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September 4, 2019 by Kirk Brechbiel

Fun and Easy Fall Craft Ideas for Senior Adults

Tis the season for pumpkin spice and everything nice! The passing of Labor Day typically shifts our mindsets from summer to autumn, making it a great time to dig into some seasonal crafts that can make your home feel a bit more festive this time of year.

Crafts aren’t just for kids! In fact, crafts are one of the best ways to engage aging adults, giving them a productive pastime while increasing mental alertness and dexterity. Let’s take a look at just a few of the many fall craft ideas you may wish to try out this season with your aging loved one.

Decorating a photo frame

Photos are closely tied to memories, making a photo frame a great craft idea for aging adults. Find an old, plain photo frame or purchase an inexpensive new one. Try to choose something made of unfinished wood or of a material that will work well with hot glue. The Dollar Store is a great place to find these types of items! Next, using a hot glue gun (and helping your loved one as needed), carefully arrange various fall décor items like faux leaves, acorns, and mini plastic pumpkins around the frame. Once dry, the frame is ready for a new photo. Use this opportunity to take a family photo with your loved one. Now you have a fresh memory fit for the fall season!

Filing a vase with fall décor

It’s likely you or someone you know has a variety of empty vases to spare. Borrow or buy some of various sizes and shapes. Next, go on a “scavenger hunt” around the home, or outside to collect fall items like leaves, pinecones, acorns and flower clippings to fill the vases. Take time to carefully arrange the various items in the vases to create a colorful and decorative display that can be placed on a table, above a fireplace or on a side table to add a burst of fall décor to your loved one’s home or apartment.

Creating fall themed greeting cards

You don’t have to be a true artist to master this fall craft idea. Whatever comes from the heart will be well received! Using crayons, colored pencils and stencils, spend time with your aging loved one decorating greeting cards to send to family and friends. On the front of the blank cards, draw a fall scene like a park bench surrounded by leaves, or a pumpkin patch. Then write a thoughtful note inside. The final step in this craft is taking a walk together to the mail box to send your well wishes off together. This is the perfect craft to do over the course of an afternoon.

Making a no-sew fleece throw

This craft idea take a bit of preparation, but is well worth the effort. Go to your local fabric store ahead of time and purchase two large squares (large enough to be a comfortable throw) of fleece in two different fall patterns. Then, following these instructions, work together to cut tabs around the material and knot the two pieces together to create a warm and cozy blanket that is perfect for those cool fall days. Every time your loved one wraps up in this blanket they will think back on the memory of making it with you.

Filling trick or treat bags

Another fall craft idea, geared more toward the Halloween holiday, is to fill trick or treat bags to have on hand to give out to neighborhood trick or treaters. Help your loved one by purchasing a variety of candy and baggies in advance. Work together to fill each bag and tie it off. You can even add a fun and festive note to the bags, if you wish! This is something a senior adult may not have the means or ability to do by themselves, so with your help they will be well prepared to enjoy Halloween visitors from neighborhood children while having treats ready and on hand to give them.

Which one of these fall craft ideas do you plan to do with a friend or family member this season? Let us know, or share a new idea, by leaving a comment below!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: activities, activity, aging, autumn, camp hill, caregiver, crafts, elderly, ella home care, entertainment, fall, harrisburg, home care, home care agency, home caregivers, ideas, in home care, inspiration, leaves, lemoyne, mechanicsburg, outdoors, outside, pennsylvania, professional caregiver, seasonal, senior, senior adult, senior care, things to do

December 17, 2018 by Kirk Brechbiel

The Best Winter Activities for the Whole Family

When the winter weather rolls in, it can be hard to find activities that are both fun and accessible to the whole family, especially if there are varying interests and physical abilities. However, you still have options! Take a look at a few of the many activities that could be a great option for your whole family to enjoy together this winter.

Family Baking Competition

Your family doesn’t have to be a bunch of professional bakers to have a little fun with a friendly winter baking competition. Keep things simple, or be daring with your recipe choice. No matter what you choose to bake, make everyone feel included by dividing up tasks according to ability. Regardless of how young or how old your bakers are, there is surely something they can help with! Best of all, the prize at the end is getting to enjoy some delicious treats with those you love.

Crafts for a Cause

There are endless crafts for all seasons, but particularly in winter you have the opportunity to make these crafts for a specific cause. Every member of the family can partake in activities like making holiday greeting cards for soldiers overseas, or to give to friends and neighbors. You can also buy and assemble personal hygiene kits to donate to your local mission. Working together to create something as a family is a great memory, combined with the fact that you’re helping others, makes it an exceptional winter activity.

