Exciting Senior Events at Walker Place, Shelbyville, IN: Join the Fun
According to CBS News, an estimated 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 each year from 2024 to 2027. Referred to as the "silver tsunami," this four-year event will represent the highest increase in retirement-age Americans in the nation's history.
As the same CBS News article pointed out, it's never too early to prepare if you're among those hitting the well-known retirement age of 65.
One way to prepare is to consider moving to a retirement community and enjoying the fun and engaging senior events there. Remember, your interactions with others outside your home may decrease once you retire, even more so if you live alone.
To that end, our team here at Walker Place in Shelbyville, IN, created this guide exploring the senior living activities we do in our community. So please read on, as what you learn here can help you decide if and why senior community living can be an ideal option for you.
Exercise Programs
A crucial factor in deciding whether to move to a senior care community is if you need help with activities of daily living (ADLs). Perhaps you need help managing your medications, maintaining your home, cleaning your house, or doing the laundry. If so, transitioning to an assisted living community like Walker Place can be wise, as you'll get personal care and support tailored to your needs.
The community's expert staff will use the level of care you need to craft an exercise program for you. You can also participate in the health-focused retirement community events scheduled daily. For example, at Walker Place, we always do something physical for the day, such as seated exercises or tai-chi.
Benefits of Exercise Programs for Older Adults
With aging comes many physical changes to the body that reduce its stamina, agility, and strength. Metabolism also slows, making it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight, which a lack of physical activity can compound. The bones and muscles can also weaken, putting older adults at risk of frailty, a factor in slips, trips, and falls.
The good news is that, according to the U.S. CDC, staying physically active can help combat those concerns. By getting enough exercise, you can:
- Enjoy healthier bones
- Maintain balance and coordination to lower your risks of falls
- Minimize your risk of gaining weight
- Lower risks of chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes)
- Sleep better
- Feel less anxious
The healthier you are, the longer you can maintain your independence. So, to ensure that you can keep moving about for as long as possible, consider participating in senior programs designed to enhance your physical health and fitness.
Social and Recreational Programs
According to a post by Think Advisor, many Americans are happier in retirement. However, about one in three are not "happier," and half even say they sometimes feel lonely.
Decreased social contact is one possible reason for feeling lonely or unhappy in retirement. As social creatures, we need and even crave connections with others, so when we can't satisfy this personal requirement, we feel dissatisfied. Over time, this loneliness, dissatisfaction, and disconnection can become chronic, and we put ourselves at risk of mental health woes.
According to the University of Michigan, such negative emotions can have adverse effects on:
- Mental health
- Cognitive health
- Physical health
- General well-being
- Longevity
The good news is that you'll have many opportunities to connect with others in our assisted living community in Shelbyville, IN. At Walker Place, aside from physical fitness programs, we also organize many senior social events daily, such as:
- Card clubs
- Games like Uno, Chinese checkers, dominoes, and bingo
- Outdoor beach games
- Movie and popcorn days
- Gardening
- Fireside chats
- Ice cream social
Walker Place also has lovely outdoor spaces, such as beautifully landscaped gardens and walking paths, among many other excellent community amenities. Residents can also socialize with their neighbors, family, or friends in these areas.
Community Outings
Shelbyville, Indiana, has many beautiful parks, and Walker Place is lucky to be close to several, such as Sunset Park and Kennedy Park. We're even surrounded by green spaces, giving our residents easy access to the outdoors and the wonders of nature.
Because of our ideal location, we regularly take our residents for outings to local parks. We also schedule fun senior activities outside the community, such as trips to the movies and the nearby golf courses, shopping, and dining at local restaurants.
Creative Programs
Creative pursuits, whether knitting, painting, pottery, music writing, or food-making, engage the brain and body. To create, after all, involves thinking of what to create first and then taking action to turn those ideas into something:
- Visible, something we can see
- Tangible, something we can touch
- Audible, something we can hear
- Olfactory, something we can smell
- Gustible, something we can taste
Because creative pursuits involve thinking and making, they can help keep people mentally and physically active, engaged, and stimulated. Indeed, according to Today's Geriatric Medicine, they can help enhance cognitive function, especially in older adults. Experts also say these activities may help with:
- Relaxation
- Reducing feelings of anxiety and depression
- Helping with socialization
- Boosting self-esteem
- Combatting boredom
At Walker Place in Shelbyville, IN, we encourage our residents to participate in creativity-sparking endeavors, such as crafting and artistic expression. If they want to be creative in the kitchen, they are free to do so, as their private apartment homes have kitchenettes.
They can even turn these activities into something social by sharing the meals, treats, or snacks they've whipped up with their fellow residents over coffee (or tea)!
Staying Healthy and Fit With Senior Events
From physical and social programs to recreational and creative pursuits, these are just some of the top senior events and activities our residents here at Walker Place enjoy.
If those are the socially, mentally, and physically stimulating and engaging activities you want to do in retirement, you're very much welcome to our community. So, speak with us today to schedule your tour of our pet-friendly assisted living community in Shelbyville, IN!
We look forward to meeting you and showing why many other families have chosen Walker Place for their senior loved ones.