Elderly Care in Mansfield OH
Stimulating your senior’s mind as a regular part of your elderly care efforts with him is an important part of keeping his cognitive functioning and memory skills sharp, and his mental and emotional health high. Together these help to ensure a more active, involved, and enjoyable quality of life throughout his later years. Planning regular outings with him is a fantastic way to support this efforts, and while there are virtually endless options when it comes to outings that you can enjoy with your parent, heading to a local art museum is a wonderful opportunity to make memories, engage your creativity and imagination, and learn interesting things about how his mind works.
Going to an art museum is an outing that is highly customizable, meaning you can approach the trip in whatever way would be most enjoyable for your senior. Whether he goes with you or with his elderly health care services provider, the art museum encourages your parent to learn new things, express himself, and enjoy the sensory stimulation offered by the varied exhibits throughout the museum.
Use these tips to plan a fun, beneficial, and memorable trip to the art museum with your aging loved one or him and his elderly health care services provider:
- Find an appealing exhibit. Not all art museums have the same type of art, and most have temporary exhibits along with their permanent galleries. Do some research to find an art museum that is close by and that has the type of art that is most appealing to your parent, whether it is sculpture, modern art, classic art, or even a particular artist
- Visit at an off-peak time. If possible, avoid going to the art museum during a peak time such as the weekend. This is the time when the most people will come to visit, not only making it more difficult to move around, but putting you in the position of having to listen to loud conversations about the art, which can be frustrating and limit the creative and personal expression your loved one can enjoy while looking at the art. If possible, get it touch with the museum before your planned visit to find out if there are any school groups scheduled to visit at that time so that you can select a time that will not correspond with such a visit
- Take your time. A visit to the art museum should not be a “run in and run out” type of situation. This should be a visit when you can relax, browse, and spend as much time as you would like with each of the pieces of art. Most art museums have a café or restaurant of some kind, making it easy for you to take a break in the middle of the day and refuel so that you can continue to enjoy your time together
- Encourage expression. Do not make your time in the art museum a silent experience. Ask your senior questions about the art, encourage him to share with you what he thinks the piece means, how it makes him feel, and if he would change anything about it. Share your own thoughts as well. These conversations will boost mental and emotional health as well as trigger memories, cognitive functioning, and critical thinking for a stronger, more active, and more responsive mind.
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