Loma Clara Senior Living Pairs Brain Health with Hands-On Creativity
Senior living in Morgan Hill, CA, means being surrounded by good weather, a chance of an occasional celebrity sighting, and creative aging activities such as making bookmarks, coloring, and sharing stories. The residents at Loma Clara Senior Living stay engaged through educational classes and live events they can participate in as they build new skills.
The Global Brain Health Institute tested 1,400 participants in 13 countries, finding that regardless of the type of creativity, from musicians to tango dancers to gamers, more years of creativity were associated with younger brains.
Mental and physical enrichment for seniors can help create a better sense of accomplishment and purpose. New and old hobbies help build skills and facilitate easy engagement in social interactions with other residents. Tailored events, like dance or playing the piano, work seniors' muscles to build strength and mobility, while preserving memory and reducing dementia risk.
What Are Some Creative Loma Clara Senior Living Activities?
Residents have creative sessions for all talents and interests. For example, some mornings can start with creative coloring and coffee.
After all, coloring images are no longer just for kids, as coloring activity has been proven to also help adults with stress relief. Plus, there are DIY mosaic tile coaster workshops to put those coffee mugs on.
If coloring pages aren't enough, there's also the watercolor studio, where they may bring out their inner Picasso or van Gogh. Instead of creating a picture from scratch, they can also have lots of fun with their regular puzzle group to piece images back together and work their brain.
Those who want to enhance their personal style or create gifts for loved ones can participate in jewelry-making sessions. The community may also have week-long events such as Culture Week.
Those who are musically inclined can participate in events like piano and sing along. Seniors also get to test their storytelling skills and memory recall during share and tell. If the book club isn't enough to please the resident bookworms, they can take their love of literature to another level by making bedazzled bookmarks.
Don't forget about nature. While there's always time for a morning walk on the scenic grounds, residents may also enjoy flower arranging at the women's club.
How Does Art and Movement Provide Memory Support?
When seniors get to be creative in a non-judgmental setting, it can work to calm and soothe them, which can also help reduce any agitation some may have with cognitive decline. Doing these activities helps to improve their memory, focus, decision-making, teamwork, and overall mental sharpness, which keeps the brain functioning and producing new brain cells.
The motor cortex is engaged when residents perform activities like painting or drawing. Plus, some of these activities may also bring back pleasant memories for seniors due to their sensory richness. Working with clay or paint may bring them back to their younger years and old hobbies that they haven't been able to practice in a long time.
From drawing to sculpting to playing an instrument, seniors get to activate multiple brain regions simultaneously. As a result, these activities work to promote new neural connections while strengthening existing ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Morgan Hill, CA, Wealthy?
Yes, Morgan Hill, California, is certainly a very wealthy, affluent area that has real estate priced at an average of $1.3 million and up, with higher prices as much as $5 to $6 million. The area attracts upwardly mobile tech professionals from Silicon Valley, and many other celebrities live in the area, such as former and current 49ers players.
Many people enjoy this part of California due to well-maintained properties, outdoor activities, overall high safety, and proximity to the ocean.
What Are Common Terms Related to Creative Aging?
According to Lifetime Arts, some common terms that come up include:
- Ageism
- Culminating (sharing)event
- Rewirement
- Inter-generational
- Teaching artist
- Skill-building
- Dementia-capable
- Responsive programming
- Social engagement
- Sequential
Skill building refers to older adults still working to develop specific abilities over time so they can learn and build upon their creative growth. Rewirement focuses on the idea of lifelong growth and re-invention by seniors continuing to engage in meaningful learning.
A culminating or public sharing event celebrates the seniors' effort and artistic achievements with other community members, friends, or family.
Plus, there's ageism where seniors have to deal with society assuming they can no longer do what they used to do or build new skills. With the support of the community, they can show it's never too late to learn, grow, and teach.
How Does Art Help With Memory?
Did you know that engaging with art, whether you're reviewing it or creating it, activates the prefrontal cortex and temporal regions of the brain? In other words, it helps activate part of the brain essential for memory processing and emotional regulation.
For example, drawing something helps someone remember it more than simply reading or writing about it. That's because this activity uses visual, kinesthetic (physical engagement), and semantic (understanding the context or meaning of something) ways of processing information.
Residents Have Memory Support Through Art and Fun at Loma Clara Senior Living
As any caring senior community understands, one is never too old to learn, teach, or have fun. That's why the Loma Clara senior community ensures that residents have a vibrant and active social calendar that can suit all personality levels. While seniors can always participate in the other brain-boosting events, like a fun game of bingo or a nature walk outside, having more hands-on creative events can work the brain on an even deeper level.
Seniors may decide to play the piano or create tangible items during activities like jewelry and colorful coasters. They can take the monotony out of morning coffee by combining it with something fun and stress-reducing, such as coloring activities.
Loma Clara Senior Living uses diverse activities so our memory care and assisted living residents have support that encourages socialization and creativity essential to brain health. To learn more about our brain-boosting activities and living options, schedule a tour of our community today.