At Galloway Ridge, we recognize the impact the eight dimensions of wellness has on overall senior health. Seniors today are interested in ways to ensure they lead a healthy lifestyle by staying active physically, socially, spiritually, and intellectually for the best quality of life.
Residents at Galloway Ridge are encouraged to participate in our Healthy Horizons program. In this fun-filled wellness program, we offer a wide variety of activities custom-designed to meet the needs of each individual resident.
For those who volunteer to take part in the program, a Senior Fitness test will be administered by an Exercise Physiologist. This test uses our Interactive Health Partner Software program and screens the resident’s current upper and lower body flexibility, upper and lower body strength, as well as the resident’s balance and endurance. Residents will be rescreened to see the results the program has provided them every six months or as designated by the Exercise Physiologist.
Physical and Cognitive Activities for Seniors
All residents have access to the Duke Center for Living (DCFL), our state of the art, 20,000 square foot wellness and fitness facility. Through Galloway Ridge’s DCFL and Active Living programming, residents participate in structured programs or can simply walk the track on their own. DCFL offers a wide variety of monthly fitness classes and activities for senior wellness, everything from foot strengthening classes and Tai Chi to senior Pilates and water aerobics. Our fitness programs have already seen some amazing results among residents, like improved balance, sustained or improved strength and more socialization between the residents regarding healthy living.
Physical activities are a major part of the Healthy Horizons program, but we also focus on senior brain health as well. Because we focus on all the dimensions of wellness, we incorporate Dr. Cynthia Green’s Total Brain Health® philosophy on brain health and fitness into the Healthy Horizons program. Some of the cognitive activities for seniors that are planned monthly include trivia and brain games like Boggle and Memory Match.
Improving Senior Brain Health and Senior Wellness
Dr. Green’s Total Brain Health® Program helps improve senior wellness by helping seniors maintain their memory and mental sharpness by recognizing that overall health can influence senior brain fitness. The program believes seniors should practice all aspects of a healthy lifestyle; along with getting involved in cognitive activities, diet and exercise is also critical to healthy brain functioning. Seniors should also focus on staying spiritually healthy by avoiding stress and negative emotions, and filling their lives with satisfying personal relationships.
Galloway Ridge is currently in the beginning stages of being a pilot study for Dr. Green’s work as it relates to Total Brain Health® activities, for those that she hopes to make a difference in improving or sustaining cognitive function. Dr. Green’s goal is to translate the latest research into sensible strategies for improving intellectual performance as well as lowering the risk for dementia.
Find out more about the Healthy Horizons program offered at Galloway Ridge by clicking here.
