Friends are a precious commodity for us all, but especially for seniors. The love and companionship we enjoy with our friends make our lives emotionally richer, and research now shows that our friends can be powerful allies in helping us increase our longevity. For instance, data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Aging has shown that people age 70 or older with active social lives live 22% longer than those with less active social lives.

The other day I sat in with a group of older adults who had recently moved into a senior housing complex.  They talked about the emotional dynamic of transitioning to a new living environment. They spoke of loneliness, fear of change, and sadness at the loss of their former homes.

So, what’s a hashtag (#) and do apps grow on trees? The language of technology is taking over our world and it is growing increasingly difficult to keep up. “Selfie,” the act of taking photos of oneself to share on the Internet, is officially a new word in the dictionary. Learning new Internet lingo might not be worth all of the time and effort required, but many of the new apps (applications that are often free or inexpensively accessed on a Smartphone or tablet device) can, in fact, positively impact the lives of seniors. 

“Bingo!”  Just the name makes people cringe and ask, is this all social life has to offer for residents in Long Term Care—how terrible!  Well, I want to help you look at Bingo in a new way.

When residents come to Hebrew Rehabilitation Center, they are here because they need round-the-clock care, often including regular medical attention. But, this is still where they live, and we are always trying to find ways to make our residents feel at home. This often means finding a balance between creating a home-like environment, and making sure that our residents are safe.