When the words “Nintendo” or “gaming” are mentioned, does the image of teenagers playing video games late into the night come to mind? It turns out the next generation of gamers is, well… the older generation.
In particular, exergames – video games that incorporate physical activity – are popular amongst the older crowd. These include games like virtual tennis and bowling. Beyond pure entertainment value, gaming has been found to have tremendous positive effects on seniors’ health and well-being.
Studies are finding that certain video games improve the physical fitness of the elderly and even assist with their rehabilitation. Gaming can also be more fun and rewarding, and limits impact, in comparison to traditional exercise. Because these games typically have an element of audio and visual feedback, engagement and compliance is also better.
Not only does gaming improve physical health, but it has also been shown to aid cognitive functioning and enhance mental well-being.
A study by the University of California, San Francisco, found that playing video games that require multi-tasking has lasting impact on a variety of cognitive functions in the elderly.
Researchers from the UC San Diego School of Medicine found that exergames have a significant impact on the mood and mental health-related quality of life in seniors with subsyndromal depression (SSD). SSD, simply put, is a milder form of depression, and is much more common than major depression in the elderly.
In many senior living facilities across the country, exergaming is making a regular appearance on activities calendars. In some cases, the Nintendo Wii has become the center of the social scene as well. Just as with traditional sports, there is fun in participating but also spectating.
Aside from allowing seniors to better connect with each other, gaming can help bridge other divides. Grandparents and grandchildren are starting to use gaming as a means of interacting with and relating to one another. Gaming can also provide the link between technology and familiar activities of times past for those that are often left behind when it comes to anything cutting edge.
Introduce gaming to you elderly loved ones - it's a great way to get them to be more active and engaged, and even for you to spend more time with them. If your elderly parent or grandparents live in a facility, discuss incorporating gaming into the activities programming with the Administrator.
The good news is that research has shown that even occasional gaming yields benefits for seniors. Due to its online nature, gaming is also well-suited to people who live alone or have poor mobility.
Next time a birthday is coming up, just remember, Nintendo Wii may just be the perfect gift for grandma or grandpa, or an elderly parent!
While old age can change the pace and pattern of one’s life, it doesn't have to stand in the way of doing incredible things.
For some seniors, in fact, it gave them just what they needed — in terms of time and opportunity to take on new challenges — to make the most of life.
Of course, it’s impossible to make a list of all incredible older adults — they’re everywhere.
As one measure, it’s estimated that between 2008 and 2010, 18.7 million seniors added an estimated $64 billion to the U.S. economy with a combined total of over 3 billion hours of service.
Nevertheless, we’ve put together a short list of five seniors whose stories can inspire people of any age.
Tao Porchon-Lynch, now 95, has held the record for the world’s oldest yoga instructor since 2012. Though it isn't a pursuit she picked up in her old age — she’s been practicing yoga since 1967 — Tao’s long career has enabled her to mint hundreds of new yoga instructors, providing training and certification at her Westchester Institute of Yoga since 1982.
In addition to her work in yoga, Tao has performed as an actor, a dancer, a documentarian, and many other things. In her old age, though, she has primarily become known for yoga, which she believes offers healing to individuals and the world.
Tatsuo Horiuchi, now in his early 70s, has become famous for his artwork in an unusual medium: Microsoft Excel.
He began creating artwork when he retired in his 60s, but came to fame when he won the Excel Autoshape Art Contest in 2006.
Though primarily known as a tool for compiling and manipulating tabular data, Excel appealed to Horiuchi with its extensive graphics functions, which, he found, exceeded those of Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Word. It was also pre-installed on the computer he purchased, saving him the expense of having to purchase expensive digital art software.
Since then, his work has been acquired by the Gunma Museum of Art in Tatebayashi. He continues to create digital art and sell it through a website today.
Flo Meiler is a grandmother and a great-grandmother several times over. Unlike many grandmothers, though she also holds some 15 world and 12 U.S. records in track and field.
Though Meiler initially joined the senior olympics as a tennis player, she decided to try the pole vault — an event known for its potential for injury — when she was already 65.
Among her titles, she is the world indoor record holder for women over 75 in the pole vault. She has also set records for the 60-meter hurdles, the 200-meter hurdles, the hammer throw, the discus, the steeplechase, and the 4 x 100 meter relay.
