World Wellbeing Week – How To Look After Your Wellbeing
Improving Wellbeing and Mental Health in Care Homes
Now in its fifth year, World Wellbeing Week celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of wellbeing. It incorporates many aspects, including physical, mental and emotional health and social and economic influences. During World Wellbeing Week, we can all take care of our wellbeing and look out for the wellbeing of our loved ones and others in our community.
It’s important to prioritise both our physical and mental health, no matter what stage of life we’re in. As we age, it can become increasingly challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our bodies may be more vulnerable to illness or injury, and we may not be as agile as we once were. Additionally, it can be difficult to know exactly what our bodies need to stay in top shape.
At Oakland Care Homes, we focus on mind, body and soul to ensure our residents maintain a healthy lifestyle. As we age, our bodies and minds change, but the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle remains constant. To achieve this, balance is key, therefore a healthy lifestyle includes:
- A balanced diet
- Good-quality sleep
- Regular exercise
- Weight management
- Brain stimulation
- Mental wellbeing
If you’re currently searching for a care home, we recommend looking into ones promoting a lifestyle that caters to mental and physical wellbeing. It is important to prioritise both these aspects to live a happy and fulfilling life.
At Oakland Care, we know how important our residents’ physical and mental health is, and we have ‘Wellbeing Champions’ in our homes who support our residents with elements of everyday life that residents might no longer have been managing if they were living independently.
Have a Healthy Diet
Eating a healthy diet is also crucial to good wellbeing. At Oakland Care, eating healthy and nutritionally balanced meals is just par for the course. We ensure that every meal is tailored to the resident’s specific dietary needs, which ensures they get the best possible nutrition.
We can even adjust our menus seasonally to make sure that we are using the freshest produce available. Also, if our residents need textured modified alternatives, all of our teams are trained to prepare textured modified alternatives for those residents that may require modified menu preparation, ensuring residents get all the nutrients they need.
Staying Active
As we age, it can become more challenging to stay active. Many elderly people may feel unmotivated or unsure how to exercise safely with mobility issues. Because of this, we offer tailored exercises suitable for everyone’s physical ability. Our goal is to help build our residents’ confidence to enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle. Our group exercise classes, like drum fit, pom pom aerobics, seated aerobics, or Tai Chi, are fun and communal activities promote good health and reduce isolation. Staying active is essential to maintaining overall health and wellbeing, and we’re committed to helping our residents achieve that.
Regular physical activity can help improve:
- Strength and flexibility
- Enhance mobility
- Promote a healthy heart
- Boost immune system
- Release endorphins
- Improve your mental health
Your Mental Health
As a care home provider, we understand the importance of maintaining our residents’ mental health. We prioritise residents’ wellbeing by encouraging connections between people, whether it be residents, community contacts, or team members. We encourage communication and hold activities that keep the brain engaged. Read our stories on ‘Bodhi – The Care Dog’, who brings joy to our Beechwood Grove residents and Aqua Therapy, where Dee parks her wheelchair for good, thanks to swimming sessions and how this has improved our resident’s mental health.
At Oakland Care, we ensure that all of our residents receive the best possible care tailored to their needs. We understand that every resident is unique and requires a different level of care, so we always strive to provide a personalised approach.
Mental and physical health are equally important, and we are committed to promoting overall well-being for all our residents. Our team is passionate about what they do and they work to ensure that our residents feel safe, comfortable and valued daily.
If you are worried about your loved one’s wellbeing and think their lifestyle may be affected by age, mobility, or a health condition such as dementia, it may be time to consider moving them into a residential care home. We are here to help guide you through the process of moving into a care home and can answer any questions you may have to put your mind at ease.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 0300 303 5445, where our team is ready and willing to provide you with the support you need or visit our website.