As the largest model apartment provider for the senior living industry, we’ve had the chance to see a lot of communities that operate successful activities on regular bases. If you run or assist in the activity department for any senior living community, it is important to understand the significance of creating successful events that keep residents coming back for more. Not only do activities help your residence to stay social and happy, but they also draw the interest of potential residents who will inevitably consider the likelihood of where they choose to reside based off of what current residents are saying about living in your community.

At the end of they day, however, it is crucial to understand why activities are planned regularly. Senior living communities plan activities to give their residents avenues of pleasurable time and socialization, which can help to increase the quality of their lives. If you’re looking for ideas to craft your activity calendar for the year ahead, check out some of our favorites below!

#1. Family Night:
Come up with a fun theme to plan a monthly, bi-monthly, or even quarterly family game night for your residents. This encourages residents to not only get involved in the community, but also to invite their families along for the fun. We heard of one community that hosts a regular family bingo night – they use it as an opportunity to fundraise as well as to bring families together for their residents – not a bad idea!

#2. Educational Classes:
Whether you host educational classes once a month, or on a weekly basis, it’s a good idea to give your residents outlets for expression and learning. Although it is true that some seniors may have trouble with memory, they, just like all other people, want to live life to its utmost potential, and learning is such a big part of that.

If you’re struggling with ideas as to what type of classes you could hold, consider what seniors are interested in learning about most. We read a great article on Facebook lessons for seniors. Activities such as social media training will have a certain pull for your residents, especially the ones with millennial grandchildren.

Other great lesson ideas that we have heard and/or read about are computer/ technology, language, dancing, and art.

Speaking of Art…

#3. Paint Night:
Have you ever seen anyone you know on social media post pictures of a fun paint night out? Apparently wine, friends and paint lessons go excellently together. As one of the fastest growing trends right now, we think that hosting your own community’s paint night out is a great way to get residents engaged with an event at your community. We suggest a simple search engine query along the lines of, “hosting a paint night out”, but it you’re having trouble finding an organization who offers the ability to host an event like this in your area, feel free to reach out to us atmarketing@model55.com– we’re happy to help!

Speaking of wine…

#4. Touring the World of Wine:
A wine tasting is a sure bet way to attract attention from community members who might not have interest in the typical “game night” themes that are popular amongst other residents. We suggest calling local vendors in your area and asking if they offer wine tasting events. We think this is a fun and unique way to bring your residents together for socialization and culture.

#5. Getting to Know You:
Last, but certainly not least, we like the idea of hosting a “Getting to Know You” themed event when enough new residents have come on board. Once residents understand these events to be routine happenings, chances are they will look forward to having the opportunity to meet and welcome new neighbors at a casual social function. We like the idea of a pizza party to keep things light and personable, but you can always switch things up with interesting themes.

There you have it, a quick list of event ideas that team here at Model55 put together based on what we’ve seen work within senior living communities over the years.  If you have suggestions you’d like to share please feel free to post in the comments (we might share your idea on social media). As always – thanks for reading!