Shifting to a wellness focus in Retirement Living

In a previous blog, posted in November, I outlined our retirement residences' intention to continue shifting to meet our residences’ desire for a greater focus on wellness, an active lifestyle, while also emphasizing health promotion and illness prevention. In short, implementing an approach that encompasses you and builds on your life experiences, desires, and preferences.

We are taking a multi-layered, holistic approach in our Dimensions of Wellness program.

How does our new emphasis on wellness affect residents?

Education and Lifelong learning

• Host stimulating talks by subject matter experts, guest speakers or resident-led education that will allow and encourage residents to share their experience and knowledge with their peers.

• Organize informal talks, book clubs, films, theatre trips to provide intellectual stimulation and social networking.

Partnership opportunities

• Seek out exciting opportunities to partner with best-in-class organizations that can bring education, resources, new technology and best practices to the organization that focus on the whole person.

Engaging a varied team of health practitioners

• Engage Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Registered Massage Therapists, Chiropodists, Chiropractors and Naturopathic Practitioners, to maintain and invigorate our residents, keeping them healthy, assist in improving balance and strength, and encouraging involvement in recreational opportunities to improve mental and physical health and well-being.

Stress reduction techniques

• Encourage meditation, yoga, stretching, Tai Chi, walking and other stress-reduction techniques that support cognitive and physical function and a general sense of wellness.

Food to fuel the body

• Working with our outstanding culinary teams to create healthy, delicious menus with variety to target specific needs of residents.

Creating a wellness-infused culture is what our residents are asking for. Residents want to live healthy, engaged lives, pursuing their interests and desires while ensuring their basic health needs are being met.

Adopting a culture change that puts resident wellness at the centre of everything we do requires the engagement of every member of our organization, from front-line to leadership.