Why Do Older People Love the Bingo?
Well of the all the important questions we’ve ever had to ponder regarding gambling, in fact life itself, we’ve always wanted ask this one; just why do elderly people love playing bingo?
Naturally it’s a game and so there is a generic excitement attached to that, but it seems looking deeper that there are so many other benefits to playing bingo especially if you may be cracking on in years.
Playing bingo is said to be majorly beneficial for older ladies and gentlemen, though the excitement of the game and the potential win manages to gain the attention of people of all ages nowadays. Bingo then can be really invigorating but what we really want to know is, why is it particularly so good for the seniors?
The Main Reasons Elderly People Play Bingo
There is a generic stereotype attached to older people playing bingo, but that does indeed have some foundation. Those in sheltered housing, legions and social clubs regularly attend bingo games but it does more than simply pass the time. So, what do they retired and the elderly get out of this?
It’s Socially Beneficial
When the kids have flown the nest, you can’t travel as far as you used to and you no longer visit a place of work every day, getting older can mean unfortunate isolation and that is a real social problem. While the younger generations are playing bingo regularly online, for the older ones the game provides a great place to get together, talk, play and interact.
It’s an unfortunate fact that as the population gets older, age-related health problems are becoming more and more of in issue. Humans have a great knack of subconsciously attempting to solve their own issues though and it’s no coincidence that older people cannot seem to visit the dentist, go to the shops or pick up their pension without chatting to as many people as they can along the way and this is a natural way to combat loneliness.
At the bingo hall however, everyone has chosen to be there for the same reason. People of similar interests and ages can sit together, eat, drink and talk making the excitement of going to the bingo about a lot more than gambling and that’s something younger people perhaps need to learn to understand.
Bingo Helps Integration
While all of the above remains true, playing bingo in a bricks and mortar hall away from the online faux atmosphere is not only for the elderly. In terms of recorded demographics, plenty of middle-aged women go to play too and the younger generations are becoming increasingly involved in the game.
All of this adds to what were already high social benefits to older people playing bingo, as it helps to integrate them back into other areas of society with different generations and those with differing views interconnecting.
For any wider community, this is crucial. Whenever we hear about integration, we assume that means people from different racial or geographical backgrounds coming together but that is not always fair or true. People who are simply from different generations often struggle to understand each other’s social or political views and playing a game such as bingo can help bring everybody together in an environment designed for them all to have fun.
Bingo Exercises Motor Skills
As we get older, we start to lose some of our sharpness whether we like it or not. Playing bingo means dealing with cards, pens and numbers and can be hugely beneficial to those with arthritis for example.
The simple finger and wrist exercises employed when playing bingo can make a huge difference to someone of advanced years. Bingo can be fast-paced meaning a keen hand-eye coordination is crucial and keeping that up to scratch can help allay the risk of age-related motion issues.
So, there you have it. That is why older people do, and should, play bingo.