listen to music

We certainly wouldn’t recommend watching TV all day – it’s not healthy. But the movies and the discussions around them can be as long as we don’t overdo the content! Watching TV can also help or “improve” another of your hobbies. If you cook, there are already so many channels to enrich you with new recipes – this type of shows are short, relaxing and enriching in case you experiment in the kitchen afterwards.

Music also relaxes and soothes and after the article “How does music overpower dementia? We can safely say that it heals.

This is just a small list of hobbies and activities you can get started with. Try it. Dive deeper into each of them and you will surely find what charges you so much that you will forget about the impaired mobility and have more fun than ever.