• Indoor and outdoor activities greatly benefit the elderly physically and psychologically.Collecting Pebbels image by Andrew Breeden from Fotolia.com
  
  While being busy seems to be a natural state for most people in the modern world, for the elderly it can literally be a life-saver. Numerous studies have shown that when the elderly take part in activities, they benefit both physically and psychologically. Activity can be tied to measurable increases in life expectancy.
  
  

Social Activity Prolongs Life

• According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, productive and socially active people in the latter stages of life live significantly longer than those who are not involved in such activities. More than 2,700 Americans age 65 and older were involved in the study, which showed that social activity contributes as much to the prolonging of life as physical fitness.
  
  

Activity and Self-Worth

• As people get older and their bodies decline, they sometimes feel a sense of worthlessness. They are no longer able to do the jobs they could once do easily, and can't help others the way they used to. Getting involved in activities helps the elderly mingle with others. They can offer moral support to friends, or help those who are more disabled than they are. If they are participating in physical or mental activities, they can feel a sense of accomplishment when completing the activity. This promotes a sense of self-worth.
  
  

Preservation of Independence

• As the body and the brain begin to decline, activities for the elderly can help them exercise their physical and cognitive skills so they can maximize their independence. Puzzles help connect the neurons in the brain, and other activities such as scrapbooking and games help the elderly with memory recall. The more alert elderly people are, and the more they can do things for themselves, the more likely they are to remain independent.
  
  

Social Interaction

• Activities that involve social interactions for the elderly are more important than one might think. A report from Archives of Internal Medicine cites that when the elderly lose interest in socializing, their motor skills decline rapidly, leading to numerous problems which cause disability and even death. According to researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who conducted the study, a one-point decrease in an elderly person's social activity resulted in a 33 percent faster decline in motor skills, as compared with those who kept up their socialization.