Senior Living: Bringing Seniors A Sweet New Year

Will you be wishing senior loved ones a sweet New Year this Rosh Hashanah? Whether your senior family lives in a senior living community, their own home, or with you in your home, there are many ways to bring sweetness and happiness into their lives during the high holidays and throughout the year.

Happiness Changes With Age
Studies have shown that what makes people happy changes with age. For younger adults, the “sweet spot” is novelty. New and extraordinary events bring them high measures of happiness. For older adults, especially after age 70, the “sweet spot” is familiarity. The joy of day-to-day occurrences brings them greater happiness and a feeling of peace and calm.

Experiences, Not Things
One constant about happiness across all age groups is that experiences bring greater happiness than things. And, experiences shared with others bring the most happiness. For seniors, a year of experiences that celebrate the everyday with friends and family will be sweet, indeed!

Sweet Experiences for Seniors
Here are some tips for creating great experiences that bring sweetness and joy to your loved one in the coming year:

• Make the most of small, ordinary moments. Take time to talk one-on-one with a senior loved one over coffee and bagel one morning. Enjoy a manicure or watch a ball game on television together.
• Celebrate! In the rush of everyday life, stop to celebrate the everyday joys, rather than just the big events. A dinner together to celebrate a piece of good news can bring as much joy as a large event (with much less stress).
• Choose experiences that make it easy for your loved one to relax. For example, instead of a large meal at a noisy restaurant where your loved one may strain to hear, bring in food from a favorite deli and enjoy at home where conversation is easier.
• Include family and close friends. Being surrounded by special, familiar people brings comfort and calm.

L’Shana Tovah from FountainView!

FountainView at College Road is a glatt kosher senior living community in Rockland County, NY.