Staying Active in Assisted Living

Throughout our lives it always important to make your health a priority. This is especially true as you get older. Aging into an assisted living community can be a beneficial living environment, all you must do is find the right community for yourself.

In an assisted living you can have many opportunities to stay active.  Some Assisted livings provide physical, occupational and speech therapy. Physical therapy targets large muscle movements, tone and endurance. Occupational therapy aims to help with fine motor skills such as everyday tasks to help keep you as independent as possible. Speech therapy tends to help those who have suffered from a stroke or other cognitive issues. Surprisingly speech therapy may also help with swallowing and chewing.

Being apart of an assisted living community, you are also provided with opportunities to partake in classes. These classes have many benefits, it can create a routine and provide social support to help keep you motivated.  One size does not fit all so it may take some time to find something that catches your interest. If you need to work on balance and flexibility you may be interested in tai chi or chair yoga. If you want to work on strength training there are often free weights, resistance bands or even using everyday tasks to maintain an active lifestyle. Some simple activities that help keep your endurance up is simply walking, dancing, gardening, or taking the stairs when the opportunity arises.

By staying active Goldenview.org explains that it can help manage long-term illnesses and can alleviate pain from arthritis, hypertension and other disorders that can come with age. In order to stay active you should remember the importance of rest and nutrition. Be sure to get the sleep you need to restore energy and allow your body to heal. Eating right can be a difficult thing but your body needs the proper nutrition in order to have the energy to stay active.

Assisted livings are a fantastic resource to help teach and guide you into a healthy lifestyle. Keeping an open mind and cooperating with staff or even volunteering will help you meet your goals in staying active longer.  Don’t be afraid to get jump in and get involved in your community, you are not alone and who knows, you could help someone else be a healthier version of themselves. You got this!