Senior Citizen Activities

People today are retiring earlier, living longer and in much better health than previous generations. They are much more active and looking for many different and varied ways to keep busy during the day. A lot of the actives are run by senior citizen centers, retirement homes, local YMCA’s or churches. While many of the activities are organized, some are very casually get togethers.

For seniors who enjoy gambling, there always seems as if there is a bingo game going on somewhere. For higher stakes gambling, senior centers run day trips to casinos. Many of the casinos seek out seniors with big incentives knowing they love the slot machines and high stakes bingo and can fill the casinos during the daytime hours. Some centers also have overnight trips to casinos which are great since you will have a hotel room to rest in if you get tired and it’s always nice to get away for a little bit. Seniors are active card players and many center and retirement homes have card rooms when people play bridge, poker, gin, pinochle and some of the women enjoy mah jongg.

Guest lecturers who cover a multitude of topics are very common at senior centers. Important interesting subjects can be as varied as health issues, finance or old movies. Current event discussions on topics such as politics, economy or religion can be very interesting but can cause heated discussions when people take opposite point of views. To keep the seniors engaged in conversations, some moderators use a Dear Abbey format. Senior centers and continuing education programs offer computer and internet classes for seniors. And for those seniors seeking formal classroom education, many universities allow seniors to audit undergraduate classes for either free or a nominal fee. AARP also offers inexpensive driver safety classes which help reduce car insurance.

Exercising has a very positive effect on the health of seniors. Senior centers often offer aerobics and yoga classes. You can join the YMCA for a small fee which provides swimming pools and weight training classes. And one of the best exercises is walking. You can exercise when you need to go somewhere, in good weather can take a walk in gardens and in bad weather, you can walk inside. Another great and fun exercise is dancing. Classes are often given in line dancing, cha cha and ballroom dancing to name a few.

Many older women have been knitting their whole lives. They often get together to trade tips and instructions for patterns along with different stitches for both knitting, crocheting along with other ways to create clothes and other things from wool and yarn. Some of the most popular classes are and crafts classes where people enjoy making useful and fun household and other types of things. Many people enjoy pattering around in the garden and discussing how to grow fruits and flowers. And some of the simplest actives are enjoying coffee and cake or lunch with your friends. There are so many different exciting activities for seniors today, there is no reason to be bored.