The Americare Focus is on Balanced Aging Across Seven Dimensions of Wellness
Across its communities in Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi, Americare will be an active host and participant in the Active Aging Week (AAW) from October 5 through 11, sponsored by the International Council on Active Aging. AAW is a celebration of all the amazing things older adults do.
While exact activities will be customized to each Americare Community, each one will celebrate and focus on the company theme of Balanced Aging. Maple Tree Terrace in Carthage is an Americare Senior Living community.
“We believe that the blueprint for wellness as a person ages is a balance between physical, emotional and spiritual focuses and activities that allow each individual to stay as active and engaged as possible for as long as possible,” said Mary Eaves, Vice President of Americare and leader of the company Active Aging Week. “We have a program across our facilities called Balance Academy that is designed to help seniors reduce falls by improving balance and improving confidence. As we thought about Active Aging Week this year, we thought the theme of ‘Balance’ was perfect, but expanded it to seven areas of focus.”
Each community will have programs and activities that address one or more of the seven dimensions of wellness – Physical, Emotional, Social, Intellectual, Spiritual, Environmental and Vocational.
“Through programs like this, we are evolving the care experience from being a Care Community who provides wellness to a Wellness Community who provides care,” added Eaves.
Physical Wellness promotes participation in personal safety and activities for cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, balance and flexibility. This is a multifaceted dimension relative to ability and disability.
Emotional Wellness promotes awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings and the degree to which an individual feels positive and enthusiastic about self and life. It involves the capacity to manage feelings and behaviors, self-acceptance, and coping with stress and life’s challenges.
Social Wellness promotes creating and maintaining healthy relationships. It enhances interdependence with others and nature and encourages the pursuit of harmony and feelings of connectedness.
Intellectual Wellness promotes the use of one’s mind to create a greater understanding of appreciation of one’s self and others. It involves one’s ability to think creatively and rationally. This dimension encourages an individual to expand his/her knowledge and skills.
Spiritual Wellness promotes seeking meaning and purpose in human existence. It involves developing a strong sense of personal values and ethics and emphasizes an appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe.
Environmental wellness promotes living in harmony with the earth by understanding the impact of your interaction with nature and personal environment and taking action to protect the world around you.
Vocational wellness promotes the process of determining and achieving positive personal and occupational goals and interest. This dimension is linked to discovering an individual’s “calling in life” and encourages one to be a good giver and receiver of Life’s gifts.
In addition to its own programs and activities at its communities, by serving as a host community for Active Aging Week, each Americare community can also select from a wide variety of nationally offered virtual activities and ideas. Visit www.activeagingweek.com for a glimpse of offerings.
To keep up with Active Aging Week at each Americare Facility, watch that facilities’ Facebook Page for posts.
