Residing in a Senior Living Community Can Help You Live a Longer Healthier Life

As with most things in life there are different perspectives for the best way to handle a situation.  How to approach and handle the aging process we face on a daily basis is no different.  Being able to remain at home for as long as possible is a popular school of thought, but with that choice also comes the responsibility to be able to assess when choosing to stay at home can begin to have its drawbacks.  The top two issues that often arise are safety risks leading to falls and decreased socialization leading to loneliness, depression and decreased brain health. 

Complications that arise from falling is the number one factor that causes seniors to lose their ability to maintain their independence.  Therefore, knowing your personal risk factors based on health status and living environment is very important.  Choosing a senior living community that is right for you can be a proactive way to decrease your risk of falling.  Many seniors find themselves living at home with stairs to climb, or a bathtub to step up and into when it’s time to shower.  These barriers can make it difficult, and most senior living communities offer a completely barrier free setting designed to make mobility safe and easy.  The flooring selections in these settings often have a very short pile carpet among other easy to manage coverings promoting an easy surface to walk with a shuffled gait, or to maneuver through with a walker or wheel chair.  Color selections also come into play making the living environments a visually friendly space to live, even with impairments.  Residing in a secure environment designed with the aging senior in mind, coupled with having staff onsite available 24/7 at the push of a button often gives seniors and their families great peace-of-mind.

The other very important benefit of being in a setting where you can live among your contemporaries is the socialization that comes naturally.   Residing in your own senior living apartment gives you the option for privacy at any time.  Yet, you can open your apartment door and be on your way to a nourishing meal that you didn’t have to shop for and prepare, as well as many activities and wellness options that are made available at various times throughout each day.  Meal times and activities give residents the opportunity to enjoy the company of others, making loneliness much less of an emotional concern.  Simply engaging with others keeps the neurons in your brain firing, which wards off the propensity of dementia type symptoms setting in.  A growing body of research studies link a robust social life with stronger long-term cognitive functioning.  This refers to the ‘use it or lose it principle’ and it yields a tremendously positive influence on your brain’s cognitive and emotional mechanics. 

If you think it is time to learn more about senior living options near you, contact the Area Agency on Aging at 517-592-1974.  Also, a complimentary lunch and tour is being offered to all Lenawee County seniors at Cambrian Senior Living in Tecumseh.  Please call ahead to Laura Beyer at 517-423-5300 or Laura@CambrianAssisted.com. 

Published in The Daily Telegram as a Silver Threads Feature on February 19, 2016