If you haven’t hit your 30s or 40s yet, your definition of self-care might be entirely different from your mom’s or grandma’s. For you, self-care might be taking a hike on a warm spring day, or doing hot yoga with your girlfriends. But for a woman who is in her 60s, those self-care activities might no longer appealing nor doable.
Hence, if you want to spend a self-care day with your mom or grandma, here are some senior-friendly activities that they will love:
1. Rejuvenation therapy
When we get older, our skin loses its elasticity and starts to sag. On top of that, decades of experience are bound to leave skin irregularities and blemishes that are difficult to remove without professional treatment. Luckily, there are lots of treatments that can rejuvenate the skin:
- Infrared light therapy treatment
- Chemical peels
- Abrasive laser treatments
- Microdermabrasion
- Microneedling
2. Senior-friendly exercise
Although your senior loved one might not be able to move as much as they used to, it doesn’t mean they can’t engage in light exercise. Look for senior-friendly exercise classes in your area that you can take with your grandma, such as Pilates, swimming, and aerobic classes. Apart from helping improve their physical health, engaging in exercise with your mom or grandma is a great way to bond with each other.
3. Nature trips
For seniors, spending time in nature is one of the best ways to improve their mental and emotional well-being. So if you’re looking for an excellent self-care trip idea for your senior mom or grandma, take them to the beach, park, or a short mountain trail where they can enjoy the fresh air and see the sights.
4. Social gatherings
Self-care doesn’t always have to be done with yourself only. Self-care can also mean spending time with the people you love the most. And for retired people, maintaining a social life is not always as easy. As a child or grandchild, you can help your older loved one maintain their relationships (and even make new ones) by organizing social gatherings for them.
For example, hold tea parties for them and their friends, or invite family members over for a nice dinner. And when you can’t physically be with them, take advantage of calls and video chats to make sure they don’t get lonely.
5. Spiritual sessions
Nurturing the spirit is just as important as nurturing the mind and body. If there’s something wrong with your spiritual health, it can easily affect your emotional and physical well-being. Hence, here are some spiritual self-care activities that can help your older loved one take care of their spiritual core:
- Yoga or T’ai Chi
- Meditation
- Mindful walking
- Attending inspirational talks
- Reading spiritual materials
- Practicing silence
- Volunteering
- Chanting
- Prayer
- Exploring spirituality
- Going to therapy
- Reading spiritual material
- Listening to music
- Keeping a gratitude journal
- Attending a religious service
As you can see, there are many facets of self-care that can benefit the older women in your life. And now that they are in the last stage of their life, engaging in self-care practices is more critical now than ever.
