11 ACTIVITIES TO MAKE EASTER SPECIAL AND MEMORABLE FOR SENIORS

Forty days of fasting, praying, and reflections culminate into Easter – a festive celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and victory over evil.

Festivals are a time of fun and enjoyment. And this excitement multiplies when you are together with your loved ones, especially seniors. Involving the elders in celebrations adds more meaning to their lives and makes them feel wanted.

A simple gesture can bring back pleasant memories and ascertain that their feelings and welfare are a priority. For example, arranging special Easter activities for seniors with dementia and other social activities act as memory-building exercises and can help seniors cope better with their condition. 

ENSURING THE HAPPINESS AND HEALTH OF SENIORS

Along with celebrations, it is equally important to keep seniors’ health in mind while planning Easter festivities with them. Organizing an Easter celebration while paying attention to their overall well-being can impart mental as well as physical benefits to seniors. Here are a few suggestions:

Arrange Elaborate Meals for the Day:

Meals are an important part of any festival. Easter meals can be elaborate and healthy as well. Plan multi-course meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do not sacrifice nutrition for taste. Ensure that the dishes are wholesome as well as delicious. Include fruits, leafy greens, legumes, meats, and nutrient-rich foods. While planning, keep in mind the dietary restrictions prescribed for your loved one.

Involve your loved ones in the preparation. You can allocate less risky jobs to them, like peeling, shelling, or stirring the sauce. This helps reaffirm the feeling that they are a part of the celebration and are helpful.  

Visit The Church:

Attending church services is an integral part of Easter celebrations. Escort your loved ones to church so that they can cherish the soothing hymns and prayers. And if your loved one has mobility issues, they can attend the online services offered by many churches.  

Arrange for a Trip Outdoors:

Take them shopping. Elders enjoy nothing more than a brief outing, even if it is to the neighborhood medical or grocery store. They can buy their supplies, or you can gift them essentials. Buying daily living aids for seniors can be a great Easter gift. 

Apart from shopping, seniors also enjoy going for walks in the park, taking a stroll in the neighborhood, or visiting farms. 

Spend The Day with Them:

“A family that prays together stays together”; “a family that eats together stays together.”

There are many more such phrases that explain the importance of staying together. Try to stick around the whole day. When elders witness the bonding among their children, it automatically brings a smile to their weathered faces.  Plan an all-inclusive get-together with special easter activities for seniors and the young ones as well. 

Technology is a boon today. You can consider connecting with those in the family who can’t make it to the get-together through video chatting or conference calls.

ENGAGING EASTER ACTIVITIES FOR INDEPENDENT SENIORS

Spending the day together can be most enjoyable if you organize easter activities for seniors and young ones. You can organize special easter activities for seniors with dementia and those living independently, in assisted living settings, or in nursing facilities. Additionally, you can plan easter games for seniors that they will love. Moreover, you can play these over video calls, too, so no one in the family misses out on the fun. 

A few easter activities for the elderly can be:

Gardening is therapy for some, and it can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activities. Nothing can be more pleasurable for seniors with green fingers than spending some time in the garden. If you already have a garden, you can help seniors revamp the pots to take on a festive look and plant easter symbolic plants like lilies and tulips. Starting a small herb garden can be ideal as, eventually, seniors can taste their efforts. 

Starting a small windowsill garden is a good idea for those with space constraints. The routine of watering the plants and witnessing their growth each day can be rewarding. 

There are many easy-to-make recipes on the internet for edible easter eggs. Just a few ingredients and one can shape the dough into Easter eggs with fillings of exciting flavors. Enjoy these delicious easter eggs as dessert after the sumptuous easter meal!

Let the creative instincts of seniors go wild with creative ways to dye and decorate eggs. You can have a family competition to see who is the best decorator! Later on, use these eggs for the egg hunt, display them as a table centerpiece, or add them to decorative garlands for a pronounced Easter feel. 

Easter-themed decorations can transform any space and lend it a festive feel. Easter rings in the season of sunshine and renewed energies. Create a perfect springtime setting that everyone can enjoy. Display fragrant springtime flowers, place painted eggs in niches, and the cake stand can be perfect for hosting chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, or ornamental bunnies and birds. 

Craft easter-inspired wreaths, easter crosses, or buntings with colorful eggs and spring florals. Use these as door or wall hangers or place them on the mantelpiece or side table.  Whatever the choice of decoration, ensure that it spells out ‘Easter-time’ out loud. 

Bake a batch of hot cross buns, Easter bread, bunny bakes, or a simnel cake. Traditionally made on Easter, these bakes will add to the excitement. Seniors can help by shaping the buns, rolling the marzipan balls, or stirring the cake mixture.

Easter is incomplete without the egg hunt. Seniors can be a part of it all through. From decorating the eggs to hiding them to being a part of the search party, they can choose any role they like. Seniors with mobility issues can be enthusiastic spectators and cheer the search parties.  

A trip down memory lane can be perfect for seniors who love reminiscing. Watching an Easter-themed movie or listening to easter music will be a welcome celebration. Seniors can be passive participants or actively participate by singing along, reciting traditional easter poems, or playing easter tunes on any instrument. 

Of course, dyeing Easter eggs are the most important activity around Easter. But there can be other creative activities that involve the whole family. Making easter cards, putting together Easter baskets, creating family scrapbooks, or making Easter bonnets can be exciting activities. The hand-made easter cards and self-crafted Easter baskets can serve as excellent gifting items. 

Festival time is a time of celebration, love, and giving. Make this occasion an opportunity to spend quality time with your seniors and help create memories of shared moments. Moreover, show all seniors, parents, and grandparents that they are important and wanted and that you love and care for them. Have a cheerful and fun-filled Easter with these Easter ideas for seniors.

Happy Easter!