Transitioning from Spring to Summer with Louisiana Senior Living

Taking your home, wardrobe, and self from season to season

Welcoming in the summer after a pleasant spring in Louisiana can be met with a tiny bit of dread. Summers in our state are hot and sticky, and it can be a bit of a rude awakening after the winter and spring.

We at The Verandah Retirement Community are here to rescue you! Our team members make sure to create a calendar full of fun activities for our residents all summer long–especially things like ice cream socials when it gets hot outside! But for those of you at home, we’ve compiled a list of our top tips for transitioning from spring to summer with a few simple steps. From your body and mind to your home and everything in between, we have you covered! From our senior apartments in Lake Charles, LA to you, here’s a list of our best tips!

Summer Self Care

Our personal well-being should always be our biggest priority. With busy social schedules in the spring and summer, as well as constant stimulation from seasonal chores, commitments, and end of year school activities, we can easily forget to take care of ourselves. In order to reprioritize ourselves, we suggest the following:

• Wear sunscreen. Sun damage, sun poisoning, and melanoma are all very real side effects of too much sun. Make sure your sunscreen is a high enough SPF, reapply often when you’re in the sun, and ensure your products are not expired!
• Hydrate! Staying properly hydrated in the summer months can be tricky. Be sure to carry a reusable water bottle with you anywhere and everywhere you go, and refill it often!
• Take a rest. It’s easy to overdo it when exercising, socializing, or working, but be sure to be kind to yourself and take a break. Not only can this avoid heat exhaustion on those high temp days, but taking frequent breaks during the day – even just a minute or two – can help you to reset and recharge!

Prepare Your Home

Staying cool in the dead of summer is so important. Do a quick check of your cooling appliances like ACs, standing fans, and ceiling fans to make sure they are functioning properly and are clean. Any filters should be replaced or cleaned. Any repairs needed should be made. For additional cooling, make sure any ice packs are in safe condition (not leaking) and properly frozen, and stock up on low-sugar icy treats for those extra hot days like ice pops and frozen fruit.

Work Smart

For those who work outside often, whether gardening, doing home repairs, or simply spending time outside, start incrementally shifting your schedule to the cooler hours of the day like mornings or evenings. Instead of jolting yourself with a brand new schedule on the first day of summer, easing into it incrementally will help you stick to your new schedule. Also take care of your outdoor cooling devices now rather than later. Set up your umbrellas, clean out your cooler, and make sure your garden hose is working. Consider these your outside cooling stations for when you need a break. Take five minutes under the umbrella to get out of the sun, or stock your cooler full of ice and cold treats. Run your head under the hose for a quick cool-off. Making sure these are set up in the spring means that when those hot days sneak up on you, you are prepared!

This summer, if you are interested in learning more about our amazing Lake Charles retirement home, please give us a call. We’d be delighted to take you on a virtual or in-person tour to answer all of your questions about our fantastic community!