Wellness is often mistakenly used to mean fitness. But it’s more than just physical health, particularly when it comes to senior wellness. Good senior wellness programs should address every part of a person as a whole, including their emotional, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual and vocational needs. Senior wellness programs in a senior living community aim to help older adults take responsibility for their well-being and cultivate an optimistic view of aging based on active involvement. Communities today provide myriad opportunities to engage with life.
Shifting the focus from care to wellness
In the past — the distant past — the mindset of most senior living communities was to provide services, assistance, and care to treat or mitigate the most common challenges associated with growing older. Typically, this meant slowing the pace of life at the community to a crawl and encouraging residents to sit quietly and act their age. Today’s communities take a more holistic view of what it means for older adults to live abundantly. The senior wellness mindset seeks to create a full, active lifestyle that fosters independence, good health and much more fun.
Even the basics contribute to a culture of wellness
Compared to living at home, older adults will find that eating chef-prepared meals and participating in even a fraction of the fitness options offered in a senior living community will dramatically improve their outlook and how they feel physically and emotionally.
Whether you’re interested in chair yoga or a water exercise class, fitness classes in senior living communities are just outside your door. They’re designed to improve strength and mobility while taking care of your joints. Getting up and moving is also a social event that, combined with the physical benefits of exercise, helps reduce stress and safeguard against loneliness and isolation.
Maintaining a balanced diet is vital to overall health and wellness, but the older we get, the more challenging it can be to eat healthy. Grocery shopping, cooking, cleanup — many older adults simply lose interest in all this. In a senior living community, professionals do the meal planning and preparation for you. All you have to do is take your seat at the table and enjoy yourself.
Connecting socially is easy
Being in the company of people who know and care about us is a big part of holistic wellness. Engaging with neighbors, making new friends, and participating in group activities is vital to mental health, social health and quality of life, especially as we continue to age. Having fun and interacting with others is good for you. This dynamic is built into the culture of most senior living communities.
Whether you wish to pursue some lifelong interest or want to try something new, the calendar of events at a senior living community will likely have options that interest you. From on-site activities to excursions, there’s always something fun to do. Staying engaged and interested keeps life interesting and the mind active. From common areas for socialization, celebrations, and activities to auditoriums for educational speakers and cultural performers, on-site amenities help residents take part in new experiences and enjoy being together.
The thirst for lifelong learning
Senior living communities today understand that learning need not end at a specific age; it can continue for a lifetime. The wellness benefits to your brain, body, and social and emotional health are significant. Engaging the mind in new learning can contribute to a lasting improvement in memory. Taking on something challenging like learning a language, coordinating dance steps with a partner, or playing an instrument will strengthen neural pathways. Reading and learning can help lower stress, reduce tension, relieve anxiety and depression, and improve decision-making. And when you join a class or become part of a community learning environment, your expanded social circle helps elevate your quality of life and sense of belonging. Choosing to live in a senior living community puts a range of educational, vocational and recreational resources within reach each day.
Spiritual wellness
Bible and religious studies, spiritual counseling, and interdenominational worship services comprise yet another dimension of wellness offered at senior living communities. Some feature a chapel with a community pastor or minister. Some offer services on-site as well as transportation to area places of worship. Many of today’s communities provide an atmosphere of faith to nurture your spiritual wellness.
Healthy living and ongoing care
Residing in an environment where healthy living options, preventive care and even longer-term care are readily available is a major factor in making wellness part of daily life. This is the definition of community living. On-site fitness and aquatic centers offering programs like low-impact dance classes, yoga, or aqua aerobics; craft and creative workshops; outdoor recreation areas; walking paths and much more set the stage for holistic wellness. Regular checkups from health care professionals are just as important, and senior living communities simplify that process as well. Some have on-site clinics or visiting health care professionals, and most offer help with transportation to and from medical appointments.
Giving back is good medicine
Perhaps nothing is as helpful to the mind and spirit than giving of yourself and helping someone else. Whether you’re volunteering within the community to help new residents adjust or working with a larger volunteer organization, a senior living community can be the launching pad to give back by providing ideas, opportunities, and the daily logistics necessary to make volunteering part of your life.
12 Ways Senior Living Communities Promote Health and Wellness
- Stress-free, maintenance-free living
- Wholesome, balanced nutrition
- Health and wellness programs
- Wellness checks and long-term care
- Opportunities to connect socially
- Activities for fun and skill building
- Exercise classes and personal training
- Craft and creative workshops
- Spiritual activities and opportunities to worship
- Guest speakers and cultural performers
- Education and lifelong learning programs
- Volunteer programs and affiliations
Wellness and future care at Friendship Village Senior Living
If you’re looking for a well-rounded senior living community in the St. Louis area, consider Friendship Village Chesterfield and Friendship Village Sunset Hills. Each faith-based, not-for-profit community takes a multidimensional approach to wellness, and offers a full continuum of on-site care services to provide a safe, secure, engaging lifestyle where you can thrive. Please call our Chesterfield campus at 636-255-8281 or our Sunset Hills campus at 314-730-3902, or contact us online to find out more about our wellness-oriented programming.