Staying Social with Creative Club Ideas

Being socially involved and active gives people a sense of belonging.

eaningful social relationships, social activities, and community events are essential for meeting the physical, emotional, and intellectual needs of an elderly individual, and studies show that seniors who stay socially active and engaged experience a variety of benefits, including: • Better cognitive function. Social activities keep us sharp and mentally engaged, and this is important to prevent the onset of dementia or

Alzheimer’s disease. • Maintaining good emotional health. Connecting with others helps keep you in a positive mood, which in turn wards off depression. • Improving physical health. Socially active seniors tend to be more physically active, too.

Plus, you tend to eat more and make better food choices when you eat with others. • Staying connected. Social life can reduce the likelihood of loneliness as elderly individuals experience change in their independence • Staying positive. Socialising can enhance selfesteem and support a positive attitude.

There’s a huge variety of different kinds of clubs and activities that a village can offer. These can either be organised by staff at the village or they can be spearheaded by residents who are passionate about a particular hobby. Check out the following club ideas and see how you can creatively create a community at your village.

Cheese Club

There isn’t a social activity much more popular than getting together to share food. Instead of the typical tea and biscuits, however, why not try a more sophisticated snack like cheese.

New Zealand has an amazing ray of cheeses to explore, and you can take the hassle out of organising a cheese club with the help of carefully crafted cheese boxes from Whitestone Cheese.

Residents can enjoy a seasonal selection of factory hand-cut cheese delivered to the door every month. Choose from two subscription sizes, the ‘Everyday Gourmet’ box which includes 650g of cheese or ‘The Entertainer’ that includes 1kg of cheese.

Both boxes include tasting notes, the choice of either a seasonal condiment or an extra wedge cheese and the Entertainer box also includes crackers. Select either an ongoing subscription or a 3-month gift subscription.

Find out more at www.whitestonecheese.com

Gin Club

Traditionally, wine clubs have reigned supreme when it comes to tasting local tipples, but with the incredible increase of New Zealand-made craft gins over the last few years, why not mix it up with a gin tasting instead.

Gin is one of the most popular spirits in the world. There are so many distillers bringing life to gin every day, all with different and unique tastes. There are so many variants of gin, so many

flavours, and so many botanicals that are used, gin can be an amazing spirit to explore.

The way you would taste gin is exactly like how you would taste wine. Generally, there are three things that you should look out for the most: the aroma, how it feels in your mouth and finally, the taste of the gin. The taste of the gin will be greatly affected if it is too hot or too cold. The best way to drink it is at room temperature, where you will be able to taste the real flavours of the gin that you are drinking.

Why not start your gin club with Awardwinning, New Zealand artisan Juno Gin, the centrepiece of the New Zealand premium gin collection produced by BeGin Distilling Ltd. With a selection of seasonal gins, mixed box sets and cocktail packs, Juno Gin is the perfect place to start your New Zealand gin journey, plus they have beautiful cocktail ideas available on their website.

Find out more at www.junogin.com

Book Club

There’s nothing like snuggling up with a good book. Being transported into unfamiliar worlds. Meeting unique and compelling characters. Traversing every unexpected twist and turn of the plot. Reading’s great fun and it’s good for you.

Seniors who read enjoy much more than just a good story. Scientific studies identified several positive benefits of reading, including improved memory retention, sharper decision-making skills, stress reduction, better sleep, and even the delayed onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. reading habit and get the benefits of socialisation too. Since most book clubs give participants a turn to choose a book, joining a book club is a great way to explore different genres, and maybe even discover a new favourite.

Book clubs for seniors fight social isolation and loneliness, providing a built-in group and a topic of conversation for the group. Taking the book club off-premises, to the local park or café, adds to the social experience.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Unfortunately, as we age physical limitations can make reading harder. There are some simple ways to overcome these obstacles, however. E-reading devices with back-lit screens and adjustable font sizes are useful for seniors with vision problems, as well as for those suffering from arthritis and other challenges to dexterity.

For older adults who may not be comfortable with technology, adaptive methods — such as large print books, reading lights, magnifiers, book holders, and audio books — can ease the reading process.