5 Quiet (and Safe) Ways to Celebrate the New Year with Senior Citizen Activities

“In with the new” does not necessarily have to mean “out with the old.” We all love to celebrate the New Year with our friends and family, but not everyone goes in for the loud parties that frequently accompany the holiday. Additionally, the recent pandemic necessities pulling back on larger celebrations and simplifying. Still, you need to mark the occasion! Elders who want to ring in the New Year safely and without too much hubbub are in luck, because our list of senior citizen activities for celebrating another new year includes plenty of options that are low-key but still incredibly fun.

1. Movie Night

Everyone enjoys a night in with their favorite movies every so often, and this also happens to make a great alternative for seniors who want to keep their celebration relatively relaxed. Stream a collection of films your grandparents loved in their childhoods…or even see if you can find DVD or tape copies of them, if you want to really be old-school about it! A selection of snacks, a few strings of festive lights, and a bubbly drink will complete the evening!

2. Board Games

Board games make for ideal senior citizen activities because they are quiet, engaging, and typically everyone already knows the rules, requiring little in the way of explanation. This also makes a great form of entertainment for seniors because many elders will already have a board game or two somewhere in the house, making it so you may not even have to venture out for party supplies! Add holiday music in the background for that “Auld Lang Syne” effect.

3. Dinner and Drinks

No matter how old you are, anyone can appreciate getting together with their loved ones for a nice meal and a relaxing glass of wine to catch up and reminisce. Ideal senior citizen activities are ones that let your elders express their true selves in a low-stress environment, and few fit the bill quite as well as this one.

4. Celebrate Over Zoom

There is a good chance you will be reading this as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to surge, and that means that normal party gatherings will be essentially out of the question (especially for older people, who are immunocompromised and more susceptible to the virus). But that does not mean the elders in your life have to celebrate alone: a Zoom call or Facetime gathering with loved ones can be one of the best senior citizen activities to catch up with all the people they care about, even if they cannot be in the same room. If you want to go the extra mile, you can send a “cocktail” kit with recipes and instructions ahead of time, so you can all mix drinks–and memories–while celebrating online.

5. Guessing Games

You should never count out vintage entertainment for a good time. Though they may have gone out of fashion in recent years, guessing games like Pictionary and charades were a great source of entertainment for many seniors in their younger days and could be again if someone in their life were willing to bring them back. You might be surprised at all the things you think of as senior citizen activities that turn out to be incredibly fun once you put them into practice!

Safely Setting Up for New Years

• Make sure that you or a helper take care of decorations or planning that might be difficult for your elders
• Try to leave as little to chance as possible so that nothing unexpected ends up causing a safety issue
• Elderly people get tired more easily, so be respectful if they may wish to go to bed early and finish any senior citizen activities even if they lose steam before the New Year is officially rung in.

Safety and Fun go Hand in Hand with 1Heart

The good times do not have to begin and end with New Year’s Eve: hundreds of people have experienced the quality care and companionship that 1Heart provides to the elderly every day. When you choose to rely on our care services, you are guaranteed to be matched with a caretaker who will see to the needs of your loved ones with diligence, warmth, and enthusiasm. And with plenty of senior citizen activities in mind, our qualified experts can see to it that the elders in your life will not be bored or lonely, even after New Year’s ends.

Have you had a great experience providing entertainment for seniors on New Year’s? Leave us a comment below and tell us all about it, or get in touch with us if you would like to arrange a caregiver to meet with your elders. You never have to settle for lower-quality care when you choose 1Heart, so make these fun senior citizen activities a part of your life and join our family today.