Life enrichment is a core element of senior living, but it’s often misunderstood. If you look at senior living communities, you may see some advertise life enrichment while others refer to activities, events, or resident engagement. No matter what it’s called, the life enrichment department is who’s responsible for planning the activities and events residents can participate in.
What comes to mind when you think about life enrichment or activities at senior living communities? Is it Bingo? If so, you wouldn’t be alone. Many people associate senior living activities with Bingo. Some residents do enjoy getting together for a competitive game of Bingo, but that’s just one of the countless things that can be part of life enrichment! Some of them may even surprise you!
Types of Programming
Before we get into our list of popular life enrichment activities that may surprise you, it’s important to understand that there are a few main types of activities or events.
Resident-led
If you look at a senior living community’s life enrichment calendar, you may see that they offer activities from sun up to sun down, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Activity professionals are great, but it would be difficult for them to cover every single event, especially when there are multiple at the same time. That’s one reason why some communities’ calendars may include resident-led events. These are events or activities completely organized and run by a resident or a group of residents that get included on the calendar, such as game nights.
Resident-inspired
Just because a resident has an idea for an activity or event they would like to do doesn’t mean they have to organize or run it. Some senior living communities encourage residents to offer suggestions for the types of events or activities they want to participate in. The activities team can then use that idea to plan an event that’s open to all residents.
Interest Groups
Many of the activities you’ll find at a senior living community are based around common interests. They might be formal groups that are organized and led by activities professionals or they may be more informal and simply groups of residents that get together. A lot of these groups form around shared hobbies, such as sewing, knitting, woodworking, billiards, and other arts and crafts. Many senior living communities also have groups for veterans that may gather for camaraderie, educational sessions, and veteran-related events.
7 Life Enrichment Activities and Events that may Surprise You
1. Happy Hours
Just because you move to senior living doesn’t mean happy hour ends. In fact, they just might get better. Senior living communities offer a variety of happy hour opportunities for residents. It could be a weekly Wine Down Wednesday, monthly Margarita Mondays, or just a regular weekly happy hour. One things for sure – you can’t beat the free drinks, snacks, and good friends that come with a senior living happy hour!
2. Dream Flights
The sky is the limit for some senior living residents. Literally! At The Ohio Masonic Communities, residents look forward to their chance to fly every summer. Working with fellow nonprofit Dream Flights, residents who are veterans get to go on a special flight. As a thank you for their service to our country, they’re given a ride in a World War II era, open cockpit, Stearman biplane. It’s a highlight of everyone’s summers and an amazing opportunity to be able to offer residents as part of life enrichment.
3. Readers Theater
You don’t always have to go to the theater to catch a show. Sometimes the show comes to you. You could even be the star of the show. That’s exactly what you can do with some life enrichment activities like Readers Theater. Residents gather for regular rehearsals where they read through the scripts for various skits. After rehearsing their skits, it’s time for the big show. Their family, friends, and other residents gather to see all the hard work pay off. Whether you’re in the audience or on the stage, you can count on having fun!
4. Dinner Outings and Cooking Demonstrations
Food is an important part of life. Many senior living communities advertise the quality of their food. Life enrichment activities can also frequently center around food. One popular type of event is cooking classes. Whether it’s an on-campus chef or a chef from the community, residents love getting together, learning new recipes and techniques, and enjoying a tasty meal. But residents aren’t limited to just the meals on campus. Some senior living communities have dinner outings on their activities calendars frequently. It might be a casual meal or fine dining, but one thing’s for sure – it’s always a great time.
5. Music Performances
You may not be surprised that music performances are part of many senior living activities calendars. It’s common to walk into a community and hear music playing. Everything from recorded music to residents playing piano or other instruments. On occasion, you’ll also find live performances from area musicians of all genres. There’s a lot more to music performances in senior living, though. Many residents enjoy events that include attending concerts and theater performances. Senior living communities may also offer residents a chance to perform music of their own, such as choirs and chimes groups.
6. Arts, Crafts, and Hobbies
Moving to a senior living community can make daily life less stressful because you don’t have to worry about cooking, cleaning, house maintenance, and things like mowing the lawn or shoveling snow. This makes it a great time to revisit old hobbies and explore new ones. Life enrichment calendars can be full of activities related to arts, crafts, and hobbies. One popular choice is painting which can include a wide variety of options. Some painting activities might be guided canvas painting classes with an instructor or a simple watercolor. Beyond painting, some popular activities include making greeting cards, soap making, sewing, knitting, woodworking, and more. Hobby-related activities can even include groups for walking, exercise, birding, and more.
7. Sporting Events and Museums
You’re never too old to enjoy America’s pastime. Baseball games are a highlight of many senior living activities calendars. In the summer months, residents head to the stadium and cheer on their favorite teams. Even when they can’t attend in person, you can often find on-campus tailgates for big games. On occasion, there may even be events to see sports memorabilia and meet former players. Sports aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Many residents enjoy outings to museums of all kinds. Sometimes the museum comes to the residents. It’s always a hit when residents get to see the museum artifacts up close and personal.
January celebrates activity professionals. It’s a perfect time to learn more about the work activities professionals do for senior living residents. If you want to learn more about life enrichment at The Ohio Masonic Communities, we would love to share our current activities calendar with you! The Ohio Masonic Communities offers three senior living communities across the state of Ohio – Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio, Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield, Ohio, and Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio. If you are interested in learning more about one of our communities, give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here.