Category: News

If you are looking to “rightsize” your retirement, moving to a senior living community offers benefits you just can’t get if your only focus is finding an apartment with maximum square footage.

In her book RightSizing: A Smart Living Guide to Reinventing Retirement, Kathy Gottberg defines “rightsizing” as “the conscious choice to create a life and a lifestyle that more sustainably aligns with your unique self in the best possible way at every stage.” In essence, you can create a more fulfilling life by making changes to align your lifestyle — the way you spend your time, energy, and money — with your highest priorities and values.

Many senior living communities offer studio and one-bedroom apartments. For many older adults, this offers plenty of space to personalize yet still access what they came to the community for in the first place – opportunities for socialization and caring support. Although it may seem counterintuitive, downsizing to a smaller space can actually help seniors lead a more fulfilling, “upsized” lifestyle that offers myriad benefits, including:

More free time.

Home upkeep can be stressful and costly, but senior living apartments offer a more streamlined space that is easier to clean and maintain, giving residents more time to spend however they like. Seniors seeking an active lifestyle will benefit from a community’s on-site health and wellness programs, while those who prioritize friendship will appreciate the social aspects of joining a community. Seniors looking to spend more time on their personal hobbies will enjoy having access to activities, clubs, classes, and events designed to satisfy many interests.

More practical space.

Apartments at senior living communities feature just the right amount of space for residents to choose the furniture and decor that means the most to them. A rightsized space with streamlined aesthetics that includes only what you really love and truly need to be comfortable can help reduce the stress sometimes caused by having too much space and stuff to manage all the time. Our team can help ease the relocation process by providing a detailed floor plan with measurements to help you visualize how to decorate your new home.

Supportive care services.

At senior living communities, residents have access to a range of healthcare tools and services if, and when, they need it, including fitness equipment, a personalized care plan, and skilled nursing. These benefits can be especially helpful for senior homeowners who find it too costly to hire a home health aide, or who would simply like the peace of mind easy knowing they can easily access care when they need it.

Choose how you live.

In communities like ours, residents spend most of their time at activities, gathering with friends in common areas like the theater, the library our many outdoor patios with comfortable seating, the dining room, or venturing out into the community at large. Residents can always retreat to their private residences for some quiet time, but nobody has to be alone if they don’t want to. As resident Laura H. who runs our Bible Buddies group says,  “I’m never lonely because I can just go down the hall and visit someone.”

By rightsizing to a smaller space, seniors who sell their homes and move to a retirement community get so much more than just an apartment. Communities like Arbor View Senior Living provide welcoming common spaces for residents to gather with friends to share meals and conversation, a robust schedule of social, cultural, and educational activities, and more. With all this at their fingertips, residents come to see that living space size is just a portion of the equation for happiness and that sometimes less is more.

Ready to “rightsize” your retirement? Call 303-268-4747 or visit our website and schedule a personalized tour to see for yourself everything our community has to offer.

For over half a century, researchers have focused on the importance of community and a sense of belonging as factors boosting human health. Social connections are essential for health and well-being at all ages, but experts have found they are especially important for promoting health in later life. In a bad news, good news situation, we can’t avoid declines in physical, sensory, and cognitive function as we age. The good news is, social functioning remains malleable and can expand as we age – in other words, social connections in later life are strengths that can boost mental health and well-being.

Why do social connections matter? The list is long, including disease prevention, fewer physical health problems, longevity, improved cognitive function, better self-esteem, purpose in life, and a sense of belonging—especially powerful for older adults.

It turns out, people who are confident with their place in the world are less likely to question their faith and beliefs, providing stronger spiritual health. This sense of belonging is so important that seniors who have that sense report their health as higher than those who have a lower sense of community—regardless of their actual state of health.

The pandemic reminded those of us in senior living how important social connections—and being part of a community—are to well-being. Even when we had to stay “socially distant,” the residents in our community remained connected, even if just to open the apartment door and participate in a sing-along, visit with team members throughout the day, or connect with family and friends via Zoom, Skype or Facetime, which we helped to facilitate.

In the world’s longest-running study on happiness (84 years!) researchers with the Harvard Study of Adult Development were amazed that good relationships with others were a key component in the level of happiness participants reported over wealth, health, and faith. In fact, loneliness, especially amongst older adults, is now considered as bad for your health as smoking. This was especially true throughout the pandemic and according to an article published in The Guardian, there is an epidemic of loneliness in America’s older adult population and it is having a direct impact on their mental and physical health. Loneliness can cause symptoms of anxiety and depression and is linked to a lowered immune response, poor cognitive functioning, an increased risk of high blood pressure, and a shorter lifespan.

Seniors Staying Connected

The American Public Health Association found that socialization improves mood, cognition, and memory recall, and is associated with healthy behaviors, including exercise. But as we age it can be more challenging as friends and family may pass away, physical limitations make it harder to get out and visit, and busy families are often caught up in their own lives. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to connect with others socially, but older adults have to be proactive in seeking out these opportunities. Here are some ideas for seniors:

• Exercise classes and walking groups
• Happy hours and group outings
• Regular phone calls and video conferences with friends and family
• Bingo or card games
• Billiards, darts, and other parlor games
• Fitness and other health classes
• Attending lectures at senior living communities (usually free!)
• Join a support group
• Organize a coffee group to talk sports, current events, knitting, or whatever you’re interested in

As a WellAge Senior Living community, Arbor View Senior Living spends a lot of time and energy coordinating events, clubs, and activities for the residents living with us. Residents can decide what they want to partake in from the variety of choices offered daily to connect socially. Even introverts who enjoy a good book in their apartment for most of the day love to see their neighbors at dinner or watch a movie in our brand-new theater. We have dedicated team members whose job is to organize the social events – and get folks involved. If you’d like to learn more, give us a call as we like to think of ourselves as a resource to local seniors and families.