Her training schedule includes 5-6 days of practice a week, showing that it’s never too late to commit to something you love.
Betty White perhaps needs no introduction. Born in 1922, she became the Guinness World Record holder for female entertainer with the longest television career.
Primarily famous for her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, White continues to perform today in Hot in Cleveland, a sitcom in its sixth season on TV Land.
In addition to this active career, White is an animal health activist, and has worked with a number of animal rights groups, such as the Morris Animal Foundation.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses — who came to be known as “Grandma Moses” — is no longer alive, but achieved great fame and success for the painting career she started when she was already in her 70s.
After giving up knitting, Moses started selling her paintings for $3 or $5 at county fairs. Some 70 years later, some of her work would end up selling for $1.2 million. Her paintings also went on to be featured on up on U.S. postage stamps and even in the White House.
Even today, Moses, who never received formal training, continues to hold a place among the masters of American folk art, and her landscapes of rural New York and Virginia hang in galleries as far away as Japan.
Many seniors enjoy exercising from the comfort of their own homes. Or sometimes, joining a gym or otherwise getting out of the house to exercise is not possible for them.
With a few simple pieces of equipment, you can help your older loved one have all the necessary tools to be able to complete a full workout on a regular basis at home.
A pedometer is a small, simple device that records the number of steps taken each day. It can help your loved work towards a target number of steps each day (this should be determined in conjunction with their physician). Simply moving about the house can help many achieve their daily walking goals, or else a stroll around the neighborhood can also help.
A popular option for tracking daily steps is the Fitbit. After the initial setup, which may require your help, daily tracking for your loved one is simple and fun.
This piece of equipment is a stationary bike with an attached back rest. This is a great option for those that cannot be on their feet too long or may have balance problems. If placed in the living room in front of a TV, your loved can easily squeeze in a few minutes of exercise every time they tune in to a show or a movie.
Good bikes start as low as $130 but can go all the way up to over $1,000 for the highest quality models with all the bells and whistles.
Stretching and strength training are integral parts of a fitness regimen for people of all ages – including seniors. And a few simple exercises are all it takes. The National Institute of Health has a sample strength training program for seniors and all that is required are a few simple pieces of equipment as noted below.
A set of dumbbells (for example, 3-, 5- and 8-pound pairs) can go a long way in terms of a strength training program. Help your loved one look for weights with non-slip grips (such as these Valeo Neoprene dumbbells) to minimize the risk of dropping them.
If easier, your loved one can opt for wrist and ankle weights instead. This can protect against the risk of dropping the weights, and can be easier for people with arthritis who may find it difficult to grip objects. These TheraBand ankle/wrist cuffs are a popular option.
Exercise bands, which are commonly used in rehabilitation programs, are a nice alternative or complement to weights. They are easier to store and transport (should you choose to exercise outdoors in a local park, for example) and are particularly well-suited to some exercises as they provide resistance in multiple directions and are not only reliant on gravity. Aylio offers a set of three bands with different resistance levels for around $20.
For those that suffer from arthritis, specifically stretching and strengthening the hands is very important. Some exercises can be performed without any equipment at all (see these Mayo Clinic examples). However, there are also a few simple tools that make exercising the hands more fun.
Hand exercise squeeze balls, such as these from Isokinetics or these from Handmaster, work key muscles in the fingers, hands and wrist. Aylio also makes mini resistance bands specifically for exercising the hand – these are a compact and convenient option as well.
With minimal equipment and cost you can help your loved one exercise and stay fit, all without leaving the comfort of their home.
Note: Tandem Lane does not specifically endorse any of the above-mentioned products, nor does it profit from your purchase of them.
It is not uncommon for people to find themselves more and more isolated as they age. Loved ones may have passed and mobility may be hampered. And with isolation, depression may ensue.
However, we humans are inherently social beings. And while we may think of making friends and socializing as things that we do in our younger years, these are equally – if not more – important as we age.
Regular social activity participation holds numerous health benefits for older adults – from facilitating the immune system’s function to lowering stress hormone levels.
A study by Statistics Canada found that social engagement was positively correlated with self-perceived health, and negatively correlated with loneliness and life dissatisfaction. What does this mean? Essentially, seniors who are more socially active feel healthier and are happier.
