Making Sure Safety, Health Care, and Wellness Programs are a Priority When Researching Long-Term Independent Housing for Senior Adults
Becky Knight, MS, PHR, Denton Good Samaritan Society – Denton Village, Denton LIVING WELL Magazine
As a wellness coordinator of senior adult independent residents, my job is centered on safety, health care, and wellness. My focus is to provide the best strategies and programs to meet the current needs of the population I serve, as well as plan and prepare for their needs in the future. In choosing housing, there are certain programs I find more vital than others to the overall quality of life for senior adults and these should be considered a priority.
Safety
Safety is of utmost importance for senior adults, so safety in long-term housing is typically spread over several departments. Housekeeping or maintenance usually heads the team with organizing overall safety for the campus. While housekeeping provides safety through meeting all safety guidelines, as well as meticulous ongoing cleaning of the campus, maintenance installs any needs such as safety bars or non-slip tubs and may also assist with daytime emergencies and security. The wellness office normally provides response on emergencies and needs assessments of the residents’ health and living conditions to coordinate increased safety and care as needed. Additionally, larger housing campuses typically hire security officers to patrol the entire campus on nights and weekends.
Health Care
Even in independent housing communities, a medical model of care must be either provided or available for the residents because medical needs must still be met. A physician partnership that makes house calls as well as scheduled nursing hours on campus for those non-emergency questions and minor first aid should both be provided because not all residents will be physically able to travel off campus for medical care. When needed, medical care is brought to homebound residents; I have seen firsthand their quality of life improves overall.
Not only should primary medical needs be met, but ancillary needs such as eye glasses cleaning and repairs, hearing aid checks, and foot care are just as important to the daily life of seniors and should be offered. These services can be brought to the campus through community partnerships with healthcare providers where the residents’ needs are met while the providers increase their patient loads by bringing their services to the campus. With over 90% of our residents using hearing aids or glasses or both, these services are well utilized.
Wellness and Exercise
Because of lack of familiarity or expertise with fitness and exercise equipment, seniors tend to shy away from using available machines on campus. In order to increase knowledge and utilization, official training sessions and guidance should be offered. This education time gives residents the confidence and skill they need to be able to exercise independently as well as frequently, which is part of the goals of most Wellness Programs for senior adults.
Additionally, all exercise levels should be available because the health level of seniors continues to change often. Basic Restorative Programs or Chair Aerobics are good for the less healthy residents who want to return to health, where medium programs such as Yoga, Tai Chi, or walking clubs help those residents maintain a steady healthy lifestyle. It is very important that higher level classes also be available because not all residents are in poor health and this level provides a way for seniors to increase their healthy lifestyle even as they age.
Mental and Educational Wellness
In additional to physical exercise, more than just bingo should be provided for mental exercise. Mental aerobics, chess, dominoes, bridge, Trivial Pursuit, and other challenging activities should be available because this type of brain fitness and exercise is just as important to the body as the physical exercise and wellness is.
As seniors age, many things change and knowing what is normal and what is not helps residents deal with the constant physical, mental and emotional changes. Senior adult housing should be providing a wide variety of seminars, courses, and informational sessions to keep residents abreast of the newest breakthroughs in the medical arena, as well as coordinating or offering free testing, screenings, assessments etc. so the residents can stay proactive in maintaining quality of life and health.
As a wellness coordinator, taking safety and wellness very seriously makes a difference in my residents’ lives and I encourage you to make it a priority as you make housing plans for the future.
Becky Knight, MS, PHR is the wellness coordinator for Good Samaritan Society-Denton Village and may be reached at 940-383-6345.
