Summer Programming for Seniors
At any Benchmark Senior Living community, we make sure there’s always something exciting to partake in or an adventure to join, especially during the summer when the weather is warm.
Our summer programming is designed to help our residents get out and about, enjoy the warm weather, and engage in their surrounding communities, the natural world, and with each other in fun, unique ways. Part of what we know from over 25 years of experience is that bringing people together around shared interests is a vital component of healthy living. It helps all of our residents stimulate their bodies and minds, contributing to their overall physical and mental health, the most crucial part of which is human connection, the core of Benchmark’s purpose and values.
When bringing people together for summer outings and activities at our Benchmark communities, we know exactly how to cater to our residents’ needs. Our communities use a platform called TSOLife, which helps us record, document, and analyze residents’ interests. By collecting simple voice recordings from our residents using a mobile app, we’re able to isolate specific interests our residents have through the recording that is then collected and exported to text. Analyzing the information our residents provide helps us identify specific programming that we know our residents will both enjoy and benefit from.
We understand how important it is to keep our programming fresh so there’s always new people to meet and something to look forward to. Socializing is such an important part of staying healthy and engaged. As a recent Harvard study suggests, getting out and about to interact with others automatically encourages movement. What’s more is that socializing helps improve cognition, keeping minds sharp and focused at a critical time in life. Sometimes, a day is best spent closer to home. This is why many of our communities are built with important natural features such as patios, gardens, and walking paths, which are made specifically for residents to enjoy the outdoors, take advantage of nice weather, and improve their emotional wellbeing without going far.
We make it easy for our residents to gather informally, because of what we know about how socializing in a variety of situations helps to maintain good mental health. People who are able to easily join together benefit from increased self-esteem, a sense of belonging and purpose, and the motivation to continue their own self-care where appropriate. We provide space for our residents to organize and facilitate their own groups when desired, too. Some communities use their outdoor patios to hold regular reading clubs or meetings around other intellectual pursuits. One group of residents recently raised painted lady butterflies in their yard. When fully grown, the butterflies were released by the residents, who were delighted to let them go free into the community’s garden and beyond.
Our communities encourage residents to try new things as often as they provide opportunities for residents to enjoy things they already love to do. We schedule on-site summer concerts for residents, family members and friends to enjoy music they love, close to home. We bring residents and their families together for ice cream parties and cookouts, along with other summertime favorites. This way, residents and their families have the time and space they need to enjoy one another’s company in a healthy, balanced, supportive environment where everyone is well cared for. No one ever has to leave their community to be able to spend time with family, enjoy a glass of wine on a patio, or cook and bake together in a shared kitchen, continuing to live the way they always have, only better.
More than anything, we understand that keeping people interested and engaged is an important component of socialization and maintaining mental and physical health, both of which are integral to keeping people at their overall best. Our dedicated team of associates monitors our residents to ensure that in summer while they’re out and about, they’re also staying hydrated, cool, and maintaining their medication schedules.
At Benchmark, regardless of the season or the weather, our team thrives on creating fun, lighthearted, and engaging environments for our residents to stay engaged, healthy, happy, and aging well.
