Independent living communities can often be massively misunderstood. Throw not the places you might think you need to go to waste away your final years far from it.
Modern independent living communities are social hubs for all residents who want to get involved with others and build a community of like-minded people of a similar age, all wanting the same thing from life. After all, life is what you make of it, and independent living communities are no different.
And with loneliness being the silent killer amongst the over-70 community, removing this from your life can have huge impacts. So let’s take a look at some of the benefits of community living for older adults.
Increased Daily Interactions
According to statistics, around 225,000 seniors go a week without talking to anyone at all, and 2.6 million adults in the US do not speak to people regularly. And loneliness can have a detrimental effect on your physical and mental well-being. But when you live in a community with others around you can engage with people as much or as little as you wish.
Improved Physical Abilities
That’s not to say that being around others automatically makes you fitter, but the more you are around people, the more likely you’ll be to move more. Whether it’s playing activities or sports in the community, going for a swim if you have access to one, or you’re simply joining others for a walk, living in an Independent Living community can offer you ways to boost your physical health with age-appropriate activities.
Emotional Support
There’s something comforting in being able to lean on others when you need to. And when you’re in a community with people who are more likely to experience the same issues as you, there’s friendship and companionship aplenty for you to access.
Whether it’s a sympathetic ear to discuss problems or you need a confident with whom you can put the world to rights with, being surrounded by people opens the door for increased emotional support.
Practical Assistance
Living alone means everything falls on your shoulders. You need to do the cooking, the cleaning, you need to do the laundry, and the small daily tasks and home repairs that your home needs on a regular basis. And when you’re getting older, you might find you don’t want to or cannot physically do any or all of these as consistently as you need to. This is where independent living communities can be ideal for you. You don’t need to worry about a lot of the tasks you would if you lived alone.
Each community will have different amenities and levels of support. You can potentially get assistance with meals, either by having your food prepared and delivered to your home, or by eating in a dining space with other residents, you can use laundry facilities, or even have a cleaning service. Check out the different options on offer at your local community to see if it offers what you need. Oh, and all maintenance is handled for you, so no more climbing ladders to change that lightbulb.