Benefits of an Active Senior Living Retirement Center

Does the world encourage active senior living enough? Everyone encourages kids to stay active. There’s a PE class in elementary school. Many parents put their children into sports. Even the NFL has the Play 60 campaign to encourage kids to get at least sixty minutes of daily activity.

When kids grow up, that encouragement stops. But the benefits of an active lifestyle never go away. Staying active gets more vital as you age.

For seniors, staying active can be one of the most critical things you can do to stay healthy and happy.

Here at Saint Ann Retirement Center, we encourage all residents who can stay active, to do so. We offer a wide array of amenities and activities to promote active senior living.

Given the importance of staying active, Saint Ann makes it a priority to help residents stay engaged both mentally and physically at our senior living facility.

Why are activities important for seniors?

Activities that Prevent Disease

Activity improves your immune system. For many seniors, their immune system declines with age. Active senior living helps keep it strong.

With a stronger immune system, your body can fight off illnesses like the common cold, the flu, and even COVID-19.

Activity can mitigate other ailments like heart disease or diabetes. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with seniors impacted the most. Staying active can drastically lower your odds of death from heart disease.

Staying active doesn’t mean you have to get up and run miles and miles or lift heavy weights in the gym. Activity can mean walking laps around a track. It can mean stretching in the morning. It can even mean doing band exercises!

Active senior living will keep you strong against disease and illness.

Activities that Help Manage Body Weight

Our metabolisms grow slower with age. Regular activity keeps our metabolism high, helping our bodies burn fat and retain muscle.

Activities that Improve Mental Health

Physical activity is excellent for your mental health. Getting active releases endorphins or hormones that make you feel good. These can relieve stress and help you feel happy.

Activity can also help you sleep well! Sleep and general rest are essential for seniors, who are often prone to insomnia and other sleep-related issues.

Activities that Lessen Fall Damage

Young folks can fall and bounce back up as if nothing happened. But their weaker bones can break when seniors fall, even from a small height. Large bones like hips and femurs are at particular risk during falls.

But regular activity can keep your bones strong! Activity also keeps your muscles strong, which may prevent you from falling in the first place!

Activities that Get You Social

Activity, especially in a senior living center, almost always occurs in groups!

Here at Saint Ann, we offer loads of wellness activities designed to promote socialization and active senior living. You can make new friends and get to know your fellow residents better through active senior living.

Staying social is great for your brain, especially for those getting older. Meaningful relationships give us purpose, motivate us, fight against feelings of loneliness and depression, and keep us mentally sharp.

If you do activities with people you like, it will feel like fun and less like work!

Activities that Improve Brain Function

Many studies have suggested that adults who exercise regularly have a lower risk of dementia.

And don’t think that if you start now, then it’s too late. The same studies also suggest that it doesn’t matter when you begin a fitness routine, as long as you start one!

What kind of exercises are best for seniors?

Yoga

• • Yoga is an excellent exercise for active senior living! It’s a low-impact exercise that’s easy on your joints. It helps build core strength and increase flexibility. These benefits will help keep you strong and safe!

Aerobics

• • If able, aerobic exercises are great at building stamina and heart health. It also strengthens the lungs. Aerobic exercise can mean a lot of different things. Walking, swimming, biking, and even table tennis or pickle-ball count as aerobics.

Strength Training

• • Weightlifting doesn’t have to mean stepping into a squat rack. But lifting weights, even five pounds or less, can drastically slow down muscle loss and keep body fat low.
  • Muscle loss is a big issue for seniors, which is part of why mobility becomes poor and falls become dangerous. So weightlifting, even a little bit, can pay huge dividends later in life.

How Saint Ann Retirement Center Keeps Its Residents Active

Saint Ann offers many amenities, facilities, and activities to support active senior living and help residents stay fit.

Wellness and Exercise Programs at Saint Ann:

Chair volleyball

• • Get into the action of volleyball from the comfort of your chair!

Strength training classes

• • Lift weights with your fellow mates!

Cornhole

• • A classic yard game that anyone can play!

Stretching sessions

• • Stay loose and limber with stretching sessions led by our skilled and friendly instructors!

Social Amenities at Saint Ann:

Active senior living involves both physical engagement and mental engagement.

Libraries and game centers

• • Keep your mind sharp with a good book or challenge a friend to a vast array of classic board games!

Computer rooms

• • Stay in touch with friends and relatives, or access the internet in our computer rooms!

Fitness and wellness centers

• • A great place to stay in shape!

Chapels

• • A quiet place for worshipers of all faiths to practice their religion peacefully.

Who can benefit from Saint Ann’s Activities?

If you’re interested in assisted or independent living, then Saint Ann Retirement Center would make a great home for you.

But what’s the difference between assisted living and independent living?

Independent Living

Independent living is for healthy seniors who still live independently but want the safety and sociability of living with fellow seniors and staff members. In addition, seniors find it exciting to live in a community where they can interact with their peers.

You can make your daily decisions at an independent living facility without the hassle of chores like housekeeping, grocery shopping, lawn care, and home maintenance.

Delicious meals are prepared daily for your convenience. However, apartments come with kitchenettes, making it possible to cook meals when you’d like!

Daily medical and personal care differs for assisted and independent living residents. For independent living, medical and personal care is provided by your choice of home health companies whenever needed or requested. Independence is the top priority for our independent living residents.

Assisted Living

Assisted living is for those who want personal care and other support in a home-like setting. Those in assisted living get help from staff when needed and get services at their request.

Assisted living also gives residents an environment where they can be social at their own pace. Someone who wants to be around people their age would greatly benefit from assisted living.

Why should you choose assisted living?

• • It provides a safe environment for seniors with limited mobility or medical conditions that require assistance.
  • It fosters socialization opportunities for seniors to thrive.
  • Help and medical personnel are available.
  • Delicious, healthy meals are prepared to support the immune system and maintain overall wellness.
  • Transportation is provided to help seniors maintain their independence.

Active Senior Living at Saint Ann

Here at Saint Ann, we hope to have answered all your most pressing questions regarding the value of activity for seniors.

If you have any additional questions or are interested in learning more, please call and schedule a visit today!

Saint Ann Retirement Center offers the best senior living options for retirement in Oklahoma City. Assisted living and independent living accommodations enhance the lives of individuals looking for support and comfort and a variety of amenities to keep the community active and engaged. Saint Ann is owned and operated by The Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, a not-for-profit Christian organization.