Retirement homes foster strong relationships creating a state of emotional well being.
Friday, January 8, 2010 at 11:43PM 
New Year may mean new resolutions for some, revised resolutions for others and a resolution for “no resolutions” for more than we know. Gyms and diet companies bank on a certain percentage of people setting goals to get healthier in the New Year; eating right, exercising and just being more aware of their physical being. What about the aspect of being emotionally healthy? Where does the necessary mental health concept lie in the state prioritizing overall wellness?
Yesterday, I discussed the events of the last year with a gentleman sitting in my office. We talked about losses, health, good times and children. At the end of the conversation he went into the dining room and ate lunch with his fellow neighbors here at Harbor Pointe Retirement. He was not doing calisthenics or counting calories however in my opinion he was increasing his well being by creating a healthy, emotional and social heart.
Loneliness, sadness, loss, guilt, happiness, excitement anticipation are heart issues of a different kind. As we age our body may lose its elasticity and firmness, but our heart doesn’t lose the ability to feel emotion, compassion, and bonding. As humans it is important to feel, to share, to be connected. Retirement communities offer a solution to isolation of living alone and create the opportunity to flourish socially and emotionally. Friends, peers, and staff are here, right down the hall, across the table, next to you, and surrounding you.
The opportunity to create a vigorous, emotional well being is why the elderly should not be in the home alone for long periods of time. Checking in just to see if a widowed relative needs anything with a quick phone call is not a sound way to create a social environment for your loved ones. Creating a heart healthy environment depends on more than the drive by dinner in between soccer games. We know that being creating a state of physically health requires a day-by-day consistent program. Creating a healthy emotional heart requires consistency, repetition, and commitment as well.
Come and visit us today and see and feel for yourself how a strong retirement community can create a healthier heart. All of us at Harbour Pointe Retirement Community look forward to you visit.