How Active Senior Living Can Help Improve Your Wellness
October 3, 2019
There are a lot of benefits to joining an active senior living community, from the amenities to the social opportunities to the maintenance-free lifestyle. However, these benefits aren’t just fun and convenient. According to the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging Age Well Study, these characteristics may be good for your overall wellness, too.
What the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging has to say
Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging performed a study in 2018 that compared the lifestyle of people in an active senior living community like Lakeside at Waterman Village to the lifestyle of people who were not living in such a community. The study compared six different dimensions of wellness: emotional, physical, spiritual, vocational, intellectual and social.
The study found that, when compared to community-at-large adults (those who have decided to stay in their houses or current living situations), participants in active senior living communities “tend to have greater emotional, social, physical, intellectual and vocational wellness.” Service-rich environments like Lakeside at Waterman Village offer active senior adults a unique opportunity to stay engaged and active in their post-career lives. A number of factors play into this theory.
Social integration
Social integration is an often-overlooked aspect of active senior living that provides tremendous benefits to one’s wellness. Social integration refers to your day-to-day interactions with others. Some of these interactions, like family and close friends, are obvious. However, the smaller interactions also make a difference. When you chat with your mailman, say hello to your neighbor or meet a stranger at a concert, you reap the rewards of social integration.
These rewards come in two primary forms. The first form is relatively straightforward: your quality of life. Social integration keeps your mind sharp and prevents feelings of isolation and loneliness. However, the other benefit of increased social integration is less obvious: Studies have shown that it may have literal, physical benefits to your health. During social interaction, chemicals in the brain like cortisol, which is responsible for stress, decrease while chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin, which are associated with happiness and security, increase. The cumulative effect of these chemicals can actually help prevent or fight off illness!
This is an enormous benefit of opting for an active senior living community. According to the Age Well Study, “Researchers found that social connectedness and perceptions of being socially integrated increased” after becoming a resident.
Peace of mind
Another huge benefit of certain active senior living communities (like Lakeside at Waterman Village) is the convenient, high-quality care available to you should the need arise. However, one of the less concrete benefits of this is the peace of mind that comes with trusted, accessible care that Lakeside at Waterman Village will provide.
In a community like Lakeside at Waterman Village, you can live stress-free because you know that your environment can adapt to you should your needs ever change. You won’t need to move again or make alternative living arrangements. This lack of stress can do wonders for your wellness; stress, especially when it continues over a long period of time, can be damaging to your mind and body. Therefore, circumventing all of this stress allows you to live a healthy and relaxed lifestyle.
Engagement
In general, an active senior living community like Lakeside at Waterman Village provides ample opportunities to stay engaged. Your active lifestyle is easier than ever to maintain when you don’t have to worry about things like chores and household maintenance. Communities like these will also offer chances for continued education and cultural enrichment. Whether you want to take classes, go to the theater or spend time in nature, everything is at your fingertips and you are surrounded by like-minded people to join you.
The engagement, peace of mind and social opportunities available to you in an active senior living community can, according to the Age Well Study, help you continue to improve your personal wellness and quality of life. It is a unique chance to continue aging successfully and to do so surrounded by other vibrant, active adults like you. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of an active senior living community and the opportunity that Lakeside at Waterman Village has at your doorstep, simply call 352-285-1120 or click here for a free info kit.
