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October 4, 2019 by Kirk Brechbiel

Trick-or-Treat at Every Age: How Senior Adults Can Celebrate Halloween

Halloween fun has no age limit. There are many activities that can be enjoyed by the teeniest trick-or-treaters all the way to the most seasoned “ghouls” and “goblins.” All it takes is a little creativity and a spirited attitude. For our senior adults, Halloween can be a fun and festive holiday with much to enjoy. Take a look at a variety of ways in which you can partake in Halloween activities at any age or ability level.

Decorate Your Space

Halloween decorations are just plain fun! There’s no other time of year when you can hang fake cobwebs and spiders or put out props like a skeleton candy bowl and have no one bat an eye. Take full advantage of this! Halloween decorations are around every corner. A quick trip to the dollar store will yield you with enough décor to make your living space festive for the season. It will also bring a smile to any visitors you have over throughout the season.

Pass Out Candy

Another staple of Halloween is being visited by trick-or-treaters. For senior adults, this is a great activity that allows you to partake in the fun without requiring much more than sitting on your porch with some treats. Better yet, invite over family, a neighbor, or a friend to sit with you. Together you can enjoy the creative costumes, giggling children, and all the sights and sounds of the season.

Dress the Part

Finding some festive Halloween attire is another easy and accessible way to celebrate the holiday. You can even ask a friend or caregiver to help you with this, if needed. A decorative sweater, or Halloween print scarf will instantly put you in the spirit of things. Even something as simple as some fun Halloween socks will brighten the day. If you do choose to handout candy to trick-or-treaters, the kids will love seeing you in a witch’s hat or clown nose!

Involve Your Pets

Just because the days of parading around children in costumes are behind you, you may still have some furry friends who can fit the part. There are endless options for pet costumes available online and in-store. If a friend is looking to treat you to a surprise, suggest this as an idea for something that would be a thoughtful gift. Seeing your beloved dog or cat looking like your favorite Halloween character will certainly bring a smile to everyone’s face.

Share in Other people’s Enjoyment

Finally and most essentially, Halloween is a prime time to share in other people’s enjoyment of the holiday! Kindly ask friends and family to share pictures with you of their children’s costumes and their home décor. Whether by text, email, social media, or in person, these photos will allow you to experience Halloween joy, even if you can’t be there to see it in person.

Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Share how your celebration has evolved over the years in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: activities, aging adults, aging population, celebrate, decor, decorate, decorations, elderly, festivities, fun, halloween, ideas, inspiration, october, older, party, senior, senior adults, spooky, trick-or-treat

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

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

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