8 Warm-Weather Activities for Senior Living Communities (And How to Make Them Remote)

With Summer around the corner, now is the perfect time to plan outdoor activities for your community calendar. But it’s important to monitor COVID cases in your area as the more-contagious Omicron BA.2 variant continues to spread.

Safe programming is the best kind of programming. That’s why we’ve identified eight activities for your residents, as well as how to move them online, should the need arise.

1. Organize a Movie Matinee for Mother’s Day (May 8th)

For your warm-weather activity, invite loved ones to your community to watch a movie with their mothers. Caremerge’s Community Engagement makes it easy to coordinate with families and even choose the movie (we love this list of suggestions). 

And what movie experience is complete without snacks? Set up a table of sweet, salty, and healthy treats that community members and their loved ones can grab. Before popping any popcorn, though, check on resident allergies with your community’s EHR platform.

For a remote alternative, hold a virtual movie night using your in-house TV channel in each resident’s room. Or survey loved ones for their mothers’ favorite songs. Then, upload a community “mom playlist” with the selections so every resident can listen. With Caremerge Voice, residents could access the playlist with a simple “Hey, Alexa.”

2. Host a Summer Stargazing Night

For your warm-weather activity, invite residents to look out at the stars. With the warmer weather, members of your community can stay outside more comfortably (and in hotter locales, it’s cooler at night). Have staff pass out constellation sheets and consider making a sweet treat, like s’mores, to go with the stargazing.

For a remote alternative, host a virtual astrology night with a program like Sky & Telescope. You can even bring in an expert to discuss constellations and the stories behind them over video chat.

3. Host Dad-Themed Competitions to Commemorate Father’s Day (June 19th)

For your warm-weather activity, celebrate the fathers of your community by introducing some friendly competition with events like…

• Seeing who can tie the best tie around someone else.
• A birdhouse-building contest (out of gingerbread).
• Sharing your best “dad joke.” The one that prompts the loudest groan wins.
• A community-wide poker tournament.

For a remote alternative, schedule a sports-watching marathon. With a live feed, your community can broadcast recordings of classics or of games happening that day. Fathers and their families can then tune in virtually, at their convenience.

4. Program Outdoor Yoga and Tai Chi Classes

For your warm-weather activity, capitalize on the good weather and bring some yoga mats outside. These yoga and tai chi classes don’t just help residents get some fresh air. Flexibility training has been shown to improve older adults’ range of motion, which could limit the number of falls and promote their autonomy.

For a remote alternative, offer on-demand yoga classes with a platform like Spiro100. Residents can remain physically fit without needing to leave their rooms.

5. Create a Summer-Themed Trivia Day

For your warm-weather activity, test residents’ knowledge of this warm season with summer-themed trivia. What is the most sold item in America in summer? We don’t know, but the older adults in your community might.

If weather permits, host the trivia event outside. This is a great way to combat social isolation and get residents excited about the Summer season.

For a remote alternative, organize a virtual trivia event with a platform like Kahoot or Trivia Maker that community members can access remotely. Just make sure the members of your community have access to the necessary technology.

6. Celebrate Independence Day with a Picnic on July 4th

For your warm-weather activity, bring relatives onsite for a Fourth of July picnic. These types of events are great for fostering intergenerational relationships, which have been shown to increase the level of positivity in older adults’ lives.

For a remote alternative, organize virtual tours of American museums and landmarks, like the National Museum of American History or Mount Vernon. For dinner, serve up some Fourth of July classics, like hamburgers, salads, and blueberry pie.

7. Dig into Warm Weather with a Summer Garden Party

For your warm-weather activity, take advantage of the sun and move your residents outside. A gardening party enables residents to plant or cultivate their favorite flowers. And just a half-hour in the sun substantially boosts vitamin D levels.

For a remote alternative, consider these options:

• Have staff deliver small potted plants to individual residents that they can then maintain on their own or with assistance.
• Skip the dirt and help residents make paper flowers in their rooms.
• Organize a plant trivia night. The winner gets a bouquet for their room.

8. Celebrate National Ice Cream Day (July 17th)

For your warm-weather activity, mark your calendars for July 17th and assemble an ice cream bar for your whole community, outdoors. Just make sure to stock up on all the chocolate syrup and sprinkles your members could eat.

If there are any games or materials left over from a Fourth of July celebration, this is a perfect opportunity to use them while making sure the members of your community catch some sun.

For a remote alternative, use National Ice Cream Day as an opportunity to motivate residents to move, with a virtual tai chi class. Then, reward residents with ice cream sundaes – delivered right to their door.

Keep Spirits High with Flexible Programming

After two years of fluctuating quarantines and health mandates, older adults are tired. Summer is a time of rejuvenation and warmth. Renew residents’ excitement by programming engaging activities that bring them together, in person or online.

One way to make sure you’re tailoring these warm-weather activities is by using Calendar Central, which enables you to seamlessly book rooms, schedule events, and track attendance. When needs change, it’s important that you can make real-time decisions that keep activities on schedule.

To see other ways Caremerge can help you deliver exciting events for the older adults in your community,