The decision to leave your home, or move an aging loved one out of their home and into an assisted living community, can be wrought with emotion. At Eddy Senior Living, we encourage families to try and take the emotion out of the decision momentarily, and consider the pros and cons.
An assisted living community not only provides seniors with a network of friends, social activities and a fuller retirement, it offers many health benefits that can improve, and even extend, your life.
4 Reasons Assisted Living is a Healthy Choice
Maintaining a home and your health becomes more challenging as you age. Assisted living simply offers a little extra help when you need it, to ensure you stay safe and healthy without losing your independence. Here are just a few of the health benefits of enriched housing and assisted living.
Fewer Falls & Injuries
The CDC estimates that one in four Americans over the age of 64 falls each year. In fact, it’s common for adults over the age of 65 to experience problems with balance, as well as brittle bones and joints.
To reduce the risk of falls and injuries, you could install handrails, grab bars, non-slip flooring and proper lighting in your home, but the installation process can be both disruptive and costly. On the other hand, most assisted living communities are already outfitted with these safety features, as well as emergency pull-cord systems and 24-hour licensed staff.
More Exercise
Strength and balance training can also help prevent falls and injuries. Unfortunately, many seniors struggle to implement and maintain a safe and healthy fitness plan at home.
With an assisted living community, residents typically have access to an onsite fitness center, in addition to trainers and group fitness classes tailored to the needs of aging adults, such as gentle stretching and yoga, balance and strength training. The Terrace at Glen Eddy and The Terrace at Beverwyck, which are both assisted living communities in the Albany NY area, even offer water aerobics in their heated indoor pools.
Better Nutrition
Planning menus, grocery shopping and preparing healthy balanced meals can become more difficult as a senior. Not to mention that our nutritional needs change as we age. As a result, many stay-at-home seniors are underfed and malnourished.
At Eddy Senior Living, proper nutrition is a priority. While all of our assisted living apartments include a kitchenette, residents also receive three freshly prepared meals each day, created by experienced nutritionists and chefs who specialize in geriatric nutrition.
Less Stress & Depression
The stress of maintaining the interior and exterior of a home, laundry, grocery shopping and paying bills can wreak havoc on a senior’s immune system and lead to inflammation, digestive issues and even an increased risk for heart disease. Living alone also contributes to feelings of isolation, sadness and depression in seniors.
Alternatively, an assisted living community provides seniors with a totally maintenance-free lifestyle, as well as network of friends and a full calendar of social activities. As a result, seniors in our assisted living communities report less stress than when they lived at home, and they also tend to develop less chronic health problems than the stay-at-home population. And because they not only make new friends, but they have more free time to enjoy them, assisted living residents are far less likely to develop depression.
Assisted Living Communities in the Albany Capital Region
At Eddy Senior Living, we realize that the decision to move into assisted living is not an easy one, but in many cases, it is the best one. We also appreciate that every individual’s needs are different, which is why we offer several senior living options, including independent senior living, long-term skilled nursing care and memory care, in addition to assisted living.
To help you determine the best senior living solution for you or your parents, or to learn more about our assisted living communities in Troy, East Greenbush, Slingerlands, Niskayuna and Queensbury NY, please contact us online, or call (518) 280-8383 to speak directly with our Senior Living Specialists.
More Suggested Reading:
• Assisted Living/Enriched Housing Basics: What Adult Children Should Know
• What to Look for in an Assisted Living / Enriched Housing Community