Lights dimming, the aroma of fresh popcorn filling the air and the anticipation of a captivating story unfolding on the screen—there’s something magical about movie nights. For your senior living community, hosting a movie night can be a wonderful way to bring residents together and foster a sense of community. Aside from the more obvious social benefits that can stem from hosting a communal movie night, there are also a number of ways it can improve attendees’ overall well-being. From a cognitive perspective, watching movies stimulates various mental processes and promotes brain health. The mental workout from trying to recall character and plotlines can improve memory retention and recall abilities, helping seniors maintain cognitive sharpness.
Eversound by Uniguest, the wireless headphone system built for senior living communities, is a great example of purposeful technology that can augment the movie night experience at your community. By amplifying sound and reducing background noise, Eversound’s headphones help all of your residents get the full movie experience. Plus, the system’s transmitters allow users to easily broadcast audio for groups big and small – without the need for WiFi or cellular service, inside or outdoors.
You could simply tell residents a starting time, have them show up, put a movie in front of them and then send them on their merry way.
But does it create meaningful social and cognitive stimulation? Likely not. Developing a movie night that leaves an impression on residents requires incorporating thoughtful details that delight and engage participants.
In this blog, we will explore how to plan and execute the perfect movie night for your senior living community, ensuring that it becomes a highlight on the calendar and a cherished tradition among residents.
Let’s take a look at how to make movie night even more special for your residents:
Pick the Right Movie or Theme
To empower seniors and ensure their active involvement, it is crucial to include them in the movie or theme selection process. Consider creating a suggestion box or holding a meeting to gather their input and preferences. By involving residents in the decision-making process, they will feel a sense of ownership and excitement about the movie nights. It also ensures that the chosen movies or themes cater to their interests and preferences, fostering a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
To further cater to a potentially wide variety of tastes you may want to consider parallel programming. Parallel programming involves offering multiple movie options simultaneously, accommodating a variety of tastes and preferences, held in different activity spaces.
This approach ensures that each senior can find a film that resonates with their interests, increasing their engagement and enjoyment. You can also curate the evening’s films to accommodate the various levels of cognition your residents may have. This helps you foster an inclusive environment for your community where everyone is able to participate.
Don’t forget the snacks!
No movie night is complete without a snack or two to enjoy alongside the evening’s entertainment, especially when it ties into an element or theme of the film. For example, if the movie is set in Italy, serve some delicious Italian desserts like cannolis.
Serving food before or during a screening not only helps fend off the mid-movie munchies but creates another opportunity during the event for residents to come together and participate in lighthearted conversation over this shared experience.
Incorporate Interactive Elements
Setting up a screening and pairing it with a few tasty treats is certainly the foundation of making a fun-filled night. But how can you take it a step further? The answer is to incorporate interactive components that take a simple movie night and transform it into a cannot miss event. Here are a few ideas that can level up your next cinema event:
Encourage Residents to Dress the Part
Giving residents the option to dress according to the theme of the night or as a favorite character from the film is a great opportunity for them to express themselves and their creativity. If residents want to get particularly crafty with their outfits, you can even set up art sessions before the movie night where participants can come together and perfect their costumes.
Trivia
Incorporating a trivia game is an easy way to get residents’ minds activated and maybe even spark a little friendly competition. You can hand out trivia cards before the film so that participants are inclined to pay extra attention in order to answer the questions or after to test their ability to recall the film. Whether carried out as singles or groups, a trivia game creates an interactive atmosphere, fostering social connections and sparking lively conversations among seniors. This ensures that every movie night is not only entertaining but also intellectually stimulating.
Guided Discussions
After the movie or perhaps at a mid-movie intermission, guiding a conversation among participants and encouraging them to share their thoughts and feelings about the film is a great way to promote social interaction within the group. Making sure you include open-ended questions allows everyone to express their opinions and insights on the topic. This interaction promotes socialization, improves communication skills, encourages active listening and helps build deeper connections among the participants.
Eversound: The Perfect Movie Night Partner
Hearing loss is a prevalent challenge among seniors with approximately 80% of those over 80 have some degree of hearing loss. This can significantly impact residents’ ability to fully engage in social activities such as movie nights. However, by incorporating the Eversound wireless headphone system into the event, you can address these challenges and create accessibility and engagement for individuals with hearing loss. Hearing loss can lead to difficulties in understanding dialogue, following the plot and fully immersing oneself in the movie experience.
Eversound’s wireless headphone system provides a personalized audio solution, amplifying the sound and improving clarity for seniors with hearing impairments. By using the Eversound headphone system, residents can adjust the volume to their preferred level, eliminating the need to strain trying to keep up with captions or rely solely on lip-reading. This technology not only enhances accessibility but also promotes engagement by allowing individuals with hearing loss to actively participate in the movie night without feeling isolated or excluded. By incorporating Eversound, you can create an inclusive environment where seniors with hearing loss can enjoy the movie to its fullest and actively participate in the shared cinematic experience.
In conclusion, creating the ultimate movie night with Eversound goes beyond the simple act of watching a film. It involves thoughtful planning, active participation, and a commitment to inclusivity and engagement. And with Eversound as your partner, you can address the challenges of hearing loss and create a truly accessible and engaging movie night for all residents.
Let the movie magic unfold and create an unforgettable experience that brings joy, togetherness, and cherished memories to your senior living community. Lights, camera, action!