When we say mentally handicapped seniors, it does not only refer to only one common special need. Mentally handicapped seniors need a wide variety of different needs, since these mentally handicapped seniors have a wide variety of different abnormalities and abilities. For handicapped seniors to gain most out from the activity or activities they will engage in, activities should be chosen according to each individual’s capacity, the environment where the activity will take place, and what are your desired outcomes. Activities designed or planned for mentally handicapped seniors can instructive or it provide recreation, and some activities can just do about both instructive and recreation.
Activity for Handicapped Seniors: Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping can be taught to handicapped seniors for them to do on their own or do it with assistance, greatly depending on their abilities. To implement grocery shopping for handicapped adults, first you need to let them choose a recipe of what they want to cook on their own or with assistance. After, prepare a grocery shopping list using words, pictures, or even both words and pictures. Every after each item is found in the supermarket, a check or an x mark will be marked beside the ingredient and how much it cost for them to keep track on their budget. Grocery shopping should be done repeatedly for handicapped seniors to feel independent as possible and for them to get used to shopping for necessary items and not going beyond the budget allotted.
Activity for Handicapped Seniors: Community-Based Reading
It might be very challenging for handicapped seniors to recognize and comprehend words that appear in unusual typefaces abbreviations. Organizing a community-based reading group can help handicapped seniors in easily recognizing common community-based words and phrases. Making a list of such community-based words and phrases for handicapped seniors to learn and practice, such as bus stop, police, fire department, comfort room, emergency, train station, etc. After teaching several times handicapped seniors about various community-based words and phrases commonly found in their community, then you can already try bringing them outside and check if they can already recognized and read signages. Always us repetition and let seniors keep on practicing over and over again so that it can provide them with transferable ability, which is a very important skill. Planning a field trip can also be beneficial not just that they can put their abilities in reading and comprehending words and phrases in their environment, but it can also be therapeutic for seniors to see a new place and even meet new people.
