Improving Health and Happiness in Assisted Living

Moving parents or grandparents into a senior living community can be a big transition for everyone involved. So many questions go into this next step in a loved one’s life. Where will they move? Will they like it? How will they get taken care of?

Choosing the right senior living is one step, but making sure a new resident is happy is another very important factor.

Being surrounded by a community has shown that it can improve the quality of life for longer, especially more than living alone. The idea of assisted living can be scary for some seniors, claiming they “don’t want to be in a home.” Research and becoming education on what different senior living home offers will allow you to choose the best option.

Ways to Improve Health and Happiness in Assisted Living

There are many ways to support a loved one as they make the transition into assisted living. Whether they are going into assisted living, memory care or senior apartments, each place offers residents entertainment, fitness and living arrangements that fit each unique situation.

Here are some ways residents can improve your way of life in assisted living:

1. Keeping up with fitness
   Retirement communities often offer classes or group workouts. Pilates, yoga and water aerobics are great classes to get into as they are easier on the body, but are still impactful in keeping a healthy lifestyle. Exercise can also reduce stress, so a nice group walk around the community would be a great way to do this.
2. Socializing
   There are instances where a new resident could feel isolated when first moving into an assisted living community, but there are others around you who are or have gone through the same thing. These communities hold planned events for residents to go to and mingle. There’s also a common space area where residents go every day to relax and be with other residents. This can include playing games of bingo, arts and crafts or reading a book. Making friends and doing different activities with them will help improve happiness and feeling a sense of belonging.
3. Frequent visits
   Family and loved ones are important in this process; they help ensure the feeling of safety and comfort.  Having one or even a few visitors each week will improve how a resident feels. If there’s a solution for a brighter day, receiving visitors is definitely on the top of the list.
4. Eating nutritious meals
   There’s no stress of cooking your own meals anymore as assisted living communities make them for you. Meals are chef-prepared and have the ability to cater to specific medical conditions a resident may have. Meals are served three times a day, along with the option for healthy snacks throughout the day.

Creating a happy senior living community in Central Florida

At Encore Avalon Park, we want our residents to be a part of a happy, healthy environment. In addition to comfortable accommodations and delicious meals, our senior living community offers a full schedule of recreational and social activities for our senior residents, many of which are perfectly accessible for seniors in wheelchairs to enjoy.

Find out more about what makes Encore at Avalon Park the premier senior living community in the Central Florida area by calling 407-270-7500 and scheduling a tour.