How Retirement Homes Promote Health and Wellness

As older adults continue to age, it’s vitally important that they focus on their health and wellness. By putting effort into maintaining a healthier lifestyle, older adults will not only age more gracefully, but they’ll also enjoy longer and fuller lives! 

If your loved ones are considering moving to a retirement home, their focus on health may be one of the main draws. 

Modern retirement communities greatly emphasize promoting health and wellness for their residents, and they achieve this in several ways. Click here for a list of great places to retire in Canada. 

Let’s examine a few ways that retirement homes provide opportunities for their residents to prioritize their health! 

Healthy meal plans 

It’s likely that one of the first things you think of regarding health and wellness at a retirement home is the meals provided to residents. In most retirement communities, older adults are given various healthy options for breakfast, lunch, and supper that are both nutritious and tasty! 

Furthermore, most modern retirement homes happily accommodate their residents’ dietary restrictions and preferences. Such accommodations better ensure that retirees can select meals that will benefit their digestion, immune system, and overall health. 

Fitness classes and facilities 

Older ones should engage in regular physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Moving and exercising regularly can aid older adults with their circulation, joint and muscle pain, arthritis, and other physical ailments that may flare up with age. 

Most retirement homes provide opportunities for residents to engage in different levels of physical activity.

 

Fitness classes, such as yoga and medium-impact aerobics, are often provided, and many retirement homes have fitness facilities with treadmills, weights of various sizes, and other fitness equipment.  

For retirees limited to doing low-impact exercises, indoor walking groups, Nordic pole walking, and other similar group activities are also often available.  

Volunteer opportunities 

Besides physical health, emotional and mental wellness plays a big part in living a healthy lifestyle, especially for older adults. 

Staying active in the community and sharing time with others are great ways for retirees to care for their emotional well-being. One of the ways in which they can do so is by participating in volunteer activities. 

Often, retirement homes will arrange for their residents to partake in specific volunteer programs, both in their local and retirement communities.  

Working at a soup kitchen, reading to school children, working for charities, mentoring young adults, and other similar volunteer activities can help give older ones a feeling of fulfillment and add purpose to their lives, directly impacting their emotional wellness! 

Being Social 

Another way retirement homes aid in their residents’ wellness is by allowing the opportunity for residents to make social connections. 

Cultivating new friendships with fellow retirees can help make the transition to retirement a more effortless and positive experience, directly affecting a person’s overall well-being. 

A stable social life can directly impact an older adult’s mental and physical health, from improved sleeping habits to decreased symptoms of stress and depression. 

Older persons living in retirement homes can enjoy regular socialization during mealtimes, planned events, fitness classes, and other similar activities. 

By participating in such events, your loved ones can make new friends they can spend time with in group settings and one-on-one!

Simplified and worry-free living 

A big part of maintaining personal wellness is reducing stress and anxiety where possible. 

Older adults who switch to retirement living can experience reduced stress by having the on-site staff look after most of their daily needs. Menial tasks like cooking, housekeeping, home maintenance, and other day-to-day chores are all looked after by the retirement home’s staff, allowing retirees to live relatively worry-free lives. 

Having such chores taken off their plate allows your loved ones to use their extra time for themselves. They can relax, spend time with friends and family, and prioritize their health without worrying whether their plumbing has been fixed or their grocery shopping has been done! 

On-site medical services 

In addition to having access to fitness classes, healthy meal plans, and a reduced chore list, retirement homes also provide on-site medical services for their residents to ensure their physical health is being looked after properly. 

Older adults living independently in a retirement home usually have to look after their main medical treatments, but most retirement homes still provide 24/7 medical care for emergencies. 

Retirees in assisted living communities can receive help with hygiene and grooming, bathing, administering medication, and unscheduled medical care. Further, retired persons with dementia or a similar ailment will usually receive 24/7 care from a staff member. 

Wellness education 

Retirement homes often focus on providing residents with the best resources for healthy aging. Many retirement communities even offer wellness workshops and classes to ensure their residents know the importance of health and wellness as they age. 

These workshops will usually discuss the eight main aspects of healthy aging: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, occupational, environmental, and financial. 

By providing more wellness information, these retirement homes allow their residents the opportunity to take charge of their health with authority.

Access to this type of education is crucial for younger retirees, as they can learn how to prioritize their health early in the aging process, which will likely allow them to lead longer, fuller lives in retirement. 

Conclusion 

Retirement homes promote health and wellness in many ways, providing residents with opportunities to use healthy aging tactics. Retirement homes offer nutritious meals, fitness classes, opportunities for socialization, and stress-free living conditions, all of which can contribute to residents’ improved emotional, mental, and physical health. 

If your loved ones are thinking about switching to retirement living, contact the community of their choice and go over the resources available for wellness to ensure their new home will allow them to age healthily!