As we age, spending time with loved ones becomes even more critical. However, maintaining our relationships and cultivating new ones is more challenging as we get older, making it easy for older persons to become isolated from a lack of companionship in their day-to-day lives.
For those transitioning into retirement, communities like Seasons Retirement greatly emphasize the importance of creating opportunities for valuable social connections. Having friends and loved ones around makes transitioning from home to a retirement community easier and can vastly improve an older adult’s quality of life.
Below, we’ve detailed some benefits older adults can derive from maintaining a busy social life, along with tips on improving their social lives, so keep reading to learn more!
The benefits of social connections
Many health benefits can be gained from maintaining a robust social life. While these are advantageous for people of all ages, they are crucial for older individuals who may need to work harder to maintain a healthy body and mind.
Interestingly, cultivating relationships is a major contributing factor to good health.
Let’s examine these benefits further below:
More active lifestyle
Older adults participating in out-of-home social engagements can significantly increase their physical activity. If their social activities require them to leave home, it can increase their physical movement, resulting in a more active lifestyle overall.
By moving around more with friends and family, older adults can experience increased cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, and decreased risks of diseases like cancer, arthritis, and osteoporosis.
Don’t worry! You don’t need to participate in intense exercise classes to be more active in a social setting. Simply leaving the house to attend to errands, going for short walks with friends, and other similar low-impact activities are enough to improve your health!
Prevents cognitive decline
In addition to physical health benefits, an improved social life can contribute to improved cognitive functioning. According to recent studies, a bustling social schedule can reduce the chance of Alzheimer’s and dementia by up to 70%.
Individuals who are isolated and experience loneliness tend to experience symptoms of depression, which can negatively affect their sleep.
However, those who have strong social connections were found to experience decreased symptoms of depression, which in turn improved their sleep cycle, something that directly affects a person’s cognitive function.
Better mental health
In a recently conducted study, researchers discovered that loneliness could have the same detrimental effect on someone as smoking fifteen cigarettes per day, both in a physical and mental health capacity.
By not maintaining a social life, a person’s mental health can deteriorate, and symptoms of depression and anxiety can increase. Not keeping a healthy amount of friendships can also negatively affect self-esteem.
Therefore, by putting more effort into maintaining and creating relationships, older persons can experience more positive mental health.
Ways to create social connections in retirement communities
As we age, it can be challenging to find opportunities to meet new people, as we are no longer going to work and socializing with peers regularly.
However, there are many things that both retirement homes and individuals can do better to implement social activities in the lives of residents. We’ve come up with a few ideas that older persons can incorporate into their lives for an improved social experience, which we’ll consider below:
Communal/restaurant-style dining
A common trait of many retirement communities is providing restaurant-style dining, where all residents can join in and share a meal with their peers. This dining experience allows older individuals to sit and eat with new people, share their stories, and get to know one another.
Residents can take full advantage of this dining style by sitting with different people each meal to get to know as many people in their community as possible. This social fluctuation is a great way to expand one’s circle of friends in a casual, natural manner, and enjoying a meal together can act as a great conversation starter!
Community events
Another great way to participate in more social activities is to join retirement community events. Many retirement homes will host regular activities and parties for residents to improve socialization.
Some examples include:
- Karaoke nights
- Wine tastings
- Fitness classes
- Social teas
- Dances
- Bingo/casino nights
These events can act as great icebreakers for older, more reserved persons, as all in attendance will be actively participating in the same activity.
Meeting new people and making new friends at these outings will help older ones find friends with whom they share things. Afterward, they can plan to enjoy a glass of wine or attend another class together later!
Volunteer programs
An excellent way for older persons to expand their social circle is to get more involved in their local community. Rather than limiting their friendships to fellow retirees, volunteering allows older adults to engage with a whole new crop of people outside their residential community.
There are many great volunteer programs older adults can participate in that can help them do something productive and also form bonds with people of all ages.
Some volunteer activities include working in a community garden, reading to elementary school children, working in community centers, and other similar occupations.
Join social media
Many older adults who move into retirement communities must move farther away from their families and loved ones than they would like. However, a great way they can stay connected is by taking advantage of social media platforms.
With applications like Instagram or Facebook, retirees can see their loved ones’ pictures, videos, stories, and other life updates. They can also have quick chats by using the instant messaging features available.
Why social connections are important in retirement homes
Moving into retirement can be difficult, making a supportive circle of friends and family a vital aspect of a smooth transition.
If you’re concerned about making new friends when moving to your new retirement home, consider implementing some of the above suggestions for making social connections, and remember the benefits that maintaining a healthy social life provides!