When one of your loved ones is at a senior living facility, you might worry that he or she is not getting the stimulation that he or she will need to be happy. If this is the case, you have two options. You can move your loved one to a more expensive senior living facility that offers more activities, an option that is often cost-prohibitive for many, or you can volunteer to host the activities yourself. Hosting the activities yourself allows you to create an activity schedule, even if it's just once a month, that you know will appeal to your loved one and likely many of the other residents there. Here are some ideas for fun activities that you can host yourself at a facility like Crimson Ridge Meadows.

1. Dance Lessons

This might require you to contact other people in the community, but you can offer lessons in ballroom dancing or swing dancing if you are well-acquainted with either of the practices. There are often many different dance instructors in the area that would be willing to teach a class every few weeks for free or in exchange for a nominal sum. This type of activity will allow you to get your senior and the other seniors at the assisted living off of their chairs and help them become more active.

If your senior living facility has a many more women than men, consider contacting one of the high schools in the area. Many high schools have volunteer requirements that need to be met before a student can graduate. There might be young men and women who would be willing to act as partners in exchange for countable volunteer hours.

2. Crafting

Another option is for you to ask for leftover craft materials on websites such as Craigslist and Freecycle. These websites are essentially message boards where people offer things for free or for very little money. Spend a few weeks scouring the site to see what you can find and putting out ads for items that you could use, such as old magazines for collage materials, leftover paint sets from preschools, or even just half-empty glue bottles. Once you have a large number of materials, go to Pinterest or to another site and look for crafting ideas that match the materials that you have.

3. Karaoke

Finally, look into purchasing a cheap karaoke set or ask the senior living facility if they would be willing to provide the funds to purchase one if you were willing to be the host. Then, go online and look up karaoke song packs that you can download for free or for very cheap that feature songs that the residents at the senior living home will enjoy. If you are at a loss for songs, put out a suggestion list for bands, albums, and songs that the residents would enjoy.

For more information, talk to the people who run the senior living facility. They will be able to suggest activities that they would like to do but cannot because they do not have enough volunteers. You could help out with these in order to raise the engagement factor of your loved one.