Considering a move to senior living for yourself or a loved one? Call 303-268-4747 or contact us online to learn more about our independent and assisted living apartments and how moving to Arbor View offers seniors access to a built-in community of friends.

Taking simple precautions to avoid overheating or becoming dehydrated is especially important for older adults. As we age, our sense of thirst diminishes and our bodies naturally hold less water. Follow these sun safety and hydration tips to help stay cool this summer.

Tip #1

The best times of the day for outdoor activities in the summer are early morning and evening. Avoid being outdoors during the hottest part of the day, usually noon until the sun sets. If you are outdoors when temperatures soar, be sure to wear sunscreen on exposed skin, a wide-brimmed hat to shade your eyes and neck and try to stay in the shade as much as possible.

Tip #2

Taking frequent breaks to replenish fluids is important for avoiding dehydration and overheating in the hottest months of the year. Don’t rely on your thirst to alert you to take a drink, try to get in the habit of doing so a few times every hour, especially when you‘re active outdoors.

Tip #3

Staying cool and hydrated does not mean drinking gallons of water. All beverages, except alcohol, count towards your daily fluid intake. Add sparkling water to your apple juice for a refreshing zing and dress up water with a slice of lemon, cucumber, or frozen berries to be more appealing and encourage regular sipping.

Tip #4

Drink up in style by putting your iced latte or sports drink in a stylish colorful water bottle. Insulated water bottles and tumblers keep beverages cool and ice cubes intact longer so you can enjoy every drop.

Tip #5

You can eat to stay cool and hydrated too. Many fruits and vegetables have a heavy water content, like celery, lettuce, cucumbers, oranges, and tomatoes. Snacking on watermelon, grapes, and kiwis is a healthy and delicious way to maintain optimum hydration levels.

Keeping Cool at Arbor View

Healthy, hydrating fruits and vegetables are always on the menu here and residents have a variety of refreshing beverages like iced tea, juice, and milk to choose from. Our numerous community indoor spaces are comfortably cooled to relax during peak hours and every apartment has an individually controlled cooling system. Residents can also stop by the snack bar anytime for healthy and hydrating treats like fruit or applesauce and a cup of iced cold water with lemon or orange slices. We are also fortunate to be surrounded by trees providing ample shaded areas to safely enjoy outdoor activities.

At Arbor View Senior Living, we’re playing it cool this summer. We invite you to stop in for a tour of our newly remodeled community and enjoy a refreshing beverage with our sales team. Call 303-268-4747 or visit our website and make this the summer you start enjoying a new carefree retirement lifestyle.

Arbor View Senior Living’s unique design includes all ground-level residences with private patios, giving residents easy access to the outdoors and space to set up their own small gardens. Many have planters with colorful flowers and even grow small vegetable gardens and other plants right next to their patios. Because gardening is so popular, we provide community gardens as well so that everyone can “get their hands dirty in the soil” as little or as much as they like.

The community gardens and planters are raised to allow for easy access and Arbor View provides a full complement of gardening necessities like spades, watering cans, and hoses. Residents and our team collaborate to maintain the gardens with rotating crops to keep the soil fresh.

Kellie Campbell, a Certified Recreation Specialist with 35 years of experience and an Activities Associate at Arbor View, oversees the community gardens working with residents to decide what flowers and vegetables to grow.

“When I started here four years ago the gardening plots were overgrown but there was a real interest by many residents to start planting vegetables for the community again. We started a gardening club that is open to everyone and are fortunate to receive donations of soil, starter plants, and seed packets. Residents take the lead and I support them as much as possible,” Kellie said.

Right now the entire 13-acre campus is surrounded by planters with a variety of annuals and perennials like roses, columbines, and irises. Soon the large garden plots will yield a variety of vegetables like radishes, lettuce, kohlrabi, and tomatoes. The harvest will be donated to the culinary staff to be incorporated into the dining menu and shared with team members.

Kellie says the biggest benefit the community gardens offer is encouraging residents to get outside and work together, often reminiscing about the gardens they have grown in the past and building connections through a shared interest.

“The residents love seeing seeds sprout and small starter plants grow into beautiful flowers or begin producing tomatoes. Even those who are not particularly interested in gardening still like to see the progress, guess what plant is growing, and be outdoors socializing with each other,” Kellie said.

Gardening offers several health benefits, especially for older adults. The University of Colorado Boulder recently published an article about the benefits of community gardening concluding that “community gardening could play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases, and mental health disorders.” Researchers observed that those who participated in community gardening were more likely to eat the healthy foods they helped grow and it encouraged people to get outdoors and connect with others providing a boost to their mental health.

At Arbor View Senior Living, we are responsive to the interests and activities the residents want, especially when it is something that has so many health benefits, helps strengthen social bonds, and encourages participation in community life like gardening does.

Call 303-268-4747 to schedule a tour and learn how you can plant roots at Arbor View. We’re always looking for more green thumbs to help our senior living community flourish.