The Game Senior Citizen's Love to Play: Hand and Foot Canasta

My favorite game to play with my senior citizen parents is a card game called canasta, specifically hand and foot canasta. The game is a social card game meaning you can chat while playing without missing a beat. A complete round takes about an hour and fifteen minutes, just enough time to be fun and not so long that your favorite senior citizen falls asleep from weariness. Seniors (or juniors learning) with memory problems are with difficulties remembering can be prompted since the rules are fairly easy to remember. Common prompts include "Do you have any [list out canasta numbers]", "can you go down?" or "can you go out?"

Our entire family plays the game, many of my nieces and nephews learned at eight years old and still beg to be allowed to play. My mom organized parties where the game was played in tables of four. Since four rounds are played, this makes mixing and matching among tables a sure way to get everyone to mix. Hearing is not required since partners aren't allowed to talk across the table. Cards displayed on the table provide the necessary information to cooperate. Only scorekeepers and the partners that keep the cards really need to be able to count.

Benefits for Senior Citizens:

Hand dexterity is encouraged. Counting, sorting and matching keep minds active. Moving from tables encourages some exercise. Companionship and social interaction are encouraged. Competition isn't very fierce. Conversation can be limited or expansive depending on the needs of the group.

What is needed to play the game:

· A small card table

· Tv trays for drinks and snacks are nice to have

· A notepad and pencil for the scorekeeper

· 6 decks of cards (use large number cards with senior citizens so they can see)

· A holding tray (for senior citizens who can't hold many cards or whose hands are stiff)

· Card shuffler (good for senior citizens with stiff hands)

· Pillow seats (good for tail bones that don't like sitting for long)