5 Ways Senior Centers Are Vital

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Importance Senior Centers for Older Adults in Winnipeg, MB

Community senior centers are constantly planning exciting events and activities for older adults to enjoy. While you may just see your loved one having fun, he or she also benefits from being surrounded by multiple sources of support that boost health and happiness. Here are a few reasons senior centers are important.

1. Boost Senior Health

Many senior centers have gym rooms and dance studios that give older adults a better way to get a workout than just doing a few stretches at home. Since most senior centers offer multiple types of workout classes, you can bet your loved one will find one to enjoy. Local organizations such as hospitals also visit senior centers to set up events such as health fairs that offer screenings and other services to help seniors stay healthy.

2. Provide Nutritional Services

Older adults often encounter challenges with cooking that could cause them to skip a meal. Your loved one may also decide not to eat lunch if he or she has no one around to talk to. Senior centers tend to offer at least one low-cost or free hot meal a day to ensure no one goes hungry. 
If your loved one isn’t getting proper nutrition because of loneliness or challenges with cooking, consider enlisting the help of a professional caregiver. Winnipeg home care providers can benefit aging adults in a variety of ways. From cooking nutritious meals to offering timely medication reminders, the dedicated caregivers at Home Care Assistance are available to help your elderly loved one 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. Encourage Mental Engagement

Once seniors are no longer working, they need to seek out new challenges to keep the brain engaged. Activities such as playing a card game with the other members of the senior center can reduce the risk of dementia. Senior centers also tend to offer classes that help older adults continue to learn new things. At the local center, your loved one can take painting lessons or finally get up to date on how to use a computer. While many classes are offered continuously, others are rotated on a regular basis so seniors always have something new to do. 
The mental stimulation and fun activities senior centers provide can be wonderful for seniors with dementia, especially in the early stages. Dementia can be challenging for seniors to manage, but they can maintain a higher quality of life with the help of professional dementia care. Winnipeg, MB, seniors can benefit greatly from the Cognitive Therapeutics Method (CTM), an activities-based program designed to promote cognitive health and delay the onset of dementia. CTM is included at no additional charge with any of the in-home care plans provided by Home Care Assistance.

4. Connect Seniors to Resources

Many community resources are available to seniors, yet they may not always be able to find what they need. Senior centers allow older adults to connect with people and organizations that can help them. For instance, seniors can find brochures and other materials that help them locate a grief and loss counselor, or they may be able to find a resource to help them financially with a high utility bill. This connectivity goes both ways, since senior centers also offer opportunities for older adults to volunteer to help others.

5. Foster a Sense of Community

Seniors should never feel alone, yet many do when they spend hours every day without anyone else in their home. When your loved one visits a senior center, he or she may feel an instant sense of community that comes from knowing there’s always someone to talk to. As your loved one makes friends and enjoys experiences such as group trips to shopping centers and museums, he or she may begin to feel a renewed sense of purpose that keeps life exciting.
Senior centers are a wonderful resource in many neighborhoods, so if you have one close by, take advantage of it if you can. Many of the health and social benefits listed above can also be gained by hiring a professional caregiver. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of senior home care. Winnipeg families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. Call Home Care Assistance at (204) 489-6000 to learn more about our flexible and customizable senior care plans.

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