As we age, it’s important to keep an active social life. Solid senior communities can mean a great boost in mental wellbeing as we foster connections, learn new skills, and find new or exciting things to do with our days in retirement.
There are so many reasons to invest in your mental wellbeing as you age, with one of the most important reasons being the joy other humans can bring! Let’s take a look at why having a strong and stable community of friends and family as we get older is important not only for our mental health but our physical health and longevity too.
Senior Communities Combat Isolation & Loneliness
Humans are social creatures, we love to talk, play, and just be around others. Studies show that the greater social capital (loosely translated to the number of friends) one has, or the level of social activity directly impacts our mental wellbeing. So, the better the quality of our friendships, the better our mental state!
A solid senior community is so important in keeping up the human connections that might drop off as we enter retirement age. Our kids might have moved away, or are busy living their own lives, and the friends we used to have might have dispersed into their own retirement enclaves. This loosening of our friendship circles can spiral into loneliness if we don’t actively seek out new people and friends.
After the years we’ve had, isolation is a major problem and factor in loneliness. That’s why independent senior living communities can help. They’re an in-built group of like-minded people who have individual lives but are also surrounded by supportive people at the same stage of life, most likely looking for the same type of new friendships and communities!
Socialising Can Keep Up Physical & Mental Fitness
Socialising is an important part of maintaining the brain’s elasticity and plasticity to adapt to new things and situations. As we interact with new people, we come across different perspectives and life experiences than our own. This helps to keep our brains learning, and our eyes open to different ways of interpreting the world, making sure to keep life interesting!
Sometimes these new takes on life can be found in picking up new physical skills such as sports, or even playing new games! Most of the time there’s a great community around sports and social clubs, which is an even bigger bonus in our eyes!
Join a Sports Club
Communities don’t just have to be great for our social fitness, they can help with our physical fitness too! Join a tennis club or try the local bowling green. These are sports that will not only let your body get some well-needed movement, but they’ll also let you chat and socialise at the same time.
Given physical fitness is a cornerstone of good mental well-being, we don’t see a downside at all! Just make sure you pick a sport you enjoy and get out there!
Get Involved in a Volunteer Mission
Volunteering is a great way to socialise. We get to do good for the community and become part of a community ourselves. Do good and feel better for doing so, as you make a difference in people’s lives, whether it’s operating a fundraising bake sale or manning the desk at the local op shop!
Wellbeing Lies in Emotional Support
Humans need the emotional support that friends and family can give us, especially as we age. Retirement is a fun, free and exciting time of our lives, but it brings with it a wealth of changes that can affect us in ways we don’t expect.
Cultivate a senior community that cares for you and can be a crutch to lean on should you need to. It doesn’t have to be physical, try to FaceTime a friend once a week, or play a game of Words with Friends with a daughter or grandchild. The smallest connections can make a big difference!
Create a New Sense of Purpose Through People
People help us to create a sense of purpose in our everyday lives. How many times have we considered lying about at home all day, only to remember we promised a coffee-catch up with our friends at noon?
Having a good group of friends gives us the motivation to plan, do fun things and live our lives in ways that may have become less important since we finished up work. So, plan that game of bowls, play a game of bingo on a Tuesday night, or join the local op shop rounds!
Settle into a Great Senior Community at Settler’s Lifestyle Village
Settler’s Lifestyle is an Albany retirement village that has a beautiful community of seniors living their lives to the full in retirement. With a range of senior apartments to suit your lifestyle, it’s independent senior living to suit you. It doesn’t stop at lovely accommodation either, Settler’s has beautifully kept grounds for bowls, croquet and more, as well as great communal areas for games nights and more!
Get in touch with the team at Settler’s Lifestyle Village today to see how we can help you ease into retirement happy, healthy, and connected!
