Cosy Indoor Activities For The Elderly This Winter

Winter can be especially challenging for individuals receiving in-home care as it can often make them feel more isolated, and it can lead to a sedentary life, which can worsen their conditions. This is why it is important to try to introduce your elderly loved ones to activities that can help maintain their mental, emotional and physical well-being. 

In the dark winter months, creating a sense of routine that maintains a healthy psychological state is extremely important for everybody, especially the elderly and people in care. 

For this article, we’ve gathered ideas from specialists working in in-home care in London, who share the cosy indoor activities that will keep your elderly loved ones engaged, entertained, and warm this winter.

Knitting, Crocheting & Embroidery 

Apart from being cosy and fun, knitting scarfs, crocheting little dolls, or embroidering can help maintain good cognitive function and improve memory by following patterns, counting stitches, and coordinating movements. Such activities are most beneficial to individuals with early-stage dementia or anyone else at risk of cognitive decline. 

Furthermore, repetitive motions can have a relaxing effect, are similar to meditation, and, together with social factors, can help reduce stress and anxiety in the cold months. 

Painting & Colouring 

These are another relaxing set of activities allowing people in live-in care to express their creativity. You can find adult colouring books with mandalas and other sophisticated patterns or nature scenes that can offer a creative escape from the winter blues. 

Such activities will also encourage focus and problem-solving and, ultimately, are a fun leisure time that can create more positive memories and emotions.

Baking & Cooking Together 

Sensory experiences are also extremely important, and cooking together is a wonderful way to engage sight, touch, smell, and taste while also having fun and fostering love and connection. 

Baking and cooking also have physical and cognitive benefits. Kneading, rolling pastry, or shaping cookies can support fine motor skills and hand strength while following a recipe, which can improve concentration and, if it is a family recipe, stimulate memory recall.

Of course, sharing a meal together will strengthen bonds with neighbours, caregivers, and loved ones, further enhancing mental well-being. 

Hand Massages & Aromatherapy

A gentle hand massage with your loved one’s favourite scent can bring relaxation and improve well-being. Engaging with smells that your family and friends can link to positive memories from childhood, for example, can stimulate reminiscence, emotions and positive psychological responses. These are particularly helpful and efficient for seniors with cognitive impairments. 

Gentle Movement & Exercise 

During the colder months, we all tend to prefer the warmth of home to going out, but this often enhances our sedentary life, which can have negative effects on our physical and mental health. Regarding older adults in-home care, finding ways to promote exercise and physical activity is even more important. Gentle movement exercises can provide a safe way to maintain mobility. For example, seated exercises or Tai Chi can offer low-impact ways to improve flexibility, balance, and circulation. Tai Chi significantly strengthens the mind-body connection through relaxing, flowing movements. 

Indoor gardening is another way to keep your body and mind busy and healthy. Besides light exercise, it is also a sensory and therapeutic experience that promotes dexterity, cognitive function, and, ultimately, overall mood. 

Reading Short Stories and Poetry 

What better way to engage the mind and emotions than the world of storytelling? You can organise readings at home for your loved one and choose from short stories and poetry rather than longer pieces to provide a quick and meaningful escape into a different world. Poetry, especially with its rhythm and rhyme, can be soothing and thought-provoking, enhancing cognitive functions.

Listening or reading aloud familiar stories is advised to help evoke memories, foster connection through conversation and offer comfort. 

And if your loved one is struggling to read, audiobooks are a great modern way to access storytelling. Whether alone or in the company of family and caregivers, literature is a wonderful way to stay mentally and emotionally engaged in winter. 

Animal Therapy 

If the individual in in-home care enjoys animal company, spending time with them can help them feel less isolated and find companionship and comfort. 

Therapy sessions with dogs, cats, and smaller pets are available and have been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and simply bring more joy to the winter routine. Even the simple act of petting an animal releases oxytocin, the “feel-good” hormone, which helps combat loneliness and anxiety. For those unable to have a pet at home, visits from therapy animals or watching nature videos featuring animals can still provide a sense of connection. Even small tasks like feeding fish or brushing a pet can create a sense of routine and purpose, making animal therapy a truly heartwarming experience.

Tea & Conversation 

Nothing cosier than sharing a warm cup of tea in the company of those you love and in the comfort of your home. Simple conversations over tea can create a sense of relaxation and deep emotional connection. The ritual of brewing itself is a calming and comforting routine moment of the day, a first step to the conversations that follow. Spending time together like that can stimulate cognitive engagement, and talking about fond past memories or current interests or even enjoying the quiet companionship of a friend or caregiver can help your loved one in in-home care feel seen, understood and loved.

Winter In-Home Care Activities That Bring Comfort & Promote Well-Being

The colder months are the perfect time to engage your loved one in cosy activities that can offer a deeper connection and promote cognitive function. It is important to always find opportunities to stimulate memory, emotional expression, and social connection in these months to fight seasonal depression, cognitive decline, and feelings of isolation, which can often affect individuals living at home. 

Be it creative pursuits, sensory therapy, or light exercise, finding ways to encourage our loved ones to stay connected to their world will nurture a sense of purpose, joy, and comfort and ultimately maintain a healthy body and spirit.

This is a guest blog entry.