How to Avoid Becoming Isolated As You Grow Older

How to Avoid Becoming Isolated As You Grow Older

When it comes to healthy aging, quite honestly, there’s a lot to do. You’re supposed to make sure to keep your body active and your brain engaged all while maintaining your social connections as well. Sure, the benefits to your overall well-being are worth the effort, but retirement is supposed to be a time with less responsibility on your plate, right? Well, it turns out that in senior living you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. Here’s how programs like our Vivid Life make keeping active, engaged, and connected easy and fun! 

Benefits of Healthy Aging 

Good things happen when you focus on healthy aging. In addition to feeling better overall, which in and of itself is a win, other benefits of keeping active, engaged, and connected include:  

  • Improved ability to do everyday things ​ 
  • Reduced impact of illness and chronic disease​ 
  • Enhanced mobility, flexibility, and balance
  • Improved sleep
  • Increased energy level
  • Reduced feelings of depression and stress
  • Increased feelings of happiness and self-confidence
  • Reduced risk of cognitive decline 
  • Increased mental adaptability and cognitive reserve 
  • Improved memory recall and problem-solving skills 
  • Improved concentration and attention to detail  

How Senior Living Can Help 

At home, particularly when living alone, it can be hard to stay as active, engaged, and connected as you’d like. From lack of opportunity to lack of motivation to lack of transportation to mobility challenges, and more, it’s tough, we get it! That’s why we created the Vivid Life program in our senior living communities. It’s composed of three parts: Vibrant Body, Vibrant Brain, and Vibrant Connections. Here’s what each entails:  

Vibrant Body We offer amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, a pool, walking trails, gardening opportunities, and even a dog park to help you stay active. A sample of activities includes:  

  • Walking club – Daily walks at different outdoor locations using pedometers to measure steps. 
  • Yoga – At least once per week for gentle yoga, and once per week for mindful breathing. 
  • Fitness classes – At least two times per week using a variety of hand weights, resistance bands, and circuit-type exercises. 
  • Tai Chi – At least once per week with a live instructor. 
  • Non-traditional exercise – Dancing, gardening, etc. at least two times per week. 
  • Physical games and sports – Golf, putting, bowling, croquet, bocce, and ping pong available daily with organized events one to two times per week. 

Vibrant Brain We offer monthly calendars filled with classes, events, creative arts, and enrichment opportunities to help keep you engaged. A sample of activities includes: 

  • Visiting lecture series – Twice per month with topics such as cultural, historical, local interest, career-oriented, etc. 
  • Creative art series – At least one per week with a theme that runs 3-6 weeks, such as poetry writing, storytelling, painting, digital photography, etc. 
  • Learning series – At least three times per month with an emphasis on learning something new such as foreign language, sign language, technology, hobbies, etc. 
  • Games – At least one time per week and may include poker, bridge, Scrabble, etc. 
  • Mindfulness – A meditation class once per week and gratitude discussion group twice monthly. 
  • Church service – At least once a week through visits by local churches. 
  • Stress reduction – At least once per month class that offers deep breathing exercises, nature walks, music appreciation, spa-type treatments, etc. 

 Vibrant Connections We offer resident-led clubs, social events, outings and volunteer opportunities for any interest to help you stay connected. A sample of activities includes: 

  • Outings – At least twice per month and may include going to concerts, art shows, museum visits, theatre productions, etc. 
  • Intergenerational programming – At least once per month and focuses on building relationships between young adults/children and residents. 
  • New resident welcome party – At least once per month to formally introduce all new residents, and includes ice breakers, social games, etc. to encourage connection. 
  • Philanthropic program – At least once per month provide residents the opportunity to give back to the community, such as volunteering for a local food bank or pet shelter. 
  • Resident-led clubs – May include game clubs, professional clubs, common interests, etc. that meet at least monthly.  

What’s more, it’s all right outside your door (or transportation is provided offsite) and all in a supportive environment with home maintenance, housekeeping, and restaurant-style dining freeing your time to make it even easier to stay active, engaged, and connected. 

Learn more about Vitality Living’s Vivid Life programs. Or find a Vitality Living community near you today to schedule a tour. 

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Isolation can take a physical and emotional toll on an older adult’s health. So much so, in fact, that medical professionals classify isolation as a health risk for seniors. Depression is a common occurrence among older adults who live alone. Isolated seniors are more likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, cognitive decline, and even a shorter life than peers who are actively engaged with their families and communities. If you are a senior living alone, we have a few tips to help you stay connected as you grow older. From the social benefits of senior living communities to volunteering for a charitable organization, here’s what you can do to prevent senior isolation.

5 Steps to Staying Connected During Retirement

  • Investigate senior organizations and programs.

Most communities have a wide range of opportunities for seniors to participate in. Exploring what those are and finding ways to join is one of the best ways to stay engaged in your local community.

Senior centers are a great way to meet new people and connect with peers. Most centers offer a wide range of activities that are free or of minimal cost, such as chair yoga, musical entertainment, art workshops, bridge tournaments, movie nights, and more. Many senior centers also serve a hot lunch for a nominal fee.

Other options to explore may be a senior group at your church or synagogue, retiree wellness programs at your local YMCA or fitness center, or even volunteer opportunities at a local nonprofit agency.

  • Learn about senior-friendly transportation services.

One common reason seniors become isolated is a lack of transportation. If you’ve given up driving or cut back so you are driving only to medical appointments and the grocery store, you may be spending a lot of time at home alone.

Fortunately, most local communities have transportation options available. You can usually call your local agency on aging to obtain a list of services. You will likely find they have partnerships in place that are reliable and reasonably priced.

  • Engage in frequent video chats

While enjoying a conversation with a friend or family member by phone is nice, connecting face-to-face is much more personal. On days when you aren’t able to connect with loved ones in person, use video chat to keep in touch. Skype and FaceTime are two easy ways for doing so. You can download the app to your tablet and have a near face-to-face conversation from your favorite spot on the sofa.

  • Stay in touch using email and social media.

It’s a myth that older adults can’t master technology. If you haven’t done so already, set yourself up with an email account and possibly even a Facebook page. Both make it easy to discuss life’s daily ups and downs with friends, as well as share photos.

  1. Consider moving to a senior living community.

Senior living communities are another great way to avoid isolation during the retirement years. These communities give residents the opportunity to engage in activities and events every day. Residents can choose to be as active as they wish.

For more information on our senior living communities, contact us or schedule a tour of a community near you today!

Download the “Home Care vs. Senior Living Guide”

If you and your family are weighing up the benefits of senior living communities vs. home care, you may find yourself getting a little overwhelmed. This is a big decision to make with many factors to weigh. You might find our free resource, Home Care vs. Senior Living, to be of help. It’s designed to help your family make an informed choice.

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