February 24, 2023
No matter our age, building relationships with others is fundamental in enriching our lives. Research has shown that people who enjoy healthy relationships, live longer and happier lives. Maintaining relationships as we age has numerous health benefits such as increasing our physical and mental health, increasing mental acuity, promoting laughter and more!
At The Township Senior Living, I, as the Resident Services Director, play a pivotal role in helping to create opportunities for our residents to build relationships with their peers as well as helping to maintain these relationships through daily events. Oftentimes, aging adults are afraid of senior living settings. They see it as an end to their independence. Most fear being isolated from family and friends. One of the stigmas associated with senior living is, “I’m too young and active to be in senior living.” Therefore, many avoid it as an option all together. Unfortunately, this means they also lose out on the abundant opportunities to create new friendships and memories that this setting provides.
In our community, we have a group of residents who are professionals at welcoming new residents and helping them to feel at home as they settle in. We also ensure that new residents are invited to join all events, based on their preferences. Once our residents take advantage of these events, they often find themselves meeting new people or even connecting with old friends or neighbors. Through our daily events and programs, we often see close friendships form that continue. Residents begin having meals together or even take trips out of the community for shopping and family get-togethers.
It is my goal to help build and foster these relationships and break the stigmas associated with senior living communities. As a Resident Services Director at The Township, I feel it is important to sit down one-on-one with each of our residents and listen to their stories, such as where they lived and worked, learn about their children and grandchildren, and activities they enjoy. With this information I can build on their strengths and weaknesses. I can also then pair residents that have the same interests. Our residents love the daily activities, but I also find them in each other’s apartments playing games, watching movies, or just reminiscing. My Jolly Squad is always out seeking residents to come and join the fun. We want to include everyone and want to build relationships between myself, my assistant, staff, and residents. Our community is like one big family.
One way we can break the stigma about living in a senior living community is by having positive reinforcement. Taking our residents out into the community lets other seniors see that our residents are still able to feel young and do fun activities at the same time. Our residents can also invite their friends to the community to come spend some time and see what senior living is about. The Township is known as the castle on the hill or the cruise ship on land by many of the residents.
Sources: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
https://www.eddyseniorliving.com/latest-news/the-importance-of-senior-friendships-for-healthy-aging/
The Township Senior Living in Battlefield, MO offers independent senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, 24-hour bistro, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Centrally located near Cox Medical Center South with convenient access to major shopping centers and attractions, including Backwoods Golf, Relics Antique Mall, Chesterfield Family Center, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, and Nathanael Green/Close Memorial Park-Botancial Gardens.
