Deer Park Village has plenty of activities for our residents. We have things to do every day. There are currently games, tabletop games, learning tutorials, crafts, coffee breaks, book clubs, bible study, exercise groups, online church events, Christmas light tours, ugly Christmas sweater events, and movie nights. And that’s just a partial list.

Armchair Travel

One interesting activity that we do regularly at Deer Park Village is something called “Armchair Travel.” Shelby Friesen, the Recreation Coordinator, organizes a meeting where we explore a specific destination. Then we may have photos, decorations, music, food, and discussion all about that specific destination, so you can pretend like you’re there.

By carefully organizing our Armchair Travel experience, like a recent one to landmarks across Alberta, the activity becomes a sensory experience. Residents can see, hear, taste and talk about the destination, making it more fun and memorable for everyone. Real life traveling is not so easy right now—or even possible—but armchair travel is always possible. We have done “trips” to Holland, Ireland, Brazil, India, and Alaska in the recent past.

Learning should be a lifelong experience. We never want any of our residents to be bored. So, in spite of the COVID-19 restrictions, we make every effort to modify activities, to make them safe, but we’re still having lots of activities.

There are many documented benefits and advantages to activities and mental stimulation for the elderly. We continue to provide those activities even if we have to modify them. The pandemic has only encouraged us to be more creative with our activities. Nothing is going to stop our residents and staff from having fun.