Why meaningful care home activities matter (and inspiration for your next sessions!)
Loneliness in care homes is a concern for teams trying to foster a positive care home environment. Here are some activity ideas you could implement.
Having a solid strategy to combat loneliness in care homes and create regular moments of joy is vital to fostering a supportive and positive care home culture, and for residents’ wellbeing.
A calendar of meaningful care home activities that offer mental and physical stimulation and bring people together can be your activity co-ordinator’s north star.
Across the UK, NESCAFÉ® is quietly transforming the way residents and staff experience life in independent care homes. Because what better way to connect over meaningful activities than with the nation’s favourite coffee?1
What are meaningful activities?
Skills For Care, a body supporting the UK adult social care sector, explains how meaningful activity can be any physical, social or leisure activity tailored to each individual’s needs and preferences. Think different exercise options, creative activities and flexible options with varying levels of difficulty and involvement.
Why are meaningful activities for residents in care homes important for overall health?
They can help with:
- Improving physical fitness,
- Improving mood, helping to combat depression and anxiety,
- Combatting loneliness,
- Improving the quality of sleep, and
- Reducing falls and joint pain.2
How else can they benefit people?
At NESCAFÉ®, we believe meaningful activities not only support care home residents’ health, they improve quality of life across the board! Creating a sense of purpose and belonging, honouring personal values (like mindfulness, creativity or staying active), and building confidence. They also give the days and weeks much-needed structure, get people chatting, and keep skills like decision-making ticking over!
And for your care workers, getting involved in meaningful activities helps them develop closer bonds with residents through shared experiences, boosting their engagement and satisfaction at work.
Engaging care home activity ideas for coordinators
To increase morale, why not inspire residents to take an active role in choosing the right meaningful activities for them? So they feel connected to the things they used to enjoy when living independently, have the opportunity to reconnect with past hobbies or interests and have the chance to explore new activities that will fulfil them moving forwards.
Here are 10 care home activity ideas to get you thinking:
- Coffee tasting mornings – Foster a sense of community with coffee tasting mornings, perfect for bringing people together, encouraging discussions and sparking connections over a shared everyday morning moment.
- Cooking sessions and themed culinary nights – Fuel food-lovers’ creativity, keep hands busy, and help people discover new cuisines and cultures.
- Movement and wellbeing sessions – Offer different options like yoga, aerobics, different styles of dance, walk and talks, and armchair exercises to keep people active – no matter their ability.
- Connection sessions – Create cosy corners for impromptu coffee break chats with other residents and staff.
- Musical sessions – Uplift spirits with anything from singing to percussion classes, plus music quizzes and entertainer performances.
- Nature-based activities – Encourage time in the great outdoors, like gardening, bird-watching or meditation sessions in your care home garden.
- Creative sessions – Flex creative minds with pottery painting, knitting, sketching, and other crafts.
- ‘Lending a hand’ – Create a greater sense of purpose for residents by encouraging them to offer a helping hand, so they feel more productive, invested in their shared home, and part of a team. Encourage their help in whatever ways they feel comfortable – from watering plants to setting the table!
- Opportunities for learning – As they say, anyone who keeps learning stays young! Offer bite-sized sessions on topics that will keep residents’ minds active. This is also the perfect opportunity to refresh their memories on useful topics for the elderly, like the importance of hydration and the benefits of staying active.
- Family days – Encourage the whole family to get involved in get-togethers and keep everyone engaged with organised activities like games and competitions.
Tip: You could also ask what else residents would enjoy doing. Why not explore new ideas you may not have thought of?
Check out NESCAFÉ’s Care Home Activity Pack – filled with fun activities to bring everyone together over quality coffee!
What to consider when co-ordinating your activities
- What are the different indoor and outdoor spaces you have available, and how they can be used to their maximum potential?
- How will you spread your budget across activities, so every resident feels catered for? Plus, which high-value (and high-cost) activities do you want to prioritise, balancing with more affordable activities?
- Who would be best to bring into your care home to lead activities, and captivate and engage your residents? Think vintage music acts, wellness instructors, artists, and even furry friends!
- Can your staff share their existing skills or passions by leading activity sessions. Perhaps they’re a budding flower arranger, talented painter, or want to share their love of gardening! It’s a win-win: an affordable option, boosts staff satisfaction, and strengthens their bond with residents.
- How could you celebrate holidays and celebrations through meaningful activities?
As the nation’s favourite coffee3, NESCAFÉ® is the ultimate partner for joyful and meaningful activities in care homes. Adding some extra warmth to art classes, sing-alongs, family days and beyond! Bringing people together, to make your world a better place.
References
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1Circana: Volume Sales, Hot Coffee, IRI All Outlets & KWP Discounters, 52 w/e 25th Feb, 2023
2Skills for Care, ‘Why is meaningful activity so important?’
3Circana: Volume Sales, Hot Coffee, IRI All Outlets & KWP Discounters, 52 w/e 25th Feb, 2023
