Don’t let the name fool you. A kiddie pool can be great fun for people of all ages, including your favorite senior citizen. As the summer heat comes, it is a great time to think of fun activities you can do to celebrate the season with your senior loved one. Some good, ole backyard fun or fun at home is a great place to start.

You can grab a cheap kiddie pool at places such as Target, Walmart or sometimes even the local grocery store. They come in fun designs, often emblazoned with lemons and flowers on them, and in bright colors. You can brighten up the backyard with a pool. Even filling it with a couple of inches of water and putting a lawn chair next to it can be fun for your favorite senior as they splash their feet around and remember their younger days. Want to be true to the olden days? Grab that old galvanized tub that’s been sitting in the garage and fill it with some water. Maybe your favorite senior bathed in it as a child. Now have some fun splashing your feet around in it.

While you’re at it, harken back to the olden days and make some root beer floats to enjoy together at home. Don’t forget a colorful, striped straw to sip that wonderful summer concoction through. The mixture of root beer and vanilla ice cream melding together just screams summer.

While you might not want to pull out the old game of darts for fear of injuring someone, summer is a great time for some lawn games. Have you ever played Zim Zam? Set it up, and challenge your favorite senior to a game. Have an old croquet set gathering dust in the garage? Pull it out and give it a try together. Teach the younger generation.  Other games to bring back include hopscotch and horseshoes. For a more low-key game, try some Mother May I? Or Simon Says.

Summer isn’t summer without S’mores. Gather your favorite senior and sit around the backyard fire pit for some gooey, tasty treats. While many are classic Hershey bar s’mores eaters, some replace the chocolate with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. You can try different combinations together and see what you like best. If your senior loved one isn’t up for sitting in the backyard around a fire pit, there are now s’mores makers that you can do inside. You can give that a try and still have a taste of summer together.

Things to Celebrate

How to Minimize Medication Side Effects for Older Adults

Here are some ways to lower the chance of medication-related problems:

1. Keep a current list of all medications the elderly person takes, both non-prescription and prescription and make sure the primary physician has the list to ensure there are no potential problems between the medications.
2. If your loved one goes to multiple doctors, ensure all of them have the current list and monitor any new medications ordered so the pharmacy and the primary doctor can compare them for possible side effects.
3. If your loved one goes to the store and buys over-the-counter medications, remember to check the cabinets frequently for these and check with the primary doctor to see if it is OK for them to use them, as some of these contain Benadryl and other antihistamines that can cause confusion, constipation, and problems urinating.
4. Be aware of potential side effects of all the medications your loved one uses to enable you and others to monitor for them and report this immediately to the physician.
5. Review their medications at least monthly to look for hoarding of expired or discontinued medications that could be potentially harmful to your loved one’s health.