February is National Embroidery Month and what better way to celebrate than with our new crochet club for Generations at Regency’s residents. We decided after seeing several residents gathering together and knitting/crocheting that other residents could benefit and enjoy a crochet club. Our activity staff felt this craft would help our seniors explore a forgotten talent, discover a new one or teach others with their knowledge and experience.
Billie Ray (above) from the activities staff is the teacher for crochet club. He is self taught and has been crocheting for over a year. The resident’s first project was making a headband adorned with a butterfly. Our experienced residents helped the beginners and we had a residents’ daughter join us to learn the arts.
Besides being fun there are other health benefits with crocheting:
- Can Relieve Depression
- Reduces Anxiety
- Build Self-Esteem
- Crafting May Reduce or Postpone Dementia
- Promote Relaxation and Reduces Irritability/Restlessness
- Builds Community
The repetition of the crafts has been shown to release serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. CNN recently reported that “in one study of more than 3,500 knitters, published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting and more than half reported feeling “very happy.”
Relaxed, repetitive motions such as the ones used in crochet and knitting can help calm down the body and the brain and the motions involved assist in creating a better mood. Knitting and crochet helps with fine motor skills and keeps your fingers and hands feeling good. The crochet patterns involve some aspects of math and keep your mind sharp by practicing math skills.
It can also help with various forms of anxiety by keeping your hands busy and mind focused. Crafting helps build self-esteem by building new skills and allowing the crafter to feel productive. For our experienced residents it provides a useful way to give to others.
At the end our residents enjoy a delicious treat! The halls are buzzing with the news of this new activity. Contact us to schedule a tour and learn more.
