Staying active is so important for residents at Homeplace of Henderson, and it takes on an even added importance for our memory care residents. Generally, physical activity improves every resident’s overall physical health, as well as their mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. More specifically to memory care residents, physical activity minimizes the physical and mental decline that are inherent with dementia.
In fact, one of our guiding principles at Homeplace is having activities readily available for all our residents. Just walk through our facility and cruise around our campus and you’ll see plenty of opportunities available for residents to get active—either in groups or by one’s self, if chosen. This really reflects the atmosphere we strive for here—energetic, healthy, and happy.
The best way to incorporate activities into the day of a memory care resident is to provide opportunities for them to occur spontaneously, not force residents to participate. And though we hope an activity will arise from a resident’s desire, we also know that having set times every day in which activities are available has shown higher participation levels for our residents.
Experts know that residents in elder care facilities are more likely to engage in activities that they’ve done their entire life. That’s one reason why we attempt to learn everything we can about a resident’s history as he comes into our facility. Once we know this information, we can decipher ways for each resident to take part in activities they love. So, for example, if we know that a resident used to go fishing every summer at Kentucky Lake, we can introduce them to the lake on our campus, where he can pick up a pole and cast away if he chooses. Preferably, he can take part in this at a similar time each day, and the activity will be something he looks forward to.
Experts in memory care say that activities, both physical and social, encourage residents to express themselves, allow for residents to feel more engaged, and make emotional connections with others, which is so important for a resident with dementia. Activities can also stir memories while also lessening anxiety and irritability.
Activities are always optional, so when a resident participates, we let the resident take part in a manner that feels best to her. We strive to let a resident do what they need to do, not what we want them to do. Pushing a resident to do more often has negative effects. And while a resident is participating, we watch for unwanted stress and strain, and we are trained to gently stop or slow the activity if it moves into a level unsuitable for the resident. Sometimes residents may need gentle encouragement to get started, and we offer that, but if there’s push-back, we never force the issue. While a resident is participating, he can always count on praise and cheer from our staff to encourage him.
We know an active lifestyle promotes health and vitality in younger people, and it’s no different with seniors living in our memory care units. We work to find personalized activities they want to partake in and allow them the opportunities to get involved.
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com or call at (270) 577-0534.