The 1985 movie Cocoon featured a group of seniors who snuck into a pool and swam there, where they were regenerated by aliens who were using the pool as a place to grow their cocoons. After their swims, the seniors are depicted as energetic, vivacious, and active, which is a contrast to their behavior before they begin swimming in the pool.
While we certainly do not have alien-pod filled pools at our facilities, we do have groups of very active seniors, which seems to surprise many first-time visitors to our facilities. They expect an assisted living facility to be something like a hospice, with benevolent workers struggling to keep themselves from becoming attached to residents who have resigned themselves to death. Nothing could be further away from the reality of life at a Chelsea Senior Living Senior Facility.
On the contrary, helping keep seniors mentally and physically active, as well as keeping them engaged in their community, are the primary goals of the assisted living model. This involves not only keeping seniors involved in the hobbies and activities that they currently enjoy, but also providing them with opportunities to explore new activities and interests, which is why we offer activities like adult education programs and art classes at our locations.
While an older view of aging took a very infantilizing view of seniors, and seemed to suggest that as people aged they would inevitably return to a time when they needed the same level of care as an infant, newer views of aging recognize that growing older is not the same thing s growing old.
On the contrary, for many people, the golden years can often offer the best opportunities for enjoying life, and there is no reason for this to change simply because someone transitions into an assisted living situation. Instead, by removing some of the stressors associated with independently maintaining a home or apartment, assisted livings can help dramatically improve quality of life.
One way they do so is by planning diverse social calendars, which provide all residents with the opportunity to engage in activities that they find enjoyable. These activities vary by location, but the best part about the Chelsea philosophy is that we are guided by our residents.
If there are activities that our residents want to incorporate into the social calendars, then we try to find a way to incorporate those activities. Our goal is to provide the most enriching and stimulating environment possible, to improve quality of life for our residents.
