Social support and activities helps one to maintain an active social life by visiting or arranging visits and outings within the community. Social support and activities help to prevent loneliness and the feeling of being not wanted.
Some of the Social support and activities that are available are mainly visits to one’s homes, helping with the shopping or other activities like gardening, plumbing etc and recreational activities.
Here are some of the social support activities that one can help in-
Community Visitors scheme: This scheme can provide for social interaction and gives an opportunity to mix with the community. The scheme provides visits from volunteers who can team up with a companion and help in a larger way. The work of the volunteer is cut out as he or she needs to take into account hobbies, interests and habits thus finding a regular visitor who also has the similar habits and hobbies. Also family members and friends can provide additional information that will prove beneficial.- Community Gardening is both for leisure and social action. Community gardens are created by people or groups to grow food and at the same time to help the community. The most important aspect of community garden is to bring people together and how they can make things happen. Some community gardens involve a pocketful of dedicated gardeners who create pockets of green in the
neighborhood. There are other community gardens that host around the year activities which involves thousands of people to come and witness either a Rose show by day or a fountain show at night. - In Australia actors have adopted community gardens to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and at the same time engaging people in collective social action. It has been also found that community gardens offer an opportunity to join with others in improving the landscape of the neighborhood. Community gardens serve as places of collective social action that gives a feeling of oneness and togetherness.
- Social activities are also available to help people to lead a healthier life and connect with the community. In the process it helps in forming new friends and most importantly helping one to get out of the house. Among the social activities the following are incorporated such as craft activities, health talks and exercise programs, theatre groups and the elderly favorite past time card games.
- Grandparents Program is also very popular in Australia. This program runs free activities which include camps and recreational activities for grand children and their grandparents. The main purpose achieved by this
program is that it provides safe and enjoyable recreational activity for both grandparents and grand children. However there is a qualified instructor to supervise the whole activity. It also provides for information sessions on finances and legal matters as well as individual and group counseling. - Australia provides various social activities to improve the well being and increase the life span. The programs are designed for those who are sixty and above in age and helping them to get involved in joining existing groups.
