There are various indoor activities you can try with adults with disabilities during your caregiving shifts. Scavenger hunts can provide engaging sensory activities to keep them feeling active and entertained.
Musical activities are also beneficial to both mind and body health. Musical instruments provide soothing sounds while tapping feet on the ground creates rhythm that improves both mood and emotional wellbeing.
Music Therapy
Music can bring great pleasure to those of all ages, including adults with disabilities. Music provides many mental and physical health benefits including stimulating brain cells and improving coordination while creating fun relationships among participants. Music incorporates both left and right sides of the brain with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic sensory systems for an enhanced musical experience.
Music therapy helps individuals build both their receptive and expressive communication skills through call-and-response music experiences or learning to play musical instruments, and it promotes rhythmic sense and structure.
Art and craft activities can be an essential component of life for people living with disability, providing a unique opportunity to express their creativity while improving cognitive functioning, socialisation, fine motor skills and fine motor coordination. Try group crafting projects like painting or drawing; or for something different try sensory art projects such as playing with homemade playdough!
Video Games
Video games provide adults with disabilities an engaging way to socialize online and form new friendships across the world, which may lead to face-to-face socialization for overall mental well-being.
Playing video games can also help improve physical fitness. Many video game titles feature physical movement that involves many body parts, making video gaming an excellent way to build dexterity and hand-eye coordination skills.
Sensory activities, like arts and crafts, offer PWD the chance to engage in activities they find more relaxing while at the same time alleviating stress, boosting self-esteem and feeling accomplished. Craft projects also enable PWDs to hone a variety of developmental skills.
Outdoor Picnics
Taken outdoors, picnicking is one of the best day program activities for adults with disabilities, offering both relaxation and an increase in self-esteem. Plus, walking through nature strengthens muscles while contributing to bone health through Vitamin D production.
Picnics can be an enjoyable way to get to know people more closely. From family get-togethers to date nights or romantic dates, picnics are great way to develop relationships on an intimate level. Enhance the experience by adding entertainment such as bocce ball or cornhole games for maximum impact!
Art projects and group cooking activities can also be great activities to engage disabled adults in. Both activities provide them with an outlet to explore their creative side while stimulating the mind.
Brain Games
Adults with disabilities who enjoy mentally stimulating activities could reap great benefits from brain games, which help exercise the brain and enhance memory while honing problem-solving skills – not to mention being loads of fun!
One study demonstrated that participants who played brain training games saw their standardized test scores increase, though this research had some limitations including small sample sizes and variations between gaming platforms, cognitive statuses, study designs, and assessment tools.
Accessible tours and excursions provide adults with disabilities the chance to discover new destinations, cultures, perspectives, social skills, and a sense of achievement. Adapted sports such as wheelchair basketball, quad rugby and bowling may also be suitable activities.
Puzzles
Puzzles provide individuals with an excellent way to develop their problem-solving abilities. People face various problems every day that must be tackled to function independently; puzzles provide an environment in which people can practice working through mistakes while building resilience, perseverance and confidence.
Puzzles promote teamwork and socialization. Individuals must interact with other players to determine what fits where, thus teaching them collaboration skills while building meaningful friendships.
Other activities that foster socialization include bowling and painting. Both activities require concentration for long periods, which can help adults with disabilities learn this valuable skill.