Balloon tennis in elderly care

Frank Sinatra started to croon as I handed out a fly swatter to each of the ladies. Seated in a circle, they looked on amused as I blew up one decent sized confetti balloon. One shook it with both hands, asking how did they get the confetti in there!
I then balanced the balloon on my fly swatter before I hit it across the room. They stretched, swiped and swooshed the balloon with their swatters as we played tennis with it across the circle. Occasionally a leg would kick out to reach it. All exercised their vocal chords, hooting, laughing and singing along to the tunes. One of the ladies stood up during the game to dance slowly to a song, gently swirling her fly swatter to 'Don't fence me in'. The music had stirred some memories.
Balloon tennis in aged care, is an easy, social game, that's great for gross motor skills and suitable across different levels of cognitive and physical abilities. Even residents who can not participate in the game physically, can enjoy watching the game, following the balloon with their eyes.
Participation can help foster connections between residents and between staff and residents. It can lessen anxiety and make people living with Dementia feel more engaged with life. But most of all, it's fun!