Keeping engaged in life’s activities is important for health and wellbeing. To be engaged, activities need to be meaningful and personalised to the individual. For a person living with disability, engaging in meaningful activities that focus on their strengths and abilities can help them have a sense of purpose, learning and develop and/or maintain independence.
If you are a Support Worker or living with a person with a disability, check out this list of activities that can help bring improvement to their health and wellbeing.
5 Simple Home Activities for People with Disabilities
1. Gardening
There are many enjoyable activities for people living with disability that can be done within the home environment. Gardening is one of them. It is one form of exercise that can improve motor skills and aid in relaxation. A garden could be a collection of small pots of plants, a raised garden bed or a large garden depending on where you live.
Gardening activities such as planting, watering, pruning, weeding, and harvesting can improve:
- Physical fitness
- Skills development
- Sleep patterns
- Vitamin D absorption in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight
- Attention, memory and cognition
- Confidence and self esteem
- Knowledge
2. Music Therapy
There are many benefits associated with music therapy, with evidence showing a range of physical and mental health benefits that supports quality of life. Music therapy can boost memory, lower blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety, improve self-esteem, communication and sleep. It also helps overcome physical difficulties by improving fine and gross motor coordination, range of motion, and muscle strength. When done regularly, it can also impact cardiopulmonary and respiratory functioning.
Singing, dancing, playing an instrument and listening to music are some of the activities for people with disabilities that involve music therapy.
3. Calligraphy
The practice of calligraphy comes with a range of benefits too. Now that more people no longer write as regularly because of digital technology, it’s good to go back to an old practice by incorporating calligraphy into the activities of people with disabilities, perhaps helping improve motor skills.
- It can improve hand strength to help maintain holding positions and movements.
- It allows the thumb to have coordinated movements and move in multiple directions.
- It improves in-hand manipulation by developing precise finger movements.
- It helps develop bilateral hand skills to complete various tasks.
Did you know?
According to studies, calligraphy is considered a form of meditation. It is a soothing activity that can make a person feel calm due to the focus required to create a flawless outcome.
4. Video Games
Independent game developers have produced accessible video games in the past decade to support the abilities of people living with a disability. This enables them to participate in multiplayer games and can reduce the risk of isolation and depression.
Some of the accessible video games that are designed specifically for people with disabilities include:
- One-switch games that use switch access for people with cognitive disability.
- Games for people with complex intellectual needs.
- Universally accessible games with multiple interfaces to meet the needs of people with different disabilities.
Video games can help people to stay connected from the safety and comfort of their own homes. They offer an option to help overcome social barriers that can cause people with disabilities to feel isolated.
5. Sensory Activities
Sensory activities are suitable for all ages and stages of life. Sensory activities can help build new nerve connections in the brain, encourages development of motor skills, supports language development, encourages problem solving and inspires creativity.
Sensory activities can help improve people’s sense of sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. Examples of sensory activities include jigsaw puzzles, playing with play-doh, aromatherapy, flavour testing, and painting a picture.
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Meaningful engagement through individualised activities can provide great benefits for people with varying disabilities. With positive implementation and through the assistance of a Support Worker, your loved one can help move forward to a life of independence.
Are you looking for Support Worker services? For over 30 years, Living My Way has been supporting people with disability to live self-directed lives. Enquire about our disability support services to understand our individualised and holistic approach that empowers our Members.
