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Ideas for Supporting Creativity in Your Aging Loved One

January 6, 2017

Senior Care in Jupiter FL

Senior Care in Jupiter FLJanuary is International Creativity Month. As a family caregiver this is the ideal opportunity for you to find ways for your aging loved one to express themselves creatively and enjoy the wide variety of benefits that can come from this expression. These benefits can include relaxation, stress relief, diminished depression, improved cognition, sense of accomplishment and achievement, greater sense of self, and emotional boost that improves their quality of life as they age in place. It is important to find ways to support your parent’s creativity that speak to their personality and skills, as well as any challenges that they might be suffering. Let these ideas inspire you for ways that you can support creativity in your aging loved one:
• Clay. Working with clay is a fantastic way to encourage creativity while also giving your senior physical benefits as well. The act of manipulating the clay can strengthen your parent’s hands and help to reduce stiffness and pain in the joints. They can then express themselves by creating shapes and blending colors in ways that are as elaborate or as simple as they would want them to be.
• Painting. Painting is a form of art that people often feel requires a high level of skill and talent. This, however, is not the case. Your senior can enjoy painting even if they have never taken classes or feel that they do not have any true artistic talent. Simply picking up paints or using finger paints encourages your loved one to explore colors and patterns, capture what they are seeing, and express what they are feeling. Even abstract images are a means of expressing creativity and encouraging your loved one to put themselves into a project.
• Photography. Photography can be a powerful and unexpected form of creative expression. Encouraging your loved one to capture their day through pictures gives them the opportunity to focus in on their experiences and how they perceive the world around them. Not only is that a way for them to express themselves and capture what is meaningful to them, but it can also give you incredible insight into how your parent sees the world, what is valuable to them, and other ways that you can support their quality of life. Starting senior care for your elderly loved one can be an exceptional way to encourage them to live a healthier, safer, and more fulfilling lifestyle as they age in place. The highly personalized services of a senior home care services provider are designed to help them address their needs and challenges in effective ad beneficial ways while also encouraging them to live a lifestyle that is enjoyable, beneficial, active, and engaged as they age in place. When it comes to encouraging them to get creative and to stimulate their mind, this senior home care services provider can encourage your parent to find the types of creative activities that they enjoy the most, plan times to enjoy these activities, and engage in conversation with them as they participate in these activities.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Jupiter, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.