The best creative activities for seniors

aadmin — Sun, 17 May 2015 17:51:46 +0000

When it comes to caring for the elderly, there are some obvious things that come to mind, and physical health is foremost among them. Given the prevalence of medical conditions relating to the body among the elderly, concerns about broken bones, strokes, and so forth are all vital aspects of care. However, one thing that can sometimes sadly be overlooked is the mental component of elderly care.

Why We Should Care About The Mind

There are a number of reasons to give higher priority to the mental considerations of caring for the elderly. None of us would be happy with a life devoid of distractions and entertainment, of course, but even better than that is active creative work. This is vital not only for ensuring the personal wellbeing of residents in terms of happiness, but can also serve as a crucial part of recovery from an incident such as a stroke, and as a useful tool to help slow the progression of maladies such as Alzheimer's Disease.

Creative activity can best be thought of as doing for the mind what physical activity does for the body - it helps to keep the mind sharp and engaged. Whilst this can be brought about in other, more passive ways, being engaged in the act of creating is more powerful because it engages more of the brain, including parts that otherwise might not always be put to use in daily life. In psychological terms, being creative also helps provide a sense of both usefulness and satisfaction, and it has been said by philosophers since ancient times that the best life is one where people are healthily challenged by creative work.

Types Of Creative Work The Elderly Can Perform

There is a tremendous variety of creative work that a person can engage in, but sometimes the elderly are more limited due to physical or mental conditions in what they can achieve. Here are some of the creative activities the elderly are often able to perform and benefit from, as well as notes on where difficulties may arise;

Painting can be a wonderful hobby that engages the mind, but it can also be made difficult by conditions which affect the arms or hands, such as a palsy.
Pottery can similarly be a great way to combine mental and physical activity, but it does require a measure of physical endurance that some elderly people may lack.
Writing is another superb way to engage the mind. In some cases, dictation could be preferred instead of writing or typing.
Creating music is a wonderful way to express creativity, as music itself can have beneficial uses as well. In addition it may be possible to engage other residents who play, or are learning to play, instruments.
There are also a wide array of crafting activities that can be undertaken, ranging from cross-stitching to woodwork to origami.

Whether individually or in groups, and whatever degree of physical activity the work involves, creative activities for the elderly should form a core component of their care. Providing both mental stimulation and emotional satisfaction, it cannot go overlooked.

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Why are there so few seniors in Hollywood movies? An insider view

aadmin — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 16:29:29 +0000

Just over one year ago, in May 2012, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was released in theatres in North America. The movie, starring iconic older British actors such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson, featured a group of British seniors spending their retirement years at a resort hotel in the Indian city of Jaipur.

And although the movie was both a critical and box office success, bringing in more than $130 million dollars (US), movies with a senior cast and catering predominantly to older people are rare sights in today’s entertainment industry, according to prolific Hollywood producer Adam Leipzig.

In a conversation with RetirementHomes.com, Leipzig – producer of the American version of March of the Penguins and currently CEO of Entertainment Media Partners in Los Angeles – said that big-budget Hollywood movies tend to shy away from senior-focused movies, partly because many executives don’t believe they are as profitable.

“Studios do not make movies for this demographic, because the majority of execs are 20 years younger, and they just don’t think it’s cool,” Leipzig said. “They also think seniors don’t do as well when it comes to word of mouth.”

And although social media – one of the most widespread ways word of mouth is spread today – is used less among seniors than their younger counterparts, Leipzig said seniors have proven themselves to be very effective at sharing their positive views of movies to friends and family.

“Even though it’s not on social media, seniors spread the word the way word of mouth had always been spread until technology started changing it 20 years ago,” Leipzig said.

Joe Boyd, an Ohio-based movie director, created one upcoming drama comedy film, 'A Strange Brand of Happy,' scheduled for release in September, that prominently features a group of seniors, one of them acted by Oscar winner Shirley Jones, and he concurred with Leipzig that the biggest obstacle to senior-targeted Hollywood movies is a matter of economics.

“Every day is a box office gamble, but the best and most experienced actors we have are the ones who have been doing it for a while,” Boyd said. “But for things to change, the studios are going to need to see that it’s marketable to have seniors play leading roles,” he said.

And while Boyd agreed with Leipzig that seniors’ under-representation on social media is, in the eyes of movie studios, a limiting factor to their social reach, Boyd said he is convinced that as North America’s population grows older and more tech-savvy, and as social media becomes more ubiquitous , moviegoers in Canada and the United States may expect to see more seniors in Hollywood productions in the near future.

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The best creative activities for seniors

Why are there so few seniors in Hollywood movies? An insider view