Stimulating Vocational Interests of Older Adults
Activity Specialists at The Hummingbird Project engage clients in meaningful activities specially designed to foster holistic quality of life in older adults, including those living with dementia. Holistic quality of life focuses on the 7 Domains of Wellness that all humans need to thrive—physical, spiritual, creative, intellectual, environmental, emotional, and vocational.
Older adults often find themselves being cared for, and they struggle to find a way to contribute to society and the family they used to take care of. Activities that focus on vocational wellness help fulfill this need to feel like a productive, valued member of community and family. Even asking your client or loved one their opinion on current events or important issues can boost their sense of usefulness and self-worth.
For older adults who are losing control over much of their lives, vocational activities can work wonders. To get started, try these six activities shared by Hummingbird’s Activity Specialists.
1. Tap Into Old Skill Sets
Upon meeting with a new client, a Hummingbird Activity Specialist always begins by understanding that individual’s vocation, interests, history, and any other special type of ability or skill they are known for or have experienced. The activity works well in person or remotely.
One Hummingbird client used to design floral arrangements for a well-known museum in San Francisco. After learning this, her Activity Specialist had flowers delivered to the facility where she lives. When the client and Activity Specialist met on Zoom, the flower-arranging experience was underway! When asked how it felt to be arranging flowers again, the client replied, “Oh, it’s what I do; it’s what comes naturally.” Imagine if everyone could maintain activities that they always enjoyed…what a wonderful world it would be!
2. Build a Model Plane
This is a perfect project for aviation buffs, and it comes from Hummingbird’s Joyful Moments, a deck of beautifully illustrated cards with activities designed to foster holistic wellness in older adults across all 7 Domains of Wellness. Building a model plane challenges dexterity, sequencing, creativity—and gives you a great starting point to revisit old memories.
Look for a model airplane kit at your local toy or hobby store or online. If possible, have your activity partner help you pick out the model. If your activity partner has a special interest or relationship to a certain type of plane or aviation era, try to find a related model. When you’re ready to begin, find a quiet space to work together and provide assistance as necessary. Don’t be afraid to go slowly. If possible, leave the work-in-progress out for people to see while it’s being built. Display the completed model where visitors are sure to see it and ask questions. You and your activity partner can take pride in the tangible result of your efforts!
3. Revisit Professional Interests
At one point in his profession, retired lawyer and Hummingbird client Jack focused on Constitutional Law. To honor Jack’s expertise and support his self-esteem, his Activity Specialist found a list online of the Most Influential Supreme Court Cases. They read through the descriptions and stopped after each case to discuss whether Jack felt it was worthy of making the list. He concurred with most of them but felt a few more important rulings were missing. Together, they created a list of those missing rulings, which will be utilized in future sessions. Exploring the cases more deeply will further nurture Jack’s intellectual well-being and sense of identity as a lawyer.
Use your activity partner’s past career or academic pursuits to inspire meaningful connection:
- Identify a specific topic, article, or list online you can read and discuss together.
- Be sure to ask questions and listen intently to their answers.
- The most important thing is for your activity partner to feel seen and heard, especially around a topic in which they’ve enjoyed expertise. Repeat back important things you heard to ensure your activity partner feels seen and heard. For example, “Jack, your interest in airplanes is inspiring. It is wonderful to hear you talk about when you were a pilot.”
- Turn this into an outing to a local small aircraft airport or museum or find a unique online video about airplanes you can share.
4. Start a Research Project
Hummingbird client Joe was always fascinated by archaeology, and he once mentioned the Rosetta Stone to his Activity Specialist, so she created a research project they could do together. As Joe studied images of the Rosetta Stone, they discussed the historical significance of translating the stone. After a brief introductory video clip, Joe stared intently as his Activity Specialist described her experience of seeing the Rosetta Stone in person when she was still in college. Joe nodded firmly, agreeing to comment she made on how important learning is and the value of college, an opinion Joe feels very strongly about. When the session ended, Joe’s care team started a documentary on the Rosetta Stone for Joe to view. Later, the care team informed his Activity Specialist that Joe insisted on watching additional videos about the Rosetta Stone after the documentary finished, clearly engaged and intrigued. His love of learning was alive and well!
5. Engage an Older Adult’s Expertise
Never having had a green thumb of her own, a Hummingbird Activity Specialist said she enjoys conversing with her client, who was a master gardener. After her family moved into a new home with a large garden, the Activity Specialist turned to her client’s expertise as she learned how to tend and maintain the garden. Assisting her Activity Specialist with her new garden brought our client much joy and nurtured her self-esteem as she shared her expertise.
During the pandemic, when the Activity Specialist couldn’t visit her client in her care facility in person. No problem! She cut fresh flowers from her yard and delivered them curbside to the care home. The staff took extra care in transferring them inside and observed the appropriate waiting period before delivering the flowers to her room. Bringing the outside in allowed her client to smell the flowers again! They conversed virtually about the different types of flowers, and our Activity Specialist was able to share a video about gardening with her on the computer! By finding new ways to tap into her client’s expertise, our Activity Specialist was able to help her client continue to feel important, purposeful, and engaged.
6. Ignite Meaningful Memories with Art Observation
Art can help bring people out of their quiet shells and free them to communicate thoughts from their personal life experiences. One of our Hummingbird Activity specialists engaged a participant in a group session by showing the painting The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
The Activity Specialist then asked the group if any of them had been ice skating. One client, Jack, proudly stood in the back and raised his hand high. “I used to ice skate, but I also used to make ice for skating. I did it for four years, in the wintertime.” He explained how he used a fire hose with “three men in the back.” They would turn a city block into an ice rink in “St. Jo, Michigan.” Making the ice rink was an activity in Jack’s life that allowed him to contribute to his community in a very meaningful way. Touching this unique memory and connection for Jack literally brought him to his feet, lifting him emotionally and spiritually.
We hope these activities and the others offered in our like-minded blog Ideas to Intellectually Stimulate People with Dementia, will inspire connection and shared experiences between you and your activity partner.
About the Author
Kari Rogenski, LMFT, is the director of The Hummingbird Project, an in-person concierge and virtual therapeutic activity program. Kari is a licensed psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Humanistic Psychology at Saybrook University, where she studies creativity and gerontology. Follow Kari on Linkedin.
