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Watching movies and shows could seem like a passive time-filler but spending an hour or two enjoying streamed entertainment has surprising benefits for seniors.
When the days grow colder and shorter, or if seniorsā mobility is limited, finding activities to do indoors is important. Watching a streamed show or movie is easy and can be done in a comfortable warm room or shared space.
Seniors who watch movies and shows with other people feel companionship and the enjoyment of a shared experience. Watching a movieāespecially a good oneāis relaxing and calming for seniors who may be stressed due to loneliness or chronic health conditions.
Movies provide access to a full emotional experience, taking seniors through a variety of helpful feelings and productive memories. In fact, some seniors that struggle with Alzheimerās benefit from watching movies. Sometimes dementia patients can access fond memories when they watch memorable movie scenes.
Life challenges can recede in the presence of a delightful story that captures the attention. Movies and shows allow seniors to escape into other worlds and immerse themselves in the storyline and narratives. Older adults can temporarily shift their focus away from the present, giving their brains a rest from worry or preoccupation.
Surprisingly, watching sad movies can sometimes induce happiness. When seniors see the movie characters struggle, their own challenges can seem less burdensome. Seniors may even gain a new perspective of their own lives after watching tragedies onscreen.
Movies can bring about emotional release for seniors that have trouble expressing their emotions. Oftentimes, movies can produce laughter or tears. This catharsis that seniors experience after watching a movie may make them more comfortable with expressing their own feelings in the real world. Movies and shows may also encourage seniors to engage more with others.
Watching movies is not an isolating activity! Caregivers, family members, or other seniors may watch movies together, giving everyone opportunity to be more social. Movies encourage reminiscing and can even inspire friendships and deeper family connections.
Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV, Peacock, Google Play, and Amazon Prime Video are just a few of the streaming platforms that have large libraries of easily accessible shows and movies. YouTube is also an option for streaming films. Of course, streaming shows and movies requires a good Internet connection. Some seniors need help accessing streaming platforms and becoming digitally literate so they can find shows by themselves and on demand.
Some movies are better for seniors than others. For Alzheimerās patients, for example, upbeat, fun, and shorter films and shows are idealāpreferably under two hours. A senior with dementia may receive a movie with a simple plot line and limited number of characters.
Old movies that take seniors back to carefree times are good candidates for filling an entertaining afternoon or evening. Coming-of-age or romantic movies, or musicals, can spark fond memories in seniors. Here are a few movie titles from the 1940s through the 1960s.
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman had a chemistry that all loved to watch, and that many seniors continue to adore. Casablanca, a film released in 1942, is a film seniors will choose in a heartbeat.
His Girl Friday is an all-time comedic favorite that should have seniors smiling or chuckling. This film stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russel and other all-star actors and actresses. Seniors are bound to be entertained by the hilarious storyline and charmed by the leading man.
Some Like It Hot stars bombshell Marilyn Monroe and is another classic movie that seniors can stream on platforms like Amazon Prime Video. Its storyline is hilarious and refreshing even though it was released over 70 years ago!
Originally released in 1964, Dr. Strangelove is set during the Cold War, with themes like the end of the world and nuclear annihilation. Even so, Peter Sellers plays out these themes ingeniously in this fun comedy.
Singing in the Rain was released in 1952āanother classic black and white film. The songs in the film are memorable and will bring to mind pleasant and happy pastimes to seniors that enjoy lighthearted tunes. Dancing duo Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds star in the film.
The Wizard of Oz is another timeless musical, a favorite for many, that is sure to entertain seniors. The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy and is available to stream today in color, even though it was released back in 1939. Seniors will be swept away into a fantasy world of witches, munchkins, and dazzling red slippers.
Many newer movies and shows are good candidates for a light-hearted, interesting, or stimulating afternoon or evening of entertainment.
The original 1947 movie starring Danny Kaye was remade in 2013 with Ben Stiller. It retains the fantastical daydreams of the original and incorporates up-to-date references, locations, and realities.
Based on the beloved childrenās book series, āAnne of Green Gables,ā this show with multiple episodes provides a longer watching experience. Set at the end of the 1800s, its stories unfold in a period that even for older seniors is distant and evokes feelings of nostalgia.
This streamed show comprises 120 episodes. Itās a masterful mix of narratives about a fictional U.S. Secretary of State who is also an engaged mother and happily-married wife. The number of episodes creates an extended entertainment experience in which one gets to know the characters as familiar friends and foes.
Starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, this streamable movie features an older actor and actress in a romantic comedy that touches on themes familiar to seniors.
This highly acclaimed British show is set on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926. Episodes follow the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants as they navigate world events and the changing economic realities that impact their existence.
Streaming movies and shows accomplishes several results for seniors. The entertainment can be simply a fun way to pass the time. It can also:
Todayās technologies make it easy for most seniors to access streamed entertainment, even if it means borrowing a device or viewing shows and movies on common area TVs.