An active social life can also help stave off memory loss. A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that isolation is a strong risk factor for cognitive impairment, and strong social integration with friends, family and the community can significantly slow the rate of decline.
Both studies underscored the need for high quality social interaction however. Active participation and engagement is crucial – it is not simply enough to have a support network of family and friends.
Among those 65 years and older, two to three hours of social time per day can dramatically increase happiness levels (by 30% – 50%) according to a Gallup poll. Therefore, getting your loved one to socialize for even a few hours a day can have a tremendous impact.
Don’t forget, as mentioned above, that quality matters in addition to quantity. Work with your loved one to discover activities or social situations where they would feel comfortable and be more likely to be highly engaged.
If they live alone – you could suggest joining a community bingo or bridge group, for example. Or, you could arrange visits to a senior center a few days a week. In these cases, there may be a logistical component that you’ll need to figure out as well (e.g. transportation, meal or snack provisions).
In your loved one lives in some sort of long-term care facility (nursing home, assisted living or independent living), chances are there is a regular activities calendar in place. In this case, you may just need to focus on helping your loved one figure out which activities would be of interest to them.
Often, all it takes is a little encouragement to get loved ones to be more socially active. Some research has found that even relatively simple prompts can increase social activity participation by seniors. With a little bit of time and effort on your part, you can help your older loved ones significantly improve their quality of life through better social engagement.
Though the elderly have have spent a lifetime contributing to society in one fashion or another, it’s not uncommon for them to become isolated in their old age. Friends and family members may no longer live close by and, in some cases, may even have passed away.
Simply building connections with seniors, then, can be one of the most powerful ways to help promote happiness and comfort among those in their old age. There is no better way to do this than through volunteering.
Volunteering doesn't just have to be about helping the elderly. It can involve teaming up with them as well in the service of others. In fact, this kind of volunteering may even be the most meaningful to those who are isolated and alone.
Of course, providing services to those who are home-bound or living in a facility can still be incredibly meaningful and important.
You can volunteer is by visiting residents living in long-term care environments. These visits can be most effective if you plan ahead, scheduling the time and thinking up activities to do ahead of time.
Playing card games or board games, or even simply watching a video together can form the basis for conversation and connection. Better yet, collecting some photos in an album — or on an iPad — and showing these can be a great way to keep the conversation going while inspiring reminiscence and memory.
Older adults sometimes have trouble leaving their home. Running simple errands on their behalf, whether to the local supermarket, or to pick up clothes or basic toiletries from the store, can make a huge difference in reducing stress and saving them time.
Finally, offering to take care of simple repairs around seniors’ homes – hanging pictures, decorating or even just arranging flowers — can be extremely helpful. And you don’t need advanced handyman skills.
Seniors are themselves often extremely generous with their time, and you can help them make the most of this — whether it involves serving in a soup kitchen or reading to children — while giving them the chance to build relationships with you and with others around them.
Involving yourself in a senior volunteer group doesn't require that you make the full-blown commitment as a coordinator of activities, either. There are any number of ways you can help out just by providing transportation with your car or providing other support services as seniors go about their own service work.
For example, you might provide transport to seniors to and from the homes or assisted-living facilities in which they live to the volunteer activity location, and perhaps bring drinks and refreshments throughout the day.
Of course, there’s also no reason why you can’t work side-by-side with them on the task at hand. In some cases this may provide the greatest opportunity to make meaningful connections with your senior friends.
By helping seniors volunteer, you’re not only helping them bridge social gaps, but you may be helping them make a positive impact on their health as well.
A growing body of evidence suggests that volunteering may even be beneficial to seniors’ health. A study at Carnegie Mellon University, for example, found that volunteering for some 200 hour in a year was associated with a 40% drop in hypertension.
And don’t forget that this applies to you, too. While the health impact of volunteering is still not completely understood, the evidence suggests that benefits may extend to people of any age.
The benefits that come with working with the elderly are hard to quantify. Not only does it give you insights into the lives of those who have come before you, but it gives you access to their vast knowledge and accumulated wisdom — all while helping improve the lives of those who made the world what it is today.
Interested? Tandem Lane’s Pedal Together page is a great place to get started. There you’ll find links to a number of organizations and online resources, all dedicated to improving the lives of seniors.