Senior Wellness: Building a Foundation for Healthy Aging
By Ann Rollins
Executive Director
Poe Center for Health Education
As a senior myself, I have begun to really consider what I need to do to stay as healthy as possible. As I have been serving on several Wake County committees looking into senior services and their health needs, I want to share what I have learned thus far.
Here are some key areas seniors should focus on for wellness:
- Physical Health: Regular check-ups, exercise, and a balanced diet are essential. Simple activities like walking or stretching can make a big difference.
- Mental Well-being: Staying socially active and engaging in hobbies can boost mood and cognitive function. Consider joining clubs or groups in the community.
- Home Safety: Make sure the home is safe and accessible. This might include removing tripping hazards, adding grab bars, and ensuring good lighting.
- Medication Management: Keep track of medications with a pill organizer or an app to avoid confusion and ensure adherence.
- Technology: Embrace technology for communication and health monitoring. Tools like video calls and health apps can help stay connected and informed.
- Support Systems: Build a network of family, friends, or caregivers who can provide assistance when needed.
North Carolina’s senior population is steadily growing as more people move into our state.
Most seniors want to age in place. Aging in place is all about maintaining independence while staying healthy and safe at home. By focusing on these areas, seniors can enhance their quality of life while comfortably aging in place.
The Poe Center understands that seniors need to have proper nutrition, physical activity, and social interactions through support systems as well as through technology. One program provided to seniors by the Poe Center is the Stay Strong, Stay Healthy series.
Stay Strong, Stay Healthy (SSSH) is a direct-education intervention designed to help older adults increase physical activity, decrease sedentary behaviors, increase fruit and vegetable consumption, and sustain physical activity participation and healthy eating behaviors after completing the program.
SSSH strives to meet the need for effective community-based physical activity and nutrition programs, so classes are offered by trained instructors in familiar locations such as churches, community centers, and senior centers.
The series consists of 16 one-hour sessions over eight weeks. Participants complete a warmup, a prescribed set of upper- and lower-body strengthening exercises, and a cool-down.
SSSH challenges participants through incremental increases in exercise volume and intensity. Each physical activity session is followed by a nutrition lesson, and lessons are tailored to older adults by addressing topics such as fiber, bone health, and vitamins and minerals for healthy aging.
In addition to weekly group classes, participants are encouraged to complete the program on their own once a week, including preparation of the recipes. After the course ends, participants are still encouraged to continue at home or with a community group.
The overall goal of SSSH is to increase physical activity and improve nutrition behavior to help seniors maintain independence.
Seniors are an important group of our community and we need to provide needed resources for their wellness and comfort as retirees. Through prioritizing wellness, physical activity, and nutrition, seniors can maintain comfort and increased levels of independence for longer.
So, for me personally, I strive to be healthy so that I can enjoy our adult children and our six grandchildren!
Featured Article
Aging, Exercise, and Physical Activity
Physical activity is an important part of healthy aging. Check out these articles for the latest on how exercise and physical activity can help you stay healthy as you age. Find tips on how to fit exercise into your daily life safely and get motivated to get moving!