Wildlife Watching

Many people enjoy simply looking out the winter and taking in the scenic views of winter and the wildlife it brings. But to make this activity fun for all ages and abilities, you can take this one step further by turning it into a game. Create BINGO cards that have spaces for common things you’re likely to see outside, like deer, rabbits or sled riders. Whoever sees an item first, gets to mark it off on their card. This adds a little competition and fun to an otherwise relaxing and peaceful activity that the whole family can enjoy.

Game Night

An organized night of board games is a great activity especially when the weather isn’t conducive to getting outside. Try hosting this activity at the house of an aging loved one who needs a little company. Bring some snacks and games and spend the evening around the kitchen table. The games will serve as the ice breaker, and before long you’ll find yourself deep in conversation with one another!

Christmas Lights Sight Seeing

Load the family in a car (or two) and explore your local neighborhoods in search of the best Christmas lights. Be sure to play Christmas carols in the car – or sing your own! This is a great activity for the whole family because it doesn’t require any walking and yet you still get to see new things and take in some fresh views.

Holiday Movie Marathon

Finally, you might consider hosting a holiday movie marathon this winter. This is another great activity for all ages and abilities because all you need to do is get comfortable and enjoy! Choose a selection of movies from various eras to please everyone. And don’t forget the snacks!

Are you struggling to think of some fun winter activities to please the various generations within your family? We hope these ideas will help to spark some inspiration!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: activities, baking, christmas, cold, crafts, ella home care, family, family time, fun, games, holidays, multigenerational, season, things to do, winter

October 12, 2018 by Kirk Brechbiel

Halloween Crafts and Activities for Caregivers

Many people will tell you that Halloween is their favorite holiday all year. And even if it’s not, most everyone will agree that Halloween themed crafts and activities are pretty fun. But don’t be fooled (or should we say “tricked”), getting festive for Halloween is not limited to children. In fact, there are a ton of creative activities that can be enjoyed by just about every generation.

Take a look at a few of our favorite crafts and activities that personal caregivers can do with their clients to make new memories and get in the Halloween spirit!

Popsicle Stick Magnet

Create something that is as cute as it is useful. This popsicle stick magnet requires little more than a magnet backing, glue, some popsicle sticks, orange and black markers and a few pieces of hay for hair. This activity will help aging adults use their fine motor skills, as well as their creativity to create a festive magnet that can help display important information on their refrigerator, or be given to someone as a present.

Create a Leaf Bouquet

Go for a walk and slowly look at all the different sizes and colors of the changing leaves. Collect a variety of leaves, examining the unique qualities of each one and talking about it together. Then, take your leaves home and arrange them in a small glass vase. There, you’ll get to enjoy the beauty of fall for a few days while remembering the afternoon you spent walking outside selecting the perfect combination of leaves!

Painting with Q-Tips

Create a beautiful fall tree with some red, orange and yellow paint, a brown marker and a bundle of Q-tips. Start by drawing a tree trunk, then bundle a handful of Q-tips together and secure with a rubber band. Dip the Q-tips into a mixture of the paint colors and dab them all throughout the top of the tree to create bursts of leaves. This craft is fun, easy and there’s no wrong way to do it!

I Spy Halloween

Go to the Dollar Store and purchase between seven and ten small Halloween items. Then, create a list detailing each item; include a picture of that item for extra help! Next, hide your items throughout your client’s house or apartment, making it as easy or as challenging as what fits their skill level. Finally, go on a scavenger hunt seeing if they can find where you hid each item. This is a fun and interactive game that provides both physical and mental exercise.

Jack-O-Lantern Mosaic

This craft is great to do slowly while you talk with each other and really spend some time telling stories and sharing memories. All you need are a paper plate cut into a pumpkin shape, corn kernels, kidney beans, mung beans and glue. Start by making your Jack-O-Lantern’s face with the kidney beans and fill in the rest with the corn kernels. Finish off the stem with the mung beans. You can create a detailed pattern or let it be more free form. It’s completely up to you! The time and care you put into these will be what makes it special.

Do you have another Halloween craft or activity that would be perfect for a senior adult and their caregiver? Share your ideas by leaving a comment!

Filed Under: Blog, Caregiver Tagged With: activities, activity, aging adult, aging loved one, autumn, care, caregiver, central pa, craft, crafts, creative, ella home care, fall, family, halloween, ideas, in home care, in-home caregiver, multi-generation, october, pennsylvania, professional care, professional caregiver, relationship, senior adult, things to go

March 2, 2018 by Kirk Brechbiel

10 Spring Activities to Enjoy at Any Age

Whether the weather today feels like it or not, we are inching closer toward those warm spring days! Soon we will have many more reasons to want to get outside and soak up the season. No matter your age or physical abilities, there are many activities you can take part in this spring. Here’s our top ten list of spring activities to enjoy at any age!

