Ideas From a Mishawaka Nursing Home For Staying Social This Summer

Consistent Socializing Can Help Your Loved One Stay Healthy

No matter one’s age, staying engaged socially with their community, friends and family will always be an important aspect of living a healthy, happy life. Seniors at Heritage Point, a Mishawaka nursing home, have a variety of ways they will be staying socially active and engaged with fellow residents and community members this summer. Activities like group exercise, hobbies with friends such as knitting or painting, and even enjoying meals in the common dining room with other residents are just a few great opportunities for seniors to connect with people their age whenever they desire.

These endless opportunities for each resident to stay engaged in their community are essential to creating a happy and healthy life in a retirement community and are part of what makes Heritage Point unique. Here, our life-enrichment and care professionals make an ongoing effort to be inclusive to each senior’s interests, as well as conscientious of limiting health conditions like dementia, when considering how to make sure each senior can remain socially engaged. Given that socialization is helpful with combatting feelings of loneliness and isolation, and is paramount in supporting a healthy brain, Heritage Point makes sure that each resident has the opportunity to socialize within their community and build genuine connections.

How Seniors At Heritage Point Stay Connected To Their Community

Here are the top eight ways that seniors stay socially active at Heritage Point. These activities are by no means ranked in popularity, and are available to all residents!

• Group Dining Experiences. There is something so fulfilling about sharing a meal with friends or family. At Heritage Point, your loved one can enjoy a meal cooked with fresh ingredients at any hour, and sit with their friends in the dining areas to chat while they eat!
• Outdoor Activities. There are a variety of activities that seniors can partake in outside that involve social engagement--from playing games in the community common areas to going on strolls around the beautiful grounds and gardens!
• Arts and Crafts. An offering at Heritage Point that serves as both memory care and social engagement is our arts and crafts opportunities, where residents can paint familiar scenes, group still-lifes or whatever else may suit their fancy! There are also knitting classes and other various forms of crafting and creative arts classes hosted at Heritage Point, so each resident can find their artistic niche.
• Group Exercise Classes. Heritage Point has a variety of group exercise classes on the weekly community schedule, from yoga to Zumba to mobility exercises! These classes are a great opportunity for residents to kill two birds with one stone: staying fit and bonding with fellow residents over their shared experience. There’s a wide range of classes that meet the varying intensity, mobility and difficulty levels, providing an opportunity for everyone.
• Game Nights. Another great opportunity to socialize, which is proctored by staff, is game nights like Trivia or Bingo! We offer our residents the opportunity to engage in some friendly fun and reignite their competitive spirits through games like cards, chess, Wii Bowling and more!
• Relax and Chat. Another way for residents to socialize at Heritage Point is also one of the simplest: just relax and chat! There are a variety of places to sit down with friends across the expansive grounds to spend some downtime. This way of socializing requires almost no effort, and is also one of the most rewarding! Seniors can connect with their fellow residents by chatting about old times, personal interests, and whatever else may come up. This is a great way for your loved one to form deeper relationships with the people around them!
• Support Groups. Another opportunity for your loved one to connect with other seniors is by participating in the various support groups that concern health, spirituality, and culture. Your loved one could join a prayer circle, if that were in line with their beliefs, and connect with others through their shared religious ideologies.
• Wellness Therapies. Nursing homes like Heritage Point consider therapies involving physical and mental health essential for their residents. The community often hosts these therapies such as VR Therapy, Aromatherapy, and other therapeutic experiences as group activities. Seniors can bond with other residents while receiving cognitive support care, and allow socialization to be part of their journey of staying physically and mentally fit.

All of these opportunities for staying social this summer are perfect for seniors living in Heritage Point and are part of what makes their experiences in the community so rewarding and beneficial to their health.

To learn more about residency or to schedule a tour of Heritage Point, contact our friendly team today.