From Wellness to Well-Being
Our Enrichment Team incorporates the seven dimensions of wellness (physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, and occupation) to guide our program design for the wide variety of people who live at Lenbrook. While “wellness” is the foundation to healthy living, so is a having a sense of “well-being.”
Today the field of healthy aging is focusing on helping individuals maximize their functional abilities. This approach helps people participate in life to the best of their abilities and achieve a sense of well-being and purpose at every stage in life.
Focus on Functional Abilities
Just recently I was enjoying a hike in Cloudland Canyon State park. Much to my dismay (and chagrin), I tripped and fell. My doctor confirmed stress fractures in two ribs (not to mention a bruised ego) and prescribed restricted activity for a number of weeks.
For someone who exercises five to six days a week, including teaching several classes a week – including one here at Lenbrook, restricted activity isn’t easy. Although I hated to miss teaching, I knew our enthusiastic and experienced Fitness Manager and Fitness Specialist would be able to jump in and cover my class without skipping a beat.
It could have been much worse…I am reminded of the advice given by our honored centenarians at last month’s Soiree. “Keep your focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t do. Look for the positives in your life. Be engaged, accept what you can’t change and change what you can.” Great words of wisdom.
So, with this wisdom in mind, I am conducting meetings by phone, and working remotely using my laptop. The entire Lenbrook Team is invested in our success and they are working to help support me.
Learning to maximize my functional abilities is a valuable life lesson and, for the most part, it’s working out fine. Despite a drop in my physical component of wellness, my sense of well-being is largely intact. That’s because our Lenbrook Team actively nurtures and embraces all aspects of wellness and we are a strong, encouraging network for each other.
Activity With a Purpose
That’s what we do in our community. We encourage active participation by everyone to the best of their abilities. Whether our residents live in an independent apartment or in our Healthcare Center suites, we have tailored programming for various levels of ability throughout our campus — creating an inclusive culture.
For example, in our Healthcare Center, we have “In the Kitchen” classes on Mondays, where everyone in the community pitches in to their best of their abilities by suggesting recipes, making cookies, cakes or even cheese sticks. We have massage therapy days, aromatherapy days, and fresh flower arranging sessions and then use the arrangements on our dinner tables. We also have excursions off campus (like our recent trip to Lake Rabun) supported by our skilled and loving Bus Driver!
Our Spiritual Care programming has grown exponentially. In fact, our Chaplain’s weekly all-denomination worship service had become so popular that we now offer two services every Sunday, one in the Healthcare Center and one in our main floor Events Center. This is in addition to many more spiritual services provided by visiting rabbis, priests, yoga and meditation instructors, and others throughout the week.
Our Supervisor of Programs and Events started a Victors Club for residents experiencing more graduated cognitive decline to meet on Monday afternoons to work together on meaningful projects. Most recently they created cards that were distributed to war veterans on Veterans Day both here at Lenbrook and at the VA Hospital.
Lenbrook’s Movie Theater room is bustling on most days, showing movies to a packed crowd that will soon require two showings a day instead of just one — thanks to the involvement of our Enrichment Assistant. She’s taken great interest in talking with attendees to find out what they like and don’t like on a regular basis.
Our Enrichment Team works with every department throughout our community — Dining Services, Fitness, Spiritual Care, Buildings and Grounds, Security, L.I.V.E!, the Clinic, Housekeeping, Valet, Concierge and Marketing — to offer over 200 programs, events and activities every month.
Achieving Healthy Well-Being
Achieving a healthy well-being is ever changing, as I quickly learned with my hiking injury. It’s incumbent upon us to listen, engage and adapt in ways that ensure we meet folks where they are, and maximize current functional abilities. In doing so, we can enjoy travelling the winding road of wellness and well-being together.