29 Activity Ideas for the Elderly - They Like Change, Too

When most think of entertainment, meals, or gifts for their elderly parents they tend to gravitate towards something familiar, tried and true.  My siblings are included.  What I came to realize as I injected the things I liked to do into my visits with the parents was that we were all having fun instead of just making the obligatory, heavy, typical visit.  No one really wants to visit their parents if it always the same old thing.  By incorporating activities into the visits our parents were stimulated, engaged, and mentally healthier making each visit unique and memorable for all of us.

Being the youngest of the family and most free-spirited, I never bought into the idea of familiar when it came to my Dad.  It is really surprising how much the older generation of today enjoys change; something different.  My sweet in-laws are no different.

Here are a few of the ideas that were tossed out to them and were heartily embraced, all of which were done after the age of 80.  The siblings were in shock that their parents were still very much alive and young at heart, engaged in their own lives! 

• Wearing denim shorts for the first time in 30 years.
• My Dad wanted to shop for clothes for the first time in his life.
• Wine tasting at multiple wineries for wines they never sampled before.
• Eating humus, creme' brulee', and Mexican food for the first time.
• Diving into Thai food for the first time.
• A weekend roadtrip to go to a festival.
• Visiting museums that they had driven past for decades.
• Me and a few sibs took my Dad to Hooters and The Tilted Kilt after my mother passed away. 
• Colored Easter Eggs.
• Help bake Christmas cookies all day.
• Brewery tour and tasting.
• Wrap gifts.
• Attend a professional sporting event.
• Tailgate.
• Crashed a birthday party.
• Get an email address and learn to use a computer and iPad.
• Take photos for the first time in 50 years.
• Ride a rollercoaster and water rides.
• Gamble.
• Watch a drag show in Las Vegas.
• Go to a comedy club.
• Receive a professional shoulder massage for the first time.
• Take them to an adult gameroom.
• Shoot pool.
• Pick apples at an orchard.
• Walk through a woods at a leisurely pace.
• Shop for a new car.
• Shop for a new house or apartment.
• Go to see a movie at a theater.

What ideas have you done with your parents that is unexpected and out of the box of a typical elderly person's day?   I would love to learn what you do that inspires you and your aging parents!