Most of us know the basic recommendations for leading a healthy lifestyle, no matter what age we are — engage regularly in physical activity, make smart choices about what we eat and drink, get adequate sleep and don’t smoke. Older adults can add staying mentally active and maintaining social connections to the list.
There’s a simple way to integrate these practices into our routines, and it’s something nearly everyone can succeed in doing: Have fun!
What’s Your Idea of Fun?
What’s fun for you now could be different from what you considered fun when you were younger. You might need to stop and think about what fun means to you these days. What do you enjoy doing? What makes you smile? Laugh? Feel good?
For some, it’s as easy as sharing a meal or playing a game with friends or family. For others, it might be engaging in (or discovering) a favorite pastime or hobby — something that has meaning for you or adds a sense of purpose to your life.
Things we do that add joy and laughter to our days can help us relax, improve our mood and increase our levels of the “feel-good” hormones dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin and serotonin. And there are other benefits, as well.
Having Fun Positively Affects Your Health
When you have more fun, you’re doing more than improving your quality of life. According to the National Institute on Aging, participating in activities you enjoy may be beneficial to maintaining your independence as you get older.
For instance, seniors who engage in activities they enjoy may:
- Lower their risk of developing dementia, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers
- Live longer
- Be more resilient when life presents challenges
- Help protect their memory and other cognitive abilities
You can see why many senior living communities focus their retirement activities on having a good time. It’s not just to encourage people to become residents. It’s also to help them stay healthier longer once they’re part of the community.
We’re Proof-Positive That Activities for Retirees Can Be Creative!
If you’re retired or have a friend, neighbor or relative who is, then you’re familiar with some of the usual activities for retired adults, such as golfing, traveling, gardening, volunteering and hobbies like woodworking and textile arts.
At senior living communities, the most popular retirement activities frequently center on socializing and often involve dining — because most of us enjoy good food, especially when we have the opportunity to enjoy it with friends.
Highpoint at Stonecrest offers many activities similar to those you’ll find in other retirement communities, including:
- Assorted fitness and wellness classes
- Movie nights and matinees
- Happy hours with live music in our rooftop bar and lounge
- Various arts and crafts activities
- Card and board games
- Worship services
- Karaoke
- A book club
- Shopping excursions
But here’s what truly sets us apart.
Our Director of Lifestyles, Barbie Newcomb, has a well-honed talent for coming up with fun-filled activities you won’t often find at other senior living communities. She and her staff put a lot of thought and effort into making sure our residents have an abundance of opportunities to enjoy themselves.
Below are examples of some of the many creative events and activities at Highpoint at Stonecrest.
Live Game Shows With Resident Participants
Several times a year, Barbie and her staff will plan big, theatrical events based on TV game shows such as “Let’s Make a Deal” and “Family Feud.” In February, we had a Not So Newlywed Game event.
Several staff members, the residents who are participating and sometimes even the audience will dress up in costumes for the events, which only increases the hilarity. Along with having a great time, residents can also win prizes.
Live Auctions
Our live auctions are also popular events. Barbie serves as the auctioneer, and residents use play money to bid on items she has collected from local thrift shops, flea markets and yard sales. The items are wrapped, so residents don’t know what they’re bidding on until they’ve won the bid and unwrapped their purchase.
“They might bid $1,000 and get something crazy like a rubber chicken,” Barbie says. “It’s always hilarious.”
Spring Charity Fashion Show
In April, quite a few residents took to the runway/funway during the Love spring fashion show event we hosted. The residents who participated had a great time choosing and modeling their outfits, and anyone who attended the fashion show could donate personal hygiene items such as soap and shampoo, which Love INC distributed to local people in need.
Battle of the Chefs
Sometimes retirement communities have chef competitions to entice seniors into visiting, but we have events like these for our current residents. Just last month, three of our chefs prepared their signature appetizers, and residents voted for their favorite.
“We do a lot of things where staff members can have some friendly competition and be recognized for their efforts,” Barbie says “They can win small cash prizes or trophies with their names on them.”
Pet Therapy Visits
Although it’s not unusual for senior living communities to bring in pet therapy animals for residents to interact with, Barbie and her staff have arranged for some truly unique sessions — like the one earlier this year with farm animals, including bunnies, chickens and baby goats. And just recently, baby lemurs were here and stole our hearts!
Other Activities Our Residents Enjoy
Barbie and her staff invite local musicians and other artists to perform at Highpoint at Stonecrest throughout the month, often at pool parties. Some, like the show the Original Villages Belly Dancers put on last month, entertain as many residents as our bistro can accommodate.
We just had an open mic night not long ago, where several residents had the chance to showcase their talents, whether they played a musical instrument, sang, told jokes or recited poetry.
We also had an art exhibition here in our community earlier this year. The featured artist, a friend of Barbie’s, says ours was the best-ever exhibition of her work, and she’s had her work displayed in settings such as the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala.
Monthly Themes
Each month, Barbie chooses a theme on which many of the scheduled activities focus. August, for instance, had a maritime theme, with a Land’s End Seafood Festival and art projects like using pastels to draw a sailboat sunset scene or making a starfish bead necklace.
September’s theme celebrates Greece. In addition to our midmonth Chalice of Dionysus Greek Wine Tasting event in the bistro, we’ll have a Greek Festival Dinner Party at the end of the month. We’re also having a toga party, and movie buffs can see a matinee viewing of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
If It’s Fun, Count Us In
Residents at Highpoint at Stonecrest love having a good time, and we’re more than happy to help them do just that. You can see photos and TikTok videos of many activities on our Facebook page. Maybe you’ll be inspired to come up with some retirement activities ideas of your own.
If you’d like to experience some of the fun our residents get to have every day, contact us to set up a visit — or call 352-549-9210. Come have a laugh and enjoy yourself!
Featured Image: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock