If you happen to be visiting someone this summer at an assisted-living community like ours in Vernon, The Hamlets at Vernon, here are some ideas for activities that take advantage of the mild weather.

Get Some Sunshine

Definitely go outside and get some sunshine. Sunscreen is a good idea, and sunglasses are, too, if you are sensitive to the sun. We get vitamin D from the sun, and most of us don’t get enough at our northern latitudes.

Getting some sunshine might be just relaxing on a patio, or going for a walk, or going to one of several parks in Vernon like N’kwala Park or Sawicki Millenium Park. Polson Park even has some landscaped gardens to see.

Go to the Lake

Vernon, British Columbia, has the most amazing location that borders on three lakes: Okanagan Lake, Kalamalka Lake, and Swan Lake. Not only can you swim and fish, but you can sit and nature watch with binoculars or go beachcombing or metal-detecting. You can rent boats or bring your own.

Allan Brooks Nature Centre

Visit the Allan Brooks Nature Centre which has some guided outside tours on the grassland. These tours are easy for walking, flat, and relatively short (about 20 minutes.) You can learn about the plants and animals of the Vernon area, get some fresh air, and go for a walk at the same time.

Be sure to check first with the assisted-living community you are visiting before going over there to make sure what, if any, rules are in place for visitation. Rules are changing frequently these days with the appearance and disappearance of new COVID-19 variants. And assisted-living communities have as a first priority to keep residents as safe as possible.

The Hamlets at Vernon is an assisted-living and long-term care community in Vernon, BC, Canada. Designed to take the worry out of senior retirement home living and following the tenets of Christianity, The Hamlets at Vernon offers compassionate care in a beautiful environment.