- Visit, sit and talk with the person, ask how they are and tell them how you are and don’t give advice.
- Bring friends and family members to visit. Don’t forget children or old friends of the resident. Visit another resident together.
- Take on outings: go for a walk, out shopping or for a snack. If your family member does not feel well enough for a long outing you can visit out of doors at the facility.
- Attend a scheduled activity program together.
- Do personal care: give a manicure, a massage, do their hair. Any activity that includes touch is very important and beneficial.
- Take your family member to meetings. He or she may have belonged to community organizations or religious groups.
- Bring simple work that needs doing. Work on Christmas cards along with the resident. Watch a TV show together.
- Bring photographs and letters to read together. Either old familiar ones or recent ones. Play games: card, word or other games.
- Exercise: the nurses or therapists may be able to suggest simple exercises such as making circles with arms, legs and head.
- Reading: read the newspaper, poetry, short stories or a novel in serial form if appropriate.
- Ask questions: ask your family member something you have always wanted to know about him or her. You may want to tape some of these memories as part of a family history.
- Decorate: change or add things to the physical environment. Bring things that are orienting such as clocks, calendars, or stimulating such as a radio, T.V. or paintings and pictures. Change things around. A room can get monotonous and we all need a change of scenery.
25 Things to Do While Visiting Your Older Adult
- Talk about what you both have been up to since your last visit.
- Bring photos of family and friends from days gone by or recent snapshots.
- Create a photo album, framed photograph collection or poster to hang up.
- Make a special scrapbook celebrating your older adult’s lifetime
- Write or tape your older adult’s autobiography – give copies to the family.
- Share your favourite stories and memories.
- Bring vacation photos, souvenirs, postcards, maps and tales of your travels.
- Read newspapers and magazines aloud to keep your older adult “in touch.”
- Look at magazines that have a lot of large colourful pictures.
- Read religious or inspirational articles, magazines or books.
- Subscribe to your older adult’s hometown newspaper and bring it along.
- Read letters from family and friends.
- Listen to messages from family or friends recorded on a cassette tape.
- Bring videotaped greetings from family and friends.
- Help your older adult write letters/cards to people.
- Find a pen pal and help your older adult correspond with his new friend.
- Create a poster or mobile from pictures cut from magazines.
- Teach your older adult to play a simple instrument.
- Bring things related to the season or upcoming holiday to do and talk about.
- Enjoy a cup of favorite beverage that you’ve brought in your thermos.
- Bring a musical instrument you play and give your older adult a private concert.
- Sing, hum or whistle together.
- Have an indoor picnic with your older adult’s favorite picnic foods.
- Play “Name That Tune” with records, tapes or music on the radio.
- Listen to music.
By Margot Helphand, MSW. and Kathryn Muller, MSW.