Why You Should Consider Senior Housing
When it comes to living options for seniors, many people initially dismiss the idea of moving into a senior community. However, those who do move often express they wish they had done so sooner! This paradox is often due to common misperceptions about the benefits, trade-offs, and what to expect living in a senior community.
Unfortunately, the industry developed a reputation as being focused on providing healthcare services, with few other appealing features. While this may have been the case when it first emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, it has evolved into a lifestyle-driven product, combining elements of social clubs, fitness gyms, with a focus on hospitality, food and beverage, home building, and interior design.
The combination of attractive spaces, services, and opportunities for socializing results in high levels of satisfaction among residents.
Primary Reasons for Moving into Senior Living
So what are the primary reasons for moving into senior living? Numerous studies have shown that individual who choose to move into a senior community experience the following benefits:
- Higher quality of life
- Reduced feelings of loneliness
- Increased activity levels
- Improved sense of safety
- Better overall health
There’s no question that seniors can benefit in multiple ways from moving into a community setting–when they feel the time is right. Many of these benefits are due to the lifestyle-related options that exist within most senior communities. Staying active is harder when you live in your own home. When you live in a community, you have someone with whom to do activities, keeping you engaged and social.
Research on aging well has also uncovered a surprising finding: when it comes to influencing your well being, relationships matter the most! Having strong relationships and engaging in social interactions on a daily basis have been found to impact longevity significantly.
Susan Pinkerton’s book, “It Takes a Village,” synthesizes findings from 140 studies involving over 300,000 participants observed over an extensive seven and a half years. Notably, it highlights that the benefits of nurturing social connections far outweigh the impact of exercise, which is often emphasized much more.
Overall, considering senior housing as a living option can bring about numerous advantages and opportunities for a fulfilling and vibrant lifestyle in later years and help you live a longer, healthier life.
