What if you were diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, or any other health condition? You would expect your doctor to discuss the best treatments, and more often than not, you would receive a written prescription for medication. But what if, along with your pills, you also received an Rx to join a community gardening project, or meet up with a seniors’ choir group, or connect with a particular social support tailored to your unique situation? “Social prescribing” recognizes that our health—and healing—can’t be treated just by doctors or medicine alone.

Despite February being the shortest month of the year, it can sometimes feel like a very long stretch for seniors when spring is still far away. Here are five ways to enjoy this month even if the weather is colder and drearier than we’d like!

Social isolation increases the risks of heart disease, infectious illness, anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. Retirement living can contribute to a solution by offering seniors more daily opportunities to socialize with peers through recreational activities, themed social events, discussion groups and meals with friends. Socializing in a retirement community can improve health by strengthening the heart, reducing depression and anxiety, boosting brain health and immunity, and encouraging more physical activity.

Looking for ways to spend more time with your grandchildren this winter? Here are some great ideas for turning cold, snowy days (and nights) into an indoor winter fun-land!

People often find it challenging to keep their New Year’s resolutions. But moving into a retirement community could be a catalyst and opportunity for you to realize and stick with your health resolutions. Easy access to recreational activities that increase mobility, endurance and flexibility, brain fitness and art enrichment programs, and tasty, nutritious meals with friends can help make your health goals doable and sustainable.

Looking for a way to boost your walking power that’s also joint friendly, gives you an upper-body and core workout, and helps your balance too? Welcome to Nordic pole walking, a fun—and senior friendly activity—that all people, including those with arthritis, shoulder problems, and Parkinson’s, may find enjoyable and helpful in managing their health.

Many factors contribute to healthy aging, including staying physically, mentally, and socially active, and nutritious eating. Retirement communities support healthy aging by offering residents opportunities to connect socially with peers, engage in mentally stimulating activities, and do physical activities that build or maintain endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Participation in the arts and volunteering also enhances and enriches the health and well-being of residents in their daily lives.

There are numerous ways for seniors to combat boredom, including keeping mentally, physically and spiritually active, trying new things, and importantly, maintaining a social life with friends and family. But while it’s easy to identify the antidotes to boredom, how do you apply them?

Although Canadian women live longer than Canadian men, older women are more likely to develop chronic illnesses and disability. Moving to a retirement community can help women, including those whose spouses are in poor health or have passed away, reduce chronic illness risks through stimulating social and physical activities. They can also improve their health and quality of life with easy access to artistic pursuits and nutritious meals with friends.

Moving to and living in a retirement home offers older adults easy access to diverse recreational programs that provide powerful, wide-ranging therapeutic and health benefits. Moving to music boosts brain health and longevity, stretching programs improve balance and flexibility, and savouring positive moments builds emotional resilience. Volunteering strengthens social bonds and gives a sense of purpose, while pursuing artistic passions lifts your mood.

January is the perfect time to transform the winter blues into a warm kaleidoscope of brighter thoughts, feelings, and activities. Here are seven ways to greet the new year with positivity and a lighthearted attitude.

It’s a common question: why would I consider retirement living unless I need nursing support or 24-hour care? While personal support is conveniently available in retirement residences, and can be customized to your specific needs—including a spectrum of light services, such as medication management, to the more substantial, like assistance with your daily routine, an escort to meals and activities, and other assisted living services—senior living communities are also designed for active, independent older adults.