Independent living communities are great for retired people because such places are intended to allow their residents to stay active and engaged. Your parents will be able to join interesting events, explore the neighboring towns, and stay strong via age-appropriate exercise classes. Through these activities, folks will be able to gain the benefits of socializing in a trustworthy community! They can expect a sense of belonging, an increase in self-confidence, and improvement in mental and physical health. Stay on this page as we roll with details on the perks.
Develop a Sense of Belonging
There comes a time where children grow up and leave their childhood homes to move to another city, find a job, or start a family. This act of independence can be liberating for you but not for your aging parents who will be left all alone in an empty home.
By allowing them to join an independent living community, you will be gifting them the opportunity to socialize and develop a sense of belonging. Remember that a sense of belonging does not simply just refer to a location. It’s a combination of being welcomed, accepted, and supported by the people around. Your parents will also be given enough attention to ensure their well-being.
Gain a Boost in Confidence
More often than not, older people tend to feel useless since they now require more assistance with daily tasks and beyond. By being in an independent living home, your parents will be able to feel useful again as they get to volunteer their time and show off their skills.
Yes, all these while socializing with some like-minded friends! They can even request to co-lead a craft and hobby class, teach some card tricks in the games club or share their extensive knowledge in educational seminars. All these will surely help boost their self-confidence.
Maintain or Advance Mental and Physical Health
Do you that a study has found that 60-year-olds who visited friends nearly daily were about 12% less likely to develop memory-related problems like dementia? The results were compared to those who only visited their buddies once every few months. In addition, the American Public Health Association has also stated that socialization improves mood, cognition, and memory recall. It also promotes healthy behaviors like exercise.
Well, it’s not hard to understand why. In an independent living home, your aging parents will be surrounded by a group of friends who can spur them to join activities together. Just think of walking groups, exercise sessions, and even group outings that can nudge them to get up and get moving. Socializing can maintain or advance both mental and physical health? That’s killing two birds with one stone!
Finding socialization opportunities can be difficult if your parents are living alone or away from a community of supportive people. By being part of an independent living home, your loved ones will have lots of companionships with zero daily chores. With the benefits of socializing listed above, what else is there to consider?
