Elder Care in Garner NC
June is National Camping Month. Even if your parent is not able to head out into nature to experience a few days of camping, you can still help them to enjoy some of the fun and summery tradition of camping right at home. This can be a memorable way for you to spend quality time with your aging parent, and if they are on a senior care journey it can be a fun and unique way to pursue some of their care goals.
Let these ideas inspire you for ways that you can bring the fun of camping home for your aging loved one during National Camping Month:
- Set up a fire pit. A roaring fire is one of the most recognizable features of a summer camping trip. Even if you cannot start an actual campfire right in the backyard, your parent can still enjoy the smell, feeling, and even delicious flavors of gathering around the fire with a fire pit. These fully contained devices look much like a grill but instead of the grate over the top of the fire, there is a cage. This helps to contain the flames and prevent accidents while still allowing access to the fire. Sit around the flames and sing camp songs and tell stories just like you would on a campsite.
- Enjoy camp food. Some of the best memories of camping often involve food. Use your fire pit to roast marshmallows and create s’mores, cook hotdogs, or even try your hand at a full campfire meal by wrapping chicken, vegetables, and seasonings up in aluminum foil and tucking them down into the embers of your fire to cook. Encourage your parent to get creative and find ways to make their campfire food as nutritious as possible and even to find delicious ways to fit their camp treats into any dietary guidelines set forth by their doctor.
- Go for a hike. You do not have to be out in the deep woods or up on the mountains to enjoy a hike. Get together with your parent or encourage them and their senior health care services provider to visit a local park for a long walk. Enjoy the beauty of nature and the sounds, smells, and exciting challenges that you experience. Take your time and be sure to bring along a camera to record the time that you have together. This is a great opportunity to give your parent extra physical activity that is outside of the usual activities that they do.
- Have a “staycation”. Get some of the fun and excitement of camping without the stress of leaving the house by camping right at home. Consider renting a camper or recreational vehicle and putting it right in the backyard for a day or two of vacation that gets you and your aging parent out of your usual routine while still making sure that they are close to everything that they need. This is a fun way to stimulate their minds and even encourage them to spend quality time with their grandchildren.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Garner, NC or the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at HomeChoice Home Care Services. Call today (919) 847-5622