Leisure Care communities are known for their creativity, giving residents and their families unparalleled Five-Star Fun experiences. Even though much of the world has changed in the last few months, our commitment to delivering Five-Star Fun every day remains the same. That promise is more important today than ever before. Take a closer look at how our communities are digging deep and becoming more creative than ever.
Emotional Wellness while Social Distancing for Seniors
At Leisure Care, we know that you can not pour from an empty cup. We encourage our residents to participate in self-care groups that offer emotional support. By focusing a portion of our programming on emotional wellness, our residents know it is okay to put themselves first, to prioritize healthy habits that reduce stress, strengthen social connections, and cultivate positive lifestyle choices.
Positive-Thinking Events and Classes
From the art of acceptance to grief counseling, our communities offer classes and events that encourage a positive mindset. Accounting for social distancing parameters, Leisure Care communities host events for residents to be encouraged by Ted Talks and online courses from local experts. These classes and events include sleep studies, meditation, prayer, self-improvement education, and other practices that have been shown to increase positivity.
Personal Services
Our on-demand support services are not just for physical needs. Our team is available to assist residents with scheduling and organizing daily tasks over and above activities of daily living, including celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and other life milestones to ensure our residents are proactively engaging in the lives of their loved ones.
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The Ackerly at Reed's Crossing
Independent Living and Assisted Living and Memory Care in Hillsboro, Oregon
Achieving Zen
The ability to find peace is essential to becoming your best self. As the world has slowed down, our residents have taken advantage of the extra free time, using it as a way to explore meditation and relaxation therapy. Now that we have the time to explore meditation and relaxation therapy, our residents are taking advantage of Spiro 100, web-based streaming wellness classes. Each class is led by a nationally recognized senior wellness expert to provide the best meditation experience for seniors.
Holistic Therapies
Our communities are centered on wellness. We offer a range of therapies for seniors, including pet therapy, gardening therapy, art therapy, music therapy, and more. Our diverse therapies allow residents to engage on emotional, social, and spiritual levels – meeting residents where they are and helping them get where they want to go.
Virtual Reality
Leisure Care communities are teaming up with Rendever, a virtual reality experience company, to take our residents to places unknown. While social distancing, our residents have journeyed through the beaches of Maui, seen Niagara falls, stood on the shores of the Red Sea, and even taken a trip to Jupiter for an out of this world experience.
Social Activities for Seniors Social Distancing
Our connection to others is critical to emotional and physical well-being. We know how important it is that our residents stay socially engaged with family, friends, and other residents while social distancing. Our programs ensure that residents have the opportunity to create, sustain, and develop meaningful[‘l relationships with others.
Volunteering While Social Distancing
Our Leisure Care communities are committed to the Three-Thirds Lifestyle, working to improve the places where we live, work, and play. This ‘others first’ mindset is a promise we make to ourselves, our communities, and our families. As in-person volunteer opportunities have diminished, the need in our local communities has grown. Our communities are hosting drop-off food drives, encouraging residents to make masks for local hospitals and shelters, and more.
Additionally, many of our residents have become pen pals with troops overseas or local school children, creating strong intergenerational bonds while also cultivating new relationships.
Blogging
This generation of seniors is more technologically advanced than any other previous generation. They are more active on social media, more engaged with podcasts, and an online community, so it is no surprise that many of our residents have made connections in the blogosphere. Blogging is trending amongst our residents, and people are making connections across generational, geographical, socioeconomic, and racial divides.
Resident Committees
We love hearing from our residents! We love knowing what they love, what they want, and what we could do better. Our resident committees encourage resident mentorship, which we know is key to establishing community. It is a fantastic way to get involved, take ownership and pride in your community, while also bridging the gap between neighbors.
Family Connections
We are indeed living in unprecedented times. However, technology has made social distancing protocols more manageable than ever. From Alexa to FaceTime and Zoom, our residents are making connections and not missing a beat, celebrating the most important holidays with the most important people – their loved ones.
The support our residents receive from their family and friends is priceless. Through our efforts to socially distance, our communities have expanded opportunities to connect with family and friends. Leisure Care communities are experts at utilizing technology to strengthen family bonds. Our residents have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones with family from all over the world on video calls. We are happy to assist with navigating platforms and logins for an enjoyable experience.
Additionally, Leisure Care is proud to have partnered with Eversound, a wireless headphone system that allows our residents to catch every word of a loved one’s window visits.
Community Clubs
Our communities have found creative ways to engage residents in activities they love while staying socially distant. From book clubs and writing clubs to travel clubs and poetry, there’s something for everyone at a Leisure Care community. Some of our communities have even done virtual cooking clubs, happy hours, and socially distanced dances!
Physical and Cognitive Wellness while Social Distancing for Seniors
We know that the happiest residents are the healthiest residents. That’s why we remain committed to providing physical and mental wellness opportunities for our residents. Leisure Care signature programs like PrimeFit and BrainHQ have gone virtual to accommodate for social distancing and other health protocols.
Group Exercise and Personal Training
PrimeFit, our nationally branded exercise program exclusive to Leisure Care communities, offers group exercise and personal training options in a fun and encouraging environment. As many of these classes have moved online, we have provided exercises, exercise equipment, and videos to help our residents stay active and socially distant. Leisure Care communities across the country have taken their fitness and sports programs to the next level offering creative solutions including,
- Fishing for live fish off of the balconies in our homemade ponds and taking home the ‘catch of the day.’
- Target shooting in the courtyard
- Obstacle golf from one end of the property to the other.
- Lawn darts
- Bocce ball
- Virtual sports discussion on local news and events
Cognitive Wellness
Through BrainHQ, our residents maintain and often improve their cognitive functioning. A series of online exercises that challenge and personalize lessons in six major brain areas, BrainHQ offers a highly customized and effective cognitive wellness program.
Nutrition Education
Leisure Care residents enjoy expert nutritional programming through our Healthy Selections initiative. Our PrimeFit team works closely with our kitchen staff to meet with residents and nutritionists to educate residents about age-related changes and how they affect metabolism and dietary needs. Our regular nutrition education classes (now offered virtually) focus on healthy nutritional habits that decrease stress, lower the risk of disease, and increase energy.
How have you seen your Leisure Care community adapt Five-Star Fun programs to meet new health requirements? Share your experiences and ideas with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
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