2021 May 19 / Jane
6 Ways We Prioritize Mental Health for Seniors During Quarantine
During this pandemic period, mental health for seniors has become a hot topic, especially for those who are living in retirement homes—like Chateau Glengarry—and other facilities catering to and caring for our aging population. As always, our staff wants to provide essential services, ensure positive and supportive outlets for our residents, provide essential services, and... Here are just a few of the ways we work to prioritize mental health for seniors in our retirement community.
1. We keep the lines of communication open.
Our staff prides itself on being responsive to the needs of our seniors and sometimes that includes introducing them to new means of communicating with their families. Since people of past a certain age may not be up to speed on using new technology like Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime, we’re happy to step in to help out. Anything to further break their feelings of isolation.
2. We encourage our seniors to be active.
Our seniors are always encouraged to keep moving, whether that’s indoors doing a light workout in our gym or outdoors where they can take a stroll, get some sunlight, and enjoy fresh air.
3. We create opportunities to socialize.
Our staff always strives to maintain engaging spaces that give our residents opportunities to greet and gather with each other whether that’s at our craft or card tables, our outdoor gazebos, our large deck, or at any of six lounging areas.
4. We maintain routines.
We know from experience that maintaining a routine can help seniors reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, increase feelings of safety and security, and improve their sleep. With that in mind, we have schedules we follow for the well-being of all residents.
5. We celebrate!
Lockdown doesn’t mean we can’t have fun together! As much as we can within the limits of public health measures, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and anything else that gives us an excuse to bring some light into our seniors’ lives!
