The key to good health and longevity for seniors is not a mythical Fountain of Youth, but the good habits identified by today’s scientists. Research shows that healthy lifestyles are more influential than genes in helping older adults stay youthful and live longer. Staying socially connected, being physically active, thinking positively, and exercising your brain through lifelong learning can help you to maintain optimal health and quality of life.
Chartwell Retirement Residences is hosting a National Spring Open House on Sunday, April 30th from 1-4 p.m. at all of our retirement communities across Canada. Join us at our family-friendly event to sample delicious food and refreshments, enjoy lively entertainment, meet our dedicated staff and take a look around.
We sat down with Chartwell’s Design Coordinator and overall decorating guru, Patricia McKnight, for her advice on outfitting your new suite.
“One Friday night in Montreal, I wanted to go to the cinema. But my friend wanted me to go to a dance at the YMCA. I told him I’d go with him and I’d ask only one woman to dance with me.”
Meet Midget Tuffin, a nine-year-old pup who moved into Chartwell Leamington Retirement Residence with her human companions, Ken and Elise, back in 2015.
At Chartwell Trilogy Long Term Care Residence in East Toronto, nothing is more important to staff than the happiness and health of their residents. With this in mind, the team headed into 2017 with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication, and decided to assemble a committee of staff who would help residents’ wishes come true through our Moments That Matter program.
A growing body of research shows that people who are happier enjoy better health and longevity on average. Studies indicate that positive emotions protect against heart disease, and happy people are better able to perform daily living activities as they age. There is also good evidence to suggest that older adults who are physically active, volunteer, socially involved and pursue their passion in retirement are happier.
“I’m writing my memories. I feel good while writing them, and I feel even better reading them. I don’t know what I’m going to do with them yet! Maybe I’ll leave them as an heirloom to my children. I started with a timeline of the important dates and moments of my life.”
Sitting for long periods without any physical activity could accelerate biological aging by as much as eight years. Researchers found that active older adults had longer telomeres and sedentary seniors had shorter telomeres, a sign of faster-aging cells and greater health risks. Toronto Rehab researchers have also shown that exercising regularly and sitting less is much healthier than exercising for 30 minutes and being sedentary the rest of the day.
It turns out that catchy slogan from a 1970s hair-colour commercial might actually be true. Many seniors will tell you that, rather than feeling their lives are in decline (as typical ageist stereotypes would have us believe), they’re sure their lives have never been better. And that’s not despite their age, but because of it.
