While in an assisted living home, such as Wedgewood Estates, you can still take a lot of responsibility for your own health and wellbeing, especially if you leverage the resources that your assisted living community provides. Here are some ways to stay in control of your health.
Keep Your Sleep Cycles in Check
One key to maintaining your wellbeing is to make sure that you're sleeping enough—but not too much. Take advantage of the activities that your assisted living facility provides during the day; this will help to ensure that you're tired and ready to sleep at bedtime. If you're feeling insomnia or oversleeping, you may also need to check with the medical staff to adjust your sleep medications. The best thing to do is to be vocal about your sleep issues to get the help you need in adjusting them.
Connect Meaningfully with Others
An assisted living community can also provide a good network of other active seniors. Look for activities, shared hobby groups and community networking events to keep your social calendar full. You may also consider becoming a mentor to a newbie in the community. This way, you'll be able to share your knowledge with someone in need while also making a new friend.
Stay Active
Activity is key to your health, both physical and mental. Check for swimming and other low-impact cardio groups for a regular dose of physical activity. But keeping your brain sharp is key as well. You might ask your staff to provide crosswords and puzzles for you on a weekly basis, or to have your family ship in a copy of your favorite newspaper. Staying actively involved with the outside world can help you adjust to new surroundings in your assisted living facility.
Speak Up
Finally, remember that to protect your emotional wellbeing, it's important for you to keep some control of your new environment. Don't be afraid to speak with your staff if there are some changes you'd like to see in your assisted living facility. Hopefully, you've chosen a facility where management takes a hands-on role in keeping residents happy around the facility.
Taking care of your health while in an assisted living community is critical; it can make the difference between keeping you in a semi-independent living situation and a facility with more hands-on care. By using the steps above to take advantage of your assisted living facility, you can help protect your health for years to come.
