Independent Living Activities for Seniors

Posted on August 15, 2023

Two elderly women, dressed in light-colored outfits, are sitting at an outdoor table, engaged in a joyful conversation over coffee and pastries. They appear happy and are smiling at each other. The background shows a garden with greenery and a bench.

Tutera Senior Living communities offer a bevy of activities and outings designed for seniors to make the most out of every day. Tutera communities’ independent living social calendar is diverse, piquing the interest of anyone looking for something to do or learn. 

Moving into a senior living community has many benefits, including a dedicated team, nutritious meals and more – but by far, the best thing about living in a Tutera community is the exciting and varied activities that comprise the senior living activities calendar. Our dedicated team creates a fresh calendar each month for residents to be able to explore new activities, try new hobbies and enjoy each other’s company. 

Research has shown that seniors who frequently engage in social activities and hobbies tend to live longer lives as well as experience a lower risk for certain diseases and a reduction in stress. 

Discovering new hobbies for seniors to enjoy or continuing with lifelong learning can lead to a sense of fulfillment in the golden years and offer opportunities for socialization with other residents, family and friends. 

There are thousands of hobbies available to seniors, but choosing the right activity can keep you happy, encouraged and excited about the day! A few categories of senior hobbies include physical activity, social activities, cognitive challenges and more. 

What Are Some Activities That Senior Citizens Enjoy?

Physical activity

Some of the best activities for seniors involve physical activity. Living an active life is very important to many of our seniors who live in our communities, and Tutera provides a valuable set of resources to help everyone maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. No matter the activity level of the participant, there’s something for everyone. 

A woman with long gray hair is meditating in a bright, cozy room. She is wearing a brown shirt and has her eyes closed with her hands in a prayer position. The room has large windows, potted plants, and a white bed with a striped blanket.
  • Tai chi: A favorite among senior citizens, tai chi is a low-impact, slow-motion exercise that strengthens the body and calms the mind. It is often called “meditation in motion,” and it is appropriate for most activity levels.
  • Walking: Many of our communities have beautifully landscaped walking trails around the grounds. Breathing in fresh air and soaking in the sunshine can help release dopamine, the chemical that improves moods, reduces loneliness in seniors and activates happiness and fulfillment. 
  • Chair exercises: The independent living programming calendars offered at Tutera communities include low-impact chair exercises that can also be completed in a wheelchair, if necessary. Working arms, legs and core can help stay active.
  • Yoga and meditation: Modified yoga can help calm minds and heal and stretch bodies, strengthening the senior’s well-being and bringing peaceful fulfillment to a senior’s day. 

Social activities

Socialization in independent living communities is very important to reduce loneliness in seniors and encourage new relationships with team members and fellow residents. Some social activities that may be included in an independent living social calendar include:

Five older adults, three women and two men, smiling while sitting in the backseats of a vehicle. The woman in the front left wears a red hat and glasses, the man next to her wears a light blue shirt, the others are also visibly cheerful.
  • On-site social happy hours: Casual gatherings provide opportunities to mingle and get to know new friends. 
  • Volunteer opportunities: Volunteering in and out of the community allows seniors to give back to others. 
  • Trivia and movie nights: Testing your trivia knowledge or taking in a movie are great ways for seniors to enjoy socializing and flex their brains at the same time. 
  • Excursions or social outings outside of the community: It’s always fun to go on a short trip! Our independent living calendar often includes fun shopping trips, lunch at a local eatery, bird-watching or trips to wineries for an afternoon tasting. 
  • Games: Many board and card games can be utilized for critical thinking and strategy skills for seniors, as well as providing an opportunity for residents to get to know each other. 

Hobbies

Enjoying hobbies that are long-time favorites or newly discovered activities can help keep the mind alert and active, improving cognitive abilities. Finding a friend or fellow resident who enjoys these activities offers a great benefit for these oftentimes solo activities, but it’s always better with a friend! 

Close-up of a person assembling pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They have a light pink shirt and are using both hands to connect blue and pink pieces on a dark surface. The background is blurred, emphasizing the focused activity of puzzle-solving.
  • Puzzles: Completing puzzles helps aid hand-eye coordination and works out memory and critical problem-solving skills for seniors. A variety of activities from word searches, Sudoku, physical puzzles and more help keep the mind alert and active. 
  • Scrapbooking: An excellent way to aid all senior citizens is by cataloguing their memories of friends, family and times that have passed. This is also a great hand-eye coordination activity and allows for a creative flair to add stickers, photos and descriptions for generations to come. 
  • Reading and writing: Being able to share their life experiences is an excellent way to keep seniors’ minds in top-notch shape, whether this is reading, writing or simply discussing life events and experiences with others, including team members, other residents, family and friends. 

Creative therapy

Overlapping with other hobbies, creative therapy can strengthen seniors’ cognitive abilities and provide joy as they create keepsakes and relieve stress.

A group of six older adults is seated at a table outdoors, engaged in painting. The table is covered with a bright orange, floral-patterned tablecloth, and each person has an easel with a canvas in front of them. The background features lush greenery and trees.
  • Music therapy: For independent living and memory care residents alike, music therapy can be especially beneficial to remember nostalgic tunes of the past, maybe even including a little dancing while they enjoy the music! Depending on the type of music that the seniors like, they can also discover new, popular music or listen to religious music, such as hymns or contemporary worship, strengthening their spiritual side as well. 
  • Art therapy: Another great independent living activity for seniors is art therapy, including painting, creating keepsakes, exploring photography and more. 
  • Knitting, crocheting, needlepoint and more: Learning how to do these activities or tapping into the memory of doing these activities when they were younger can be beneficial to senior citizens. Some seniors in our communities have incorporated their craft or hobby into creating hats, scarves and blankets for hospitals and homeless shelters, paying kindness forward to the community. 

This is only a sampling of our independent living social calendars! Other activities that senior citizens may enjoy are: 

  • Family tree and genealogy activities: As mentioned before, documenting life experiences and researching family history can be a valuable and exciting hobby to take on for senior citizens.
  • Gardening: Some communities have gardening opportunities for residents. Gardening is therapeutic and also beneficial for the body as seniors will spend time in the sun, soaking up the vitamin D and boosting serotonin and dopamine levels, improving moods and outlooks on life.
A man with a white beard wearing a straw hat, green shirt, and suspenders is kneeling in a garden while placing bell peppers into a basket filled with various vegetables such as carrots and corn. Verdant foliage and a lattice fence are visible in the background.

A recent survey of 1,042 senior living residents discovered that the nonphysical attributes of their retirement communities had a significantly greater impact on their satisfaction than the community’s physical attributes. The results reflect the examples above – an active retirement filled with diverse activities for seniors. The great thing is, the majority of communities today are listening to what residents want and are offering it. They’re modernizing their amenities and activities to keep up with the ever-changing retirement landscape.

In Tutera communities, socialization and fulfillment for seniors is always top of mind for our team members and residents. We provide endless opportunities for the active independent living senior looking forward to enjoying every day. 

Interested in learning more about all of the benefits of living in a Tutera community? Use our location finder to find a community near you or call us at 877-988-8372 to learn more about the options available in your area!

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