What to Look for in a Senior Wellness Center

Written by Heidi Nestor, Writer and Editor, Life Alert

What to Look for in a Senior Wellness Center by Heidi Nestor, writer and editor for Life Alert.

When buying a new house or car, people usually take their time to thoroughly investigate the condition of said house or car, in order to weigh it against the financial investment that’s about to be made.

This kind of detailed inspection should also apply when joining a Senior Wellness Center that requires membership fees. So to ensure you are joining the right center that meets your needs; here are a few key items to look for:

The Mission Statement: Yup, that’s right. Start with their mission statement. A mission statement should tell you what the goals are towards the center and its members. Moreover, it reminds the center what their commitment is to the members so they can remain on track.

The Learning Lab: One of the best ways to ward off memory loss and build brain power is with continuing education. This consists of taking classes that focus on learning new topics, such as, a foreign language or new technology. A center should have a lab and classes in various topics, ranging from the benefits of good nutrition and exercise to teaching how to IM your BFF on FB that UCT BC UR AICD is acting up, so BBFN. The costs should also have a range of $5-$7 dollars for a class, or $50-$75 for a full course.

The Fitness Room: The fitness room (or gym) should be clean with well maintained equipment. A schedule of wellness classes and their activity levels should be posted along with reasonable rates. Classes shouldn’t be more than $15 dollars. An added bonus would be if the center has a pool for laps or water aerobics.

Nutrition Program: Some centers may have a nutritionist on board as an advisor, but it’s not required. What is required are classes on basic nutrition for the aging body; education on how to maintain health; assistance on how to obtain health information such as your BMI or LDL levels, and how to correct them if their too high.

Scheduled Activities: The proverb, “A rolling stone gathers no moss” applies to staying youthful mentally and physically, that is, if you view moss as stagnation. A big part of growing younger as you grow older is to be around like minded people who stimulate you and partake in activities that will keep you active. A Senior Wellness Center should have various gatherings, from a bingo club to a motorcycle club; a knitting group to a hiking group; from a dancing league to a bowling league. There should be an array of extracurricular activities to join that either meet at the center or at an alternative location. These gatherings should be promoted and encouraged by the center because friendships and social actives are imperative to keeping the mind, body, and spirit active and young.

But when it comes down to the what really matters, it’s not so much as to how many ballroom dance classes are offered, or if the recreation room has a big screen TV to watch sports, though added benefits, what you really need to look for are the wide-range of services that will assist you in building your health so that you can maintain longevity and independence.

Life Alert Encino also promotes senior wellness with a variety of health information and services that can get help fast in an emergency. Just as a senior center is a social link to the outside world, Life Alert is a lifesaving link to the outside world for immediate medical attention; possibly minimizing permanent damage or disability so you can preserve your way of life.

This article is based on ...

The article on this Life Alert website is covered by a Creative Commons License. You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work; to make derivative works; to make commercial use of the work --under the following conditions: Attribution --You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Please go to the Creative Commons License site for more information on the CC license that applies to this work.

For more information about Life Alert and its many services and benefits for seniors – available in New York, California, Florida, and other states nationwide -- please visit the following websites:

http://www.lifealert.net
http://www.seniorprotection.com
http://www.lifealertnewyork.com