To enjoy your senior years, you need to invest in improving your wellness. But where do you focus on? Here, providers of home health care in California recommend concentrating on the so-called seven dimensions of wellness.
These dimensions cover various aspects of healthy living. They will serve as your guide in creating a comprehensive guide for yourself or your loved ones. Thus, you need to understand what each dimension is about and how to attain each.
The Physical Dimension Of Wellness
This one is arguably the most familiar dimension of wellness. The premise is straightforward. If you keep your physical body healthy, you can enjoy your senior years more. That is why it serves as the foundation on which the other dimensions are built upon.
Maintaining physical wellness is especially important for older adults, as they are in the period where their bodies start to decline. By being physically fit, they can delay the aging process. In particular, it can help you delay potential motor disabilities by as much as 25%.
How To Improve Physical Wellness
To start, you should be physically active as much as possible. Doctors recommend that you engage in any form of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week. That can be exercise, physical chores, or leisurely activities like walking.
You would also want to maintain a healthy diet. Start by adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals. On the other hand, be aware of the foods you need to avoid. A dietician can help you create a meal plan that best suits your needs.
Lastly, have regular medical checkups even if you are not feeling anything. This way, doctors can spot signs of disease early and help you prevent them. Additionally, they can give you more health advice.
The Emotional Dimension Of Wellness
Your emotional state also plays a significant role in your overall health. Feelings of happiness and other positive emotions help make you more relaxed and calm. On the other hand, negative emotions can induce unwanted stress on your body.
The emotional dimension of wellness is about getting yourself in tune with everything you feel. That includes even the negative ones. These will contribute to greater self-acceptance and a more optimistic look in life.
How Seniors Can Gain Emotional Wellness
A challenge for older adults is that their emotions can change much quicker than they used to. One time, they might be happy only to be distressed the next. To better control those emotions, you should have a more positive mindset. Some of the ways to do that include:
- Express your gratitude for all the good things that happen during the day.
- Learn to forgive yourself and others for mistakes
- Take it slower and do one thing at a time
- Contemplate your purpose in life.
- Write down your thoughts to better understand them
You might need some time to get into these habits. But as you grow accustomed to them, you will also find yourself in better control of your emotions.
The Social Dimension Of Wellness
You have already heard the saying “no man is an island” hundreds of times. And that also pretty much applies to your overall wellness. That is more so the case during your senior years, where you might be dealing with feelings of aloneness.
Thus, the third dimension is all about becoming socially active once again. It goes in two different ways. First off is to reconnect with family and old friends. You would also want to make new friends and acquaintances and liven things up.
How You Can Be Socially Active
You might think that there isn’t much in the way of socialization opportunities for seniors like you. But that is not the case anymore. Various organizations hold events specifically aimed at older adults . These are great opportunities for you to reach out to other like-minded people.
You can even socialize without having to travel. Through the Internet, you can connect with relatives and friends in different cities or countries. You can also join senior groups online to share your stories.
The Intellectual Dimension Of Wellness
Good mental health also plays an essential role in your overall wellness in your senior years. During this time, your cognitive functions are starting to wane. But you can delay that by training your brain.
Much like with physical exercise, the key here is being mentally active. A study by the International Council For Active Aging reveals you can reduce mild cognitive impairment by doing intellectually stimulating activities.
What You Can Do
Luckily, there are plenty of intellectually stimulating activities that you can do. Puzzles and mind games are some of the most popular ones. These are great since you can do them while in the comforts of your home. Other leisurely activities that you can do include reading and writing about your thoughts.
You can also take this as an opportunity to learn new skills. That is great not just for mental training. You also build your self-esteem since you get to see what you can still do. That can contribute to your emotional health. Many providers of home health care in California can help you connect with senior training programs for the skills you want to learn.
The Environmental Dimension Of Wellness
Outside of your actions, the environment you live in also contributes to your overall wellness. This is even more so with older adults. Environmental conditions can have a more significant impact on you than younger people.
For instance, the stress induced by a chaotic environment can make existing health conditions worse. Our abilities to process such environments become less effective as we age. On the other hand, being in a positive environment can help you protect yourself from such conditions.
Improving Your Environment
Short of moving out to a different place, there are things you can do to make the area you move around more conducive to your overall wellness. You can start by setting up a quiet space for yourself. That should be somewhere away from the busy areas, where you can unwind. You would also want it to be pollution-free for your health.
You can make that place more conducive by tidying it up. Declutter the stuff that you don’t need and organize everything. This helps you get peace of mind seeing everything clean. Being active in cleaning the place is also a good exercise for you.
If you don’t prefer to be under home health care in California, an alternative is to move into assisted living communities. These have well-maintained facilities that are great for your environmental wellness. Additionally, they have other services that can help contribute to your overall wellness.
The Occupational Dimension Of Wellness
When we are younger, we often get a sense of fulfillment by having a successful career. But as retirement and your senior years come, that sense of fulfillment also starts to fade away. Older adults also start questioning their purpose since their careers are now behind them.
Note that not everyone goes through this. Some people might continue working well beyond the usual retirement years. But even they can find themselves asking where they want to go at some point.
How You Can Maintain Wellness
The solution here is finding other uses for your talents and skills after retirement. Volunteering is one way you can do it. Various organizations readily accept senior volunteers who can provide expert knowledge.
Additionally, you can go on mentoring others within your community. You can organize this as informal sessions at home, or get the help of local authorities to set up the training. This is also an effective way for you to socialize.
The Spiritual Dimension Of Wellness
When you reach your senior years, you also start thinking about your mortality. After all, this is the time when major illnesses can come in hard. It is also when you would want to connect with your spirituality more.
Here, you might find yourself contemplating the deeper meaning of your life. You also think about how you want to live out the rest of your days. There is also the question of what would happen to the ones you leave behind.
How You Can Get Spiritual Wellness
Whether you are a member of a religious group or have your personal beliefs, finding some answers to these questions can bring you solace. That is primarily what spiritual wellness is all about. Arguably the most common way for many of us to achieve that is by talking with a spiritual leader or counselor. Home health care providers in California like Amavi have services that can help you in this case.
You can also find that solace on your own. Activities like gardening, writing, and meditation can help you clear your mind and think about these deeper. Once you have contemplated such things, you will find yourself in a much happier and calmer state.
Attain Wellness With The Help Of The Best Home Health Care Provider In California
To meet all of these dimensions of wellness, you need the help of experts. We at Amavi have devised an extensive senior care program that covers all of these dimensions. Contact us today and get the best home health care in California to help you attain wellness in your later years.