Senior Care Outings: Attending a Play with Your Elderly Parent

Posted: 5/4/2016 9:28 AM by Interim HealthCare
Shaking up your senior care routine by going on outings with your loved one is a fantastic way to support their mental, emotional, and even physical health. By planning these special outings you are encouraging your parents to make memories, engage socially, and keep their minds active. While there are many different activities that you can enjoy with your aging parent, attending a play can be a particularly exciting and meaningful experience. Live theater is something that many people do not enjoy very often and can make your parent feel extremely special while also helping to promote many of your care efforts.

Use these tips to help you enjoy attending a play with your elderly parent:

• Choose carefully. Evaluate all of the different plays available in order to select the one that is right for you and your parent. You want to make sure that the play will engage your parent and will be enjoyable for both of you so that you can have fun while you are there, and can continue using the experience to enhance your care after the play.

• Select appropriate seats. Purchase your ticket as early as possible so that you have the best selection of seats. You want to choose seats that are in an area of the theater that will make it easy for your parent to see and hear what is happening, but will also enable you to get up and leave if the need arises. If your parent has a mobility issue, research the theater to determine if there are accessible tickets and request those specifically.

• Arrive early. While sitting and waiting for the performance to begin can seem tedious, you do not want to be rushing in order to get to your seats on time. Getting to the theater too close to curtain time will result in higher crowds, which can be overwhelming for your parent and can also increase the risk of a fall or other injury. Instead, arrive early and take your time getting to your seats. Bring along a book or other quiet entertainment if you feel that you will be sitting for a long period, or take this opportunity to talk with your parent about their memories of live performances that they have seen before.

• Bring along assistance. Consider bringing your parent's senior health care services provider along with you to the performance. This will ensure that your parent receives the care and assistance that they need throughout the show without requiring that you have the leave the performance. It can also be easier to have someone to assist you with tasks such as helping your parent to their seat, guiding them through crowds, and ensuring that there is someone to be with your parent should you need to leave the theater to use the restroom or for another reason.

• Discuss the play. Take the time once you get home to talk about the play. Encourage your parent to share what they thought about the play, any questions that they might have, or how they felt about the performance. Talk about the story and use this to fuel conversations, sharing, and research that will stimulate their mind and keep it active.

If you have an aging loved one in need of senior care contact Interim HealthCare today.