During the warm summer months, it is often encouraged that seniors stay at home or in cool areas as they are more prone to heat-related illnesses. As summers are trending longer and hotter, it is important to find ways to stay active, busy, and entertained while continuing to stay safe.
Exercise
Outdoor exercising is not recommended during the extreme heat. Some active options to consider are going to an indoor pool and going for a swim or taking a water aerobic class. Eastlink Centre has a great indoor pool that is just over 10 minutes away from Emerald Gardens Retirement Residence, Northern Alberta seniors community.
If you enjoy going for walks outdoors, consider driving over to your local mall and going for a walk in the air-conditioned space instead. This is a fun way to get in some cardio in a cool area. If the mall is not your thing, consider joining a gym and go for a walk or jog on a treadmill. Many recreational gyms also have senior-specific classes that offer a variety of exercises along with the added bonus of meeting and socialising with other seniors. Specialised gyms also offer personal training catered to seniors as well. This way you will be exercising areas that are important to you and it can all take place in an indoor environment.
Indoor Activities
When it is too hot out, and you have a source of air conditioning in your home, it is a perfect time to take on activities and chores that you have not gotten around to doing throughout the year. A great activity that is bound to keep you busy is to take some time to organise some of your loose photographs, postcards, and other mementos, and create a scrapbook of memories. This is also a great time to get organised and sort through your closet or files, and make rid of any things that you may no longer need.
If you do not have a source of air conditioning in your home, consider heading down to your local recreation centre or senior centre and see what they have to offer. Many of these centres offer art classes, language lessons, and even computer lessons. There are often special events with trivia contests, movies, and clubs at these centres. Golden Age Centre is 6 minutes away from Emerald Gardens Retirement Residence and they offer various activities for seniors year round.
Entertainment
There are many entertainment options to enjoy during the summer heat such as readings or listening to an audio book. You can choose to do this at Emerald Gardens Retirement Residence or even go down to your local library and spend the day reading different books in their air conditioned environment. If you are a fan of learning about different cultures and art, consider planning an outing to a local museum. The Art Gallery of Grand Prairie is a great place to view local and famous art installations. Taking in a movie at your local movie theatre is also a great option, and many theatres offer seniors discounts during the day. This is also a great time to explore technology. If you know anyone that may be an expert in technology you can ask them to spend a day with you and teach you how to use social media networking, how to download and play online games such as chess or sudoku, and how to video call on platforms like Zoom and FaceTime.
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If you’re looking to find the right seniors community in Grand Prairie, for you or a loved one, book a tour at Emerald Gardens Retirement Residence today! Contact jfowler@ppsl.com or call 780-539-5538 today to learn more. We look forward to getting to know you!