Our Tucson assisted living facility provides personal assistance based on each individual’s needs and facilitates access to medical services as needed.
Our assisted living facility offers activities based on our residents’ interests and needs. These activities include opportunities at our assisted living facility and in the community. The activities we offer in our assisted living and skilled nursing facilities provide social opportunities and mental stimulation and support your mental, physical, and cognitive well-being.
What Types of Activities Are Available for Seniors in Assisted Living Communities?
Assisted living and skilled nursing facilities offer daily activities tailored to their resident’s needs and interests.
Activities Promoting Cognitive Skills
Reading is a cognitive activity because you think and process data in your brain. Cognitive functions also include recalling information, committing information to memory, and reasoning. Seniors rely on their cognitive skills to perform many daily tasks.
In addition to offering board games for seniors, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities promote cognitive skill retention by offering programs such as:
- Art classes
- Book clubs
- Card games
- Cooking classes
- Crafts
- Gardening
- Karaoke
- Music
- Pet therapy
Activities Promoting Motor Skills
Gross motor skills involve moving your arms or legs. Fine motor skills involve movements made with your feet, fingers, hands, or toes. You use gross motor skills to stand up and walk to your dresser to get a shirt; you use fine motor skills to fasten the buttons on the shirt.
Activities that help individuals retain or strengthen their fine motor skills include:
- Art classes
- Card games
- Cooking classes
- Crafts
- Gardening
- Scrapbooking
- Video games
Some activities that promote the use of gross motor skills include:
- Dancing
- Exercising
- Walking
Community Outings
Community outings support the physical and emotional well-being of older adults. They promote mental health, provide opportunities to use motor skills and encourage social interactions while helping senior care facility residents stay connected to their community.
Examples of community outings include:
- Attending a comedy show
- Attending a concert
- Dining out
- Going on a road trip
- Going to a casino
- Going to the zoo
- Seeing a movie
- Seeing a play
- Shopping trips
- Touring an art gallery
- Visiting a museum
- Walking in community parks
Community outing opportunities in Tucson include visiting:
- Pima Air and Space Museum
- Tucson Botanical Gardens
- The Gaslight Theater
Fitness and Wellness Programs
Fitness and wellness programs promote your health. Fitness programs emphasize weight management or loss and mobility, while wellness programs include preventative health care and emotional, financial, and mental fitness.
Fitness programs offered at assisted living facilities include:
- Dance classes
- Exercise programs
- Walking
- Yoga
Wellness activities offered by assisted living facilities may include:
- Budgeting assistance
- Counseling
- Dietary planning
- Flu shots
- Health screenings
- Nutrition classes
- Programs to stop smoking
Social Activities
Social activities are crucial for the health and well-being of older adults because they help prevent depression and physical illnesses. While any cognitive, community, motor skills, or fitness and wellness opportunities can promote social interaction, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities also host activities designed to facilitate socialization, such as:
- Birthday parties
- Discussion groups
- Ice cream social
- Karaoke
- Movie nights
- Pet therapy
Are There Any Special Events or Seasonal Activities for Residents?
The best assisted living facilities incorporate special events and seasonal activities into their calendars. Examples of special events may include:
- Anniversary parties
- Award show watch parties
- Birthday parties
- Olympics watching parties
Seasonal activities can include:
- Attending parades
- Caroling
- Decorating
- Gardening
- Gift exchanges
- Picnics
Assisted living facilities may also host seasonal events that support community connections, such as hosting a Halloween trick-or-treat event where residents give candy to children. They can also invite school and church choirs to carol at their facility, and they may have their own choir that performs in shopping plazas, churches, and other venues during the holiday season.
How Do the Communities Incorporate Local Culture and Events Into Their Activity Programs?
The assisted living facility’s program director notes any local cultural and community events and offers opportunities to participate. The facility may emphasize specific opportunities based on the cultural heritage and interests of the residents. Facilities may also host events where a cultural leader or group is invited to speak or perform at the assisted living facility. For example, the director may invite a local Indigenous people’s group to visit and share about their culture or help residents prepare an Indigenous dish on Native American Day.
What Opportunities Exist for Residents To Engage in Hobbies or Learn New Skills?
Enabling residents to continue pursuing their hobbies is an excellent way to promote socialization, cognitive skills, and good mental health. The activities director may ask each resident about their hobbies and interests and look for ways to incorporate opportunities into the schedule. Suppose there are a number of people who are coin collectors. The activities director may invite local coin collectors to come and talk to residents and share their collections. The director may also schedule opportunities to visit museums with notable collections.
Those with no experience can join any activity and learn new skills. Assisted living facility staff are available to help adapt the skill level so everyone can succeed while exploring new activities.
How Do These Activities Help Improve the Quality of Life for Seniors?
Seniors can retain or strengthen their cognitive, motor, and social skills by engaging in various activities.
Cognitive Skills
Strong cognitive skills can reduce the risks of injury. Many activities can be modified to meet the needs of individuals with varying levels of cognitive abilities. Activity coordinators may prepare visual cards outlining the steps to take to complete a task if someone struggles with verbal instructions. Staff may also provide hand-over-hand assistance with some tasks.
Mobility
Gross motor skills are essential for older adults because a steady gait and good balance help individuals retain their independence while preventing falls. Each year, 14 million adults 65 and older suffer from falls, which are the number one cause of injuries and fatalities in this age group.
Many activities can be adjusted for individuals with varying degrees of mobility. An older adult with balance issues can perform yoga and other exercises while seated, and individuals who struggle with balance may use a walker during group walks.
Social Opportunities
Social opportunities allow individuals to form connections and strengthen their communication skills. When residents form friendships, it helps prevent depression and anxiety.
Are There Options for Family Members To Participate in Activities With Their Loved Ones?
Family members can visit and play board games or attend activities with their loved ones. Having family members engage in activities encourages residents to get involved and can be a great way to support a family member who’s learning new skills.
Activities at Haven Health
Suppose you’re searching for an “assisted living facility near you” in Tucson. Haven Health is an exceptional assisted living and skilled nursing facility that incorporates on-site and community activities to promote residents’ mental, physical, emotional, and social health.
Sources:
Cognitive Health and Older Adults. (2024).
Older Adult Falls Data. (2024).