The Senior Scene

While most of us associate playtime with childhood, adults are increasingly acknowledging the importance of play and leisure time for themselves.

A new survey commissioned by The Genius of Play and conducted by OnePoll finds that 89 percent of adults have learned to appreciate the importance of play and leisure time over the past year. What’s more, 84 percent say taking time to play helps them be more productive at work.

“You’re never too young or too old to play,” says Anna Yudina, senior director of marketing initiatives at The Toy Association, which spearheads The Genius of Play. “In fact, research links play with a number of wellness benefits in adults, such as reducing stress, boosting life satisfaction, and empowering people to be creative, flexible thinkers.”

To incorporate play into your life, consider this:

• Take on a hobby. Seventy percent of adults picked up a new hobby or leisure activity over the past year — and with good reason. Hobbies can be a source of positive emotions, get you outdoors, encourage physical activity and social interactions, and spark creativity. From roller skating to dancing to crafting to playing an instrument, consider taking on a new, playful hobby or revisiting one you enjoyed during childhood.
• Plan a game night. While play often occurs spur-of-the-moment, life is hectic and schedules are jam-packed. Consider scheduling time for fun to ensure it happens. For example, make one evening each week a totally screen-free, stress-free experience. Order pizza (or your household’s cuisine of choice) and break out games and puzzles. You might even consider planning themed trivia nights delving into your favorite subjects.
• Hop in the car. Whether you choose a destination that allows you to simply relax, or you take on a more active adventure, a trip can broaden your horizons and rejuvenate you when you’re feeling down or just trapped in the daily routine. Consider taking a just-for-fun trip on your own, with a friend or partner.
• Bring out your Inner child. Parents, grandparents, and other adults with a kid in their life can spend more time playing with the little ones. Not only is play the perfect way to bond, research highlights a number of associated health benefits. Those who play with children burn 20 percent more calories per week, and researchers link playfulness to creativity, spontaneity, and positive attitudes. Intergenerational play can help adults maintain cognitive skills as they age and even extend their life. A study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior found that grandparents who help out with grandchildren live longer.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, visit thegeniusofplay.org for fun, free games and downloadable activities.

“While our primary mission is educating parents and caregivers about play’s vital role in child development, adults need time to play, too,” said Yudina. “We hope to motivate people of all ages to play more — whether it’s by embracing personal hobbies or by spending more time playing with kids.”

Homegrown fresh vegetables not only taste better, they are more nutritious. Plus, you can control what products are applied to the plants to control insect pests and disease.

The first steps to growing a productive vegetable garden and protecting your harvest begin with proper planning and care.

Select the most disease-resistant varieties available when planning your garden.

Then plant them in properly prepared soil with the amount of sunlight they require. Provide the necessary ongoing care and your plants will be healthier and better able to tolerate pest problems.

Even when you do everything right; problems can still arise. It’s just a part of gardening.

Further reduce the risk with regular visits to the garden. Check along the stems and under the leaves for any clues that insect pests have moved into your garden. It is much easier to manage small populations of harmful pests than after they have had time to rapidly reproduce.

At the same time, look for lady beetles, green lace wings and other good guys that eat a variety of garden pests. Leaving a few pests to attract these good guys is often an easy, yet effective way to manage the harmful ones.

Enlist the help of songbirds by attracting them with birdbaths and feeders. Many birds supplement their diets with insect protein. Just protect young seedlings as many birds also like fresh greens.

If you need to lend nature a hand, remove small populations of insects by hand or use a strong blast of water to knock aphids and mites off plants. This is often enough to manage the damage and minimize their impact on your garden harvest.

Barriers of floating row covers can keep cabbage worms, onion maggots, Japanese beetles, and some other insects from laying eggs on their favorite plants. Cover the plants with the fabric at planting, anchor the edges and leave enough slack for plants to grow. Uncover flowering plants as soon as blossoms appear if bees are needed for pollination.

Set out yellow bowls filled with soapy water. The yellow attracts aphids and some other harmful pests. The insects gravitate toward the yellow, then crash into the soapy water and die.

If the problem insects are winning the battle, you may be tempted to reach for chemical controls. Instead, look for the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) certification on product labels. This independent non-profit organization reviews products for use in organic gardens, production, and processing.

Summit Year-Round Spray Oil (SummitResponsibleSolutions.com) is an OMRI-certified product labeled for use on fruits and vegetables as well as ornamentals.  It controls mites, aphids, thrips, and other insects and can be applied right up to the day of harvest.

As always, read and follow label directions for any organic, natural, or synthetic chemical used. Heeding label directions ensures safe application and effective control.

By working with nature and investing some time and creativity you can safely minimize insect problems and maximize your garden’s harvest.

For two social-connections programs offered through Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSN), it’s all about people.

Senior Companion assigns volunteers to regularly visit isolated or disabled residents of Pierce and Kitsap counties. During visits, they can chat, play cards or share hobbies, among other activities. The companions also accompany their clients on short errands or doctor appointments.

Another, similar LCSN program, called Senior Friends, is for volunteers who will contact older, socially isolated adults by phone or video conferencing for social engagement and community connection via walks or shared hobbies. The volunteers must live in Pierce County and commit to a minimum of two hours per month for a year.

Additional information about Senior Companion is available at 253-722-5686 and lcsnw.org, and information about Senior Friends is available at seniorfriends@lcsnw.org or 253-722-5682.

The programs are offered through the Tacoma office of LCSN, a non-profit human-services agency that’s in its 100th year. The agency also has offices and services in the Seattle area, eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho.