What do Senior Citizens in Nursing Homes “really” do all day?

(January, 30, 2015)

Almost every person who is fortunate not to be in a nursing home must have pondered at least once the “Million Dollar” question of “What do people in nursing homes do all day?”. Most people would say since a nursing home is, for the most part, a place of recovery from injury or illness, that the residents just eat, sleep and “get better” and then leave when they are healthy enough to do so.

This is a huge misconception.

Contrary to popular belief, there is a general daily schedule followed by most nursing homes across the United States that is provided for the residents. It includes more than just eating and sleeping and includes activities such as classes, outings and programs. Most nursing homes offer optional classes that cater to most senior citizen’s interests such as art, music and exercise. The nursing homes also try and maintain their activity by taking them on walks on or around the grounds of the home or to, for example, the supermarket. Later in the day, they have the option of attending a workshop or a performance such as a magic show or just relaxing in their room and before they know it, its already dinner.

Nursing homes vary with their schedules sometimes because each nursing home incorporates new activities into their daily schedules each year. The most important thing to remember is just because they are senior citizens does not mean that they do nothing with their day, and that is clearly evident in the eyes of a nursing home.