Five Activities for Your Animal Lover

If your elderly loved one is an animal lover, she might love the idea of finding new ways to connect with animals. Some of these activities she can do on her own, but others she might find more fun to do with a friend or loved one while others still may need a bit of assistance either through transportation or research.  A home care provider can be a great resource when she needs a bit of assistance in any of these manners.

Five Animal Activities for Your Elderly Loved One

• Serve at a shelter. One great way to get those puppy kisses and kitten cuddles in is to serve at an animal shelter. Many shelters need volunteers to help with bathing the animals, taking them for walks, or just playing with them to keep them entertained and enriched while they wait for their new permanent home. Most shelters are fairly flexible when it comes to volunteer hours so your loved one can do as little or as much as wants.
• Visit a zoo. If you have a nearby zoo, it can be a wonderful afternoon or morning outing to go out and explore. Walking around a zoo provides great physical activity and most zoos will not only let your loved one see a wide variety of animals, it’ll provide great educational information on those animals as well. Zoos are often the only place people can see and learn about animals from all around the world. A bonus is that many zoos offer senior rates that are less expensive or possibly even senior days. A home care provider can help with transportation if needed.
• Visit an animal sanctuary. While many people know where their largest zoo is, a lot of people don’t realize that there are smaller sanctuaries or conservation areas for smaller populations of animals. With a little research, your loved one might find a bird of prey sanctuary or a deer park nearby that she could visit in addition to the zoo. Your loved one might find a new animal passion.
• Watch animal shows. Save this activity for a rainy day. It can be a great way to spend a bit of time if your loved one loves animals in all shapes and sizes. Many streaming services have multiple seasons of popular animal shows as well as some unique movies or specials. A home care provider can help your loved one find more specific animal information online. On the internet, your loved one can look up and research a specific animal to learn more by watching YouTube videos and reading about it. Another fun online activities many people enjoy are live streaming cams of animal habitats like an eagle’s nest or bear’s den with cubs.
• Adopt a pet. While this is a huge step that has many variables that need to be considered, if your loved one is ready and able, adopting a pet may be a great way for her to satisfy the animal lover in her. Do plenty of research before any final steps are taken, and if it seems like the right fit for your loved one then go ahead and help her take the plunge. She may get a new best friend in the process.

Animal connections can boost spirits and increase feelings of well-being and contentment, so if your elderly loved one loves animals, then any (or all!) of these suggestions might be right up her alley.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care in Shelter Island, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at (631) 685-5001