Socializing is beneficial to people of all ages but becomes increasingly important as you age. Senior friendships provide a lot of comfort and are key to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Connecting with others as you age helps in reducing stress, providing companionship and increasing self-esteem. While making and sustaining active friendships can be challenging, there are many ways for residents of communities for assisted living in Maryland to forge these bonds. These include pursuing a hobby, attending fitness classes and even chatting with your neighbors to develop a support group. These opportunities can help seniors feel a sense of belonging in their new retirement community.
Friendships Make Your Days More Purposeful
Having the opportunity to be around similar individuals daily can increase your excitement for the day ahead. Community living offers a packed social calendar to keep you busy and entertained all day. Some activities organized at our community include themed dinners, seasonal parties and day trips to explore the Maryland area. You also have a team of friendly caregivers who are dedicated to your overall well-being.
Promotes Lifelong Learning
Spending time with others exposes us to new information and points of view that can broaden our interests and help us grow as individuals. The brain can continue to grow and create new neural pathways well into old age, but this requires regular use and engagement. Living alone at home can make it challenging to engage in lifelong learning due to a lack of resources or motivation. Whereas, retirement communities offer many senior-friendly resources and interest classes tailored to residents’ preferences and learning abilities. These activities foster social interaction and peer friendships that can promote positive aging.
Better Tracking of Your Health Goals
Studies have revealed a link between personal relationships and health, with lonelier seniors suffering from medical conditions at a higher rate than those with social connections. Some researchers have even found that isolation can impact your health in the same way as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! Loneliness affects blood pressure and immunity since isolation causes the monocytes in your body to stay immature.
By maintaining friendships, seniors can reduce the risk of isolation and gain immense physical health benefits. Dining with your peers can lead to better food choices, more enjoyable mealtimes and higher accountability toward maintaining a healthy weight. Your friends can also encourage you to stay active, get health screenings and join fitness classes together.
Support Through Challenging Times
Having friends in the same stage of life can be comforting and helpful, especially during times of loss since if have experienced similar events. Friends provide emotional support through a listening ear and encouragement, which can decrease stress. Maintaining healthy friendships begins by being a good friend yourself, and this can be achieved by staying in touch, providing assistance and spending time together. Living in a retirement community makes it much easier for you to be a good friend since you can always invite your friendship group to attend events together.
