Our philosophy about residents’ walking habits may sound a bit like what Isaac Newton proposed hundreds of years ago: A body in motion tends to stay in motion. What that means for us at Homeplace is that the more that we can help our residents to get up and walking about, the longer they will be able to get up and go. And that’s key to keep their sprits high and bodies healthy.
We believe an active resident is a healthy and happy resident. The benefits of remaining active are many, including being able to go visit with friends, attend gatherings, and eat meals with fellow residents. When residents confine themselves to their rooms, they lose out, and there’s always a possibility that negatives, like depression and isolation, can seep into a resident’s life.
We know a resident needs to get out and go and see things and meet people. So, we encourage walking in whatever capacity it must take for each resident. Some may be able to walk on their own, some may need some supervision in case of a stumble, some may need a cane or a walker, and some may need more hands-on help from our trained staff. Whatever they need, we provide.
The Homeplace of Henderson was designed in a way to encourage walking. Whereas other assisted living communities might require a resident to walk 250 feet (or longer) to get to the dining hall or social areas, our walking length ranges from 100 to 150 feet. Residents know these shorter distances are attainable, and so they are much more likely to walk. Longer distances can discourage residents.
We’ve installed handrails all over the facility, and these features also allows a senior citizen in our care to feel safe. It might even be unnoticeable to some, but this small amenity encourages them to walk.
We’ve also built partnerships with local home health businesses and physical therapists. These professionals visit our facility often and work with our residents so that they can stay as strong as possible, which allows them to remain up and mobile.
We have enough staff so that we can truly make walking a priority. Because other facilities don’t have our level of staffing, they can’t always fulfill their desires for residents’ walking, even though that may be their intention. Lets’ say, for example, an employee is swamped with paperwork, but it’s a scheduled time to take a resident to lunch. Instead of walking with her, she may put the resident in a wheelchair and push her to save time and get back to her paperwork. That never happens at Homeplace. We have enough staff to always take the time to walk with our residents.
We make walking a priority at Homeplace. Walking helps relieve pressure sores, lessens fluid retention in legs, and helps improve circulation. Walking helps our residents feel like they are part of the community and keeps residents’ spirits up. Walking is necessary and we do everything we can to help our residents walk for as long as they can.
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com, call at (270) 577-0534, or write to 1 Homeplace Boulevard, Henderson, KY 42420