  1. Arrange a Bouquet – Depending upon your loved one’s physical abilities, you can take a stroll around a park and pick wild flowers together. Or, bring some fresh flowers with you on your next visit. Spend time together arranging a beautiful bouquet to be placed in their home. Every time they see these flowers they will think of you and your time together!
  2. Bake a Spring Dessert – Get inspired by the fresh produce of the season and bake a springtime treat. Use can use fresh berries to garnish a cake or make sugar cookies and decorate them with flowers made out of frosting. This activity is sure to be as good on the soul as it is on the taste buds!
  3. Stroll a Nature Trail – Get outside together and take a stroll along a nature trail, or in any green space around you. Walk slowly and notice all the new flowers and wildlife waking up again after their long winter’s nap.
  4. Make Spring Decorations – You will find endless inspiration on Pinterest for spring crafts and decorations. Pick something that fits your skill level and taste in décor. Great options include wreaths, garden flags or centerpieces to make your home feel ready for spring.
  5. Eat Outside – When visiting your loved one, suggest you take your meal or snack outside. Enjoy time together on a park bench or picnic table. The fresh hair, spring sounds and warm sun will be the perfect combination to lift the spirits!
  6. Hang a Birdfeeder – Help your loved one fill and hang a birdfeeder within easy view. They will be able to continuously enjoy their feathery friends stopping by. Be sure to have ample feed on hand and help refill the feeder every time you visit.
  7. People Watch at a Park – Get out to a local park and find a warm and sunny spot to sit for a while. Enjoy watching people pass by and children play. You can even turn it into a game of counting people, birds, dogs or anything else!
  8. Plant a Herb Garden – Maintaining a large outside garden is not reasonable for most seniors, but an inside herb garden is perfect! It’s easy to maintain these little potted plants and they are very easy to harvest whenever you need them to add some flavor to a dish.
  9. Take Your Visits to the Porch – Suggest sitting on the porch to talk or play games. Even if it’s raining outside, you will still enjoy all the sights and sounds of nature that you would otherwise miss inside.
  10. Press Flowers – Another creative way to make use of those fresh spring flowers is to press them between two sheets of wax paper. Carefully lay out each flower and firmly press. For best results, press them overnight under a heavy object like a book. Once flattened, you can use them to make a bookmark, decorate a card or anything else to add a little touch of spring!

Share the spring activities you plan to partake in this this year. How will you include your aging loved one in these activities? Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: activities, aging loved one, all ages, crafts, decorations, elderly, ella home care, fun, ideas, inspiration, senior, spring, springtime

November 13, 2017 by Kirk Brechbiel

Holiday Activity Ideas for Seniors

The holidays are filled with family gatherings, community events and various activities; however, participating in many of these activities can be difficult for seniors depending upon their mental and physical abilities.

The good news is that there are still many holiday activities that can be adjusted to accommodate anyone’s ability and interest. Take a look at a few activity ideas specifically for seniors.

Volunteer for a Charitable or Community Organization

Charitable organizations such as Toys for Tots, food and coat drives and the Salvation Army are often overwhelmed by the needs of the community during the holiday season. This is a great time to donate your time and talents, however you can. Call your local organizations and ask them how you can best assist them. They should be able to offer a few ideas based upon your abilities and interests.

Make Hand-Made Greeting Cards

Call upon your creativity to make hand-made greeting cards for your family and friends. Better yet, gift these cards to soldiers who are overseas or local hospitals where the recipients will be very grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Attend a Holiday Concert or Ballet

The holidays are a wonderful time of year to attend a concert, play or ballet. Ask a friend or family member to join you at one of these events and assist you in getting there. It will be a lasting memory for you both, and one that will surely put you in the holiday spirit. Keep in mind that many local churches offer their holiday performances free of charge or at a special discount for seniors.

Create Floral Arrangements and Centerpieces

Bring out your crafty side by creating holiday floral arrangements or centerpieces. The time and care you put into each piece will make it a truly special gift for a loved one. Invite over a few friends to join you and make it a holiday tradition for years to come.

Make a Gingerbread House

Gingerbread houses aren’t just enjoyed by children! At any age, this holiday activity calls for creativity, hand-eye coordination and a sense of humor. Bring together a group of friends to share in the fun, and taste testing the end product!

Teach Someone Your Favorite Holiday Recipe

Invite a friend, family member or neighbor over for an afternoon of baking. You can each share your favorite holiday recipe and teach each other how to make it. More than just creating a delicious side dish or dessert, you will get to share stories and create a lasting memory.

Check the Local Newspaper for Free Holiday Activities and Volunteer Opportunities

If you’re still looking for more holiday activity ideas for seniors, be sure to check the local newspaper for a list of upcoming community events and volunteer opportunities. You will likely find many new ideas you didn’t know were available!

Do you have another idea for a holiday activity for seniors? Please share this with us by commenting below!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: activities, aging loved one, caregiver, christmas, crafts, elderly, events, holiday, ideas, senior citizen, things to do

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