How Recreational Therapy Benefits Aging Adults

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Recreational therapy, or therapeutic recreation, is a recreation-based treatment program designed to help seniors reduce the effects of illness or disability. You can enhance your senior loved one’s quality of life with recreational therapy activities. Here are some of the reasons your loved one should give recreational therapy a try. 

Physical Benefits

While going through recreational therapy, your loved one can complete a variety of physical activities, either alone or with others. These activities will typically involve light exercises. Examples of recreational therapy include swimming, chair exercises, and going for walks. Recreational activities can enhance mobility, agility, balance, and joint flexibility. By building muscle strength, your loved one can potentially prevent slips and falls.

Seniors who want to remain healthy as they age can benefit in a variety of ways when they receive professional senior home care. Align Home Care Services is here to help your loved one accomplish daily tasks, prevent illness, and focus on living a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Emotional Benefits

Recreational therapy helps your loved one engage in meaningful activities that generate positive feelings, which can reduce stress. Painting, playing musical instruments, and playing trivia games are some therapeutic recreation activities that can provide a sense of purpose and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Having a sense of purpose can help your loved one age gracefully and possibly live longer.

Cognitive Benefits

Almost all recreational activities require seniors to use their thinking skills. Your loved one may need to learn new things while retaining old information. This type of mental stimulation can keep your loved one’s brain active and functioning. Recreational activities can boost cognitive health and enhance sensory awareness, memory, attention span, and decision-making abilities.

Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of at-home care. Portland families can rely on Align Home Care Services to provide individualized care plans to meet their elderly loved ones’ unique care needs. Our caregivers help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and we offer mentally stimulating activities that can boost cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia.

Social Benefits

Recreational therapy is a great way to interact with others through a variety of activities. Your loved one may be able to build connections with family or members of the community, which can help him or her develop and maintain good social skills. By participating in recreational activities, your loved one can prevent depression and loneliness, which can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and other health conditions. The social skills your loved one develops from recreational therapy can also boost his or her self-esteem. 

For families living in Portland, respite care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Align Home Care Services, we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home. To learn more about our premier in-home care plans, call us today.

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