Far too often, I ran out of ideas on how to spend our time together. Here are some suggestions for you to consider. Appropriate activities depend upon your loved one’s capabilities and interests.
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Visit a zoo
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Walk around playgrounds or dog parks
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Listen to music
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Look at old pictures
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Take naps
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Ask friends to take your loved one out on meal or coffee dates
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Play board games or cards
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Dance
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Visit family members
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Watch YouTube videos
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Go to movies
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Work in your yard or garden
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Go to restaurants during off hours when you have some privacy
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Reminisce with photo albums
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Go through scrapbooks
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Walk together (good exercise, relieves stress, and triggers a desire for naps)
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People watch and make up stories about the people you see
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Jigsaw puzzles
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Get ice cream or root beer floats
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When looking for answers, ask ChatGPT or Siri
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Walk on a college campus
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Get Reader’s Digest joke books
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Visit friends
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Go to parks
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Have zoom conversations with friends
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Find another caregiver who will alternate caring for both loved ones one day a week
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Have someone else join you on drives
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Go to an art museum
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Read out loud
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Sort photographs
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Listen to books on tape
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Sing duets together
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Touching and hugging rekindle warmth and connection
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Go shopping or window shopping
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Watch birds
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Garage sale browsing
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Draw pictures
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Bake cookies
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Check out activities at your local senior center
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Play piano or other instruments
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Watch kids at school during recess
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Go to a high school concert or play
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Read old letters
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Help your loved one compose letters to old friends
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Look through magazines together
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Try coloring books
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Tell stories about your times together in the past
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Check for local activities that may be of interest
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Go through closets to see what can be discarded or donated
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Pamper your pets
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Do chores together
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Take a coffee break
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Give a surprise neck or back massage
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Be kind and radiate warmth
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You don’t have to talk. If the person no longer has words, visit without words. Smile and touch.
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Watch kids at a children’s museum’
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Clean out closets, cupboards, and drawers
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Go to a Butterfly Pavilion
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Play solitaire
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Visit a flower shop
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Ask your loved one’s friends to make supportive phone calls
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Go to a library
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Look for pictures in clouds
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Donate unused clothing or other household items to a charity
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On your computer, play your favorite songs from when you were younger
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Ask a friend who has a baby, child or calm pet to visit
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Toss a ball
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Play favorite song and sing along
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Draw a family tree
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Make Christmas or birthday cards
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Write a letter to friends or family members
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Feed birds in a park