Socialization- Living a Better Life
As we age, maintaining an active social life becomes incredibly important for seniors’ overall health and well-being. From enhancing mental health to improving physical health, social interaction plays a vital role in the lives of older adults. Social interactions stimulate the mind, provide emotional support, and encourage physical activity. By maintaining strong social connections, seniors are more likely to experience a higher quality of life and overall happiness. Our Assisted Living communities recognize this need for a sense of community and integrate a variety of social activities to foster and encourage social engagement. Helping them live out their golden years to the fullest. These activities are specifically designed to get residents out with others to prevent loneliness and isolation. From events with families, to community involvement to frequent daily social activities, our facilities take pride in doing things together.
Social Well-Being Statistics:
- Social Isolation, loneliness, and living alone can increase the risk of mortality by 29-32%.
- Seniors with an active social network have a 50% increased likelihood of survival compared to those with weaker social ties. This effect on longevity is comparable to quitting smoking or being physically active.
- Social engagement can reduce the risk of developing dementia by 12% and are 70% less likely to experience cognitive impairment compared to those who are isolated. They also have lower chances of anxiety and depression.
- Seniors with strong social networks are more physically active which means they are more likely to have better mobility, lower blood pressure, and a reduced risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and stroke.
- Seniors who are actively engaged in their communities report higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness. They also are more likely to engage in regular physical activities.
- Seniors with strong social ties are less likely to require hospitalization and tend to recover faster.
What Are The Benefits Of Social Activities For Seniors?
- Enhanced Mental Health: socializing greatly improves mental health for seniors by providing emotional support, reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation, and boosting self-esteem. When seniors engage in regular social activities, they experience a sense of belonging and purpose, which can help ward off depression and anxiety. Conversations and interactions stimulate cognitive function, keeping the mind sharp and active, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. These positive experiences can trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural mood lifters, contributing to overall mental well-being.
- Cognitive Stimulation: socially active seniors are less likely to experience cognitive decline and can often manage stress and mental challenges better. Socialization stimulates the brain through conversations, keeping cognitive functions sharp. These interactions can help improve memory, attention, and reasoning skills. Also, these social events often times include games, trivia, activities and so on which stimulate the brain and promote neuroplasticity which is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. This ongoing mental stimulation helps slow cognitive decline and reduces the risk of dementia.
- Physical Health Benefits: participating in group activities that encourage movement helps reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as mobility issues, heart disease, stroke and so on. Most physical exercise activities include other people, so it is a great way to meet people and stay active. Engaging with others also improves immune function because of a decrease in stress. Individuals with a strong social network also recover quicker from injury due to having a denser supportive system to help them get through a recovery.
- Improved Longevity: studies show that seniors who maintain strong social connections tend to live longer. From the items mentioned above to a greater sense of purpose and meaning from a group of friends, to creating better health habits, socializing is one of the key things to living a longer, healthier life.
How Our Communities Encourage Socialization:
Our communities are designed to support and enhance the social lives of our residents. We understand the importance of social interaction and specifically create environments that encourage the residents to connect while participating in activities in the Golden Wellness Program. The Golden Wellness Program incorporates mind, body and spiritual group activities into our resident’s daily regime to enrich and improve their lives. Most all our activities are group efforts as interacting with others is vital for seniors. Below are a few of the specific ways we add social opportunities for our residents.
- Structured Social Activities: we offer a wide range of activities for the residents that improve their physical, mental and spiritual well-being while also incorporating a sense of community. Our activities are far and wide and put a emphasis on community and relationship building. From fishing with a local fishing company, to happy hour with family, to summer picnics, visits to our local museum, walks to the park, painting with a local artist, cooking classes and so much more, we value unique and collaborative efforts to get our residents involved and active.
- Warm Communal Spaces: each communal space is designed to encourage conversations and community. Whether that be our expansive dining rooms, vast and nature provoking walking paths, peaceful patios, all-encompassing cafes, interactive theatre rooms or educational libraries, each room encourages group involvement. Each is specially designed to include groups, incentivizing group activities, family gatherings and relational growth.
- Group Outings: we organize group activities to local attractions, shopping and more to explore new places together. Each community has special activities regularly around town and special circumstances for certain seasons. For example, in the summer months we take our residents to local parks, lakes, fairs and attractions. In the winter, we go to Christmas shows at local churches and fall, foliage rides via golf cart to our local nature parks. We value thinking outside the box and partnering with our community to get residents involved.
- Family Involvement: one of our communities’ main values is family and how important that is in how we interact and structure our community. With that, we create ways for families to be involved in our activities, events and social events to maintain strong family bonds. Families are always invited and encouraged to attend our events and celebrations to interact with not only their loved ones, but the friends their loved one has made. Family involvement helps us to create a more at home environment for the residents and also helps them feel like they are a part of another family with us.
- Supportive Environment: our team values person-centered care and plays a crucial role in facilitating connections. They help introduce residents to one another, encourage activity participation and create a welcoming atmosphere to make socializing more comfortable. Each staff member is trained on the importance of social interaction and how to encourage a resident to get out and get involved. There are tactful, respectful ways we approach residents to encourage interactions to help them live their best lives.
Staying socially active is essential for seniors to live better, more fulfilling lives. Our communities are uniquely equipped to encourage these social connections, providing residents with a supportive environment where they can thrive. By providing opportunities for social engagement, we help our seniors enjoy their golden years to the fullest.
