If you have a loved one staying in a senior living community like Grand Oaks, visiting them regularly is key to keeping your connection strong and helping them stay social. Spending time together gives your loved one something to look forward to, but if you visit often, you may feel like you’ve run out of things to do together. While visiting Grand Oaks, try these fun (and beneficial) activities with your loved one.

Play Games

Grand Oaks’ common rooms offer many mental fitness games like large print crossword puzzles, board games, and card games like bridge. Playing games is great for seniors’ brain fitness and can help improve memory, reaction time, concentration level, and overall cognitive abilities. If you don’t find the game you’re searching for, look online. There are plenty of free online brain games that you and your loved one can play together.

Get Outside

Get your loved one out of their apartment by taking them outside. You can stroll through Grand Oaks’ beautiful campus and courtyard. Not only will you and your loved one get to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, but you’ll get in some physical activity, too. There’s a long list of benefits of exercise for seniors—including increased lung capacity, bone density, and brain health and decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

If your loved one is less mobile, they can still benefit from spending time outside. Try gardening—it’s a great physical activity that doesn’t feel like exercise. You can bond by picking out flowers or vegetables to plant together and making it a recurring activity when you visit. As a bonus, gardening helps seniors relieve stress and anxiety and improves their immune systems.

Go Out on the Town

While there are plenty of things to entertain you and your loved one within Grand Oaks’ walls, your loved one may appreciate going off-campus. Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., there are many things to do close to Grand Oaks. Try taking them to a favorite restaurant, museum, park, or to see a show. If they have friends or family members close by, take your loved one to see them. Even going on a scenic drive can help your loved one feel renewed and excited. Sometimes, a simple change of scenery can really make a difference in boosting your loved one’s mood.

Bring a Pet

If your loved one is an animal lover, they’ll appreciate you bringing a family pet to see them. Petting a cat or dog is very therapeutic and can actually benefit seniors’ mental and physical health. In fact, studies show that spending just 15 minutes with an animal helps lower stress levels. Additionally, spending time with animals helps lower cholesterol levels and can protect against heart attack and stroke in seniors.

You can take your pet on a walk or play with them outside, making it a fun and easy way for your loved one to get more exercise.

Watch a Movie

Take a break and hang out in your loved one’s spacious and homey apartment. If your loved one doesn’t have a smart TV, bring a DVD player and some movies. Ask them what they’d enjoy watching—perhaps they have a favorite older movie or show you’ve never seen before. Watching a classic movie can encourage pleasant memories for seniors, especially those with dementia. This is a great and easy way to spend quality time together.

Regardless of what you do while you visit your senior loved one at Grand Oaks, what matters is that you’re there. Any way that you choose to spend time with your loved one will benefit them and improve their well-being. Schedule your visit today.