Assisted living activities will help keep the facility's residents content and stimulated, and the more choices offered, the more individuals are likely to be interested. Depending on the level of mobility of some residents, activities such as swimming and water aerobics along with shopping outings can help get individuals socializing and active. Art classes, card games, movie nights, and poetry readings can give people something to look forward to.
Many assisted living facilities try to provide residents a wide range of activities to help ensure that everyone has something to do. This includes religious services, particularly around the holidays. Often, the facility will have a multidenominational room for worship as well as specialized services, such as holiday celebrations and the renewal of wedding vows.
For residents who have a level of independence and freedom of movement, some types of assisted living activities can help them retain strength. Retro dances, park outings, shopping trips, and bowling leagues can get residents out of their rooms to socialize and will also help keep bones and muscles strong. Exercise activities such as low-impact sports, water aerobics, and swimming classes can also be a healthy way to fill an afternoon.
Some individuals are content to be included in a social setting but have limited direct interaction with others. For these residents, bingo nights, movies, comedy acts, or performances by local music groups can be a good way to reconnect. Classes teaching hobbies like knitting, scrapbooking, and stamp and coin collecting can also be rewarding and fulfill a need for socialization. Volunteers sometimes bring in well-socialized cats or dogs for one-on-one pet therapy.
Special activities can also be planned around holidays and other events. From decorating eggs in the spring to trees in winter, annual special activities can be something for everyone to look forward to. These types of assisted living activities aren't always based around a holiday. Many places will organize an event once or twice a year where couples can get together to renew wedding vows or residents can honor military veterans.
Some assisted living activities allow residents to help benefit the community. Sewing groups can hold events where members make blankets for ill children or sew beds for shelter animals. Filling out greeting cards to send to those in the military can be a rewarding activity, along with baking cookies for the less fortunate, organizing clothing drives, or collecting canned goods.