The term wellbeing is being mentioned more and more in the mainstream media, especially after the global pandemic has hit us. Lives have changed for all in a way that none of us could have ever foreseen it and we have all had to get used to the constantly changing ‘new normal’.

What one person feels is their perfect state of wellbeing may be completely different from another person.  This stands to reason as we all have different goals, ambitions,  responsibilities, personalities.

One thing that can be agreed upon is, an overall sense of wellness will not be achieved without focusing on self-care and finding some form of balance in these key elements:

Physical. This includes lifestyle choices that affect the functioning of our bodies. What we eat and how active we are will affect our physical wellbeing.

Emotional or psychological. This is our ability to cope with everyday life and reflects how we think and feel about ourselves.

Social.  This is the extent that we feel a sense of belonging and social inclusion. The way we communicate with others, our relationships, values, beliefs, lifestyles, and traditions are all important factors of social wellbeing.

Spiritual. This is the ability to experience and integrate meaning and purpose in life. Achieved through being connected to our inner self, to nature or even a greater power.

Intellectual. It is important to gain and maintain intellectual wellness as it helps us to expand our knowledge and skills in order to live an enjoyable and successful life.

Economic. Economic wellness, in short, is our ability to meet our basic needs and feel a sense of security.

In essence, the concept of wellbeing runs right across our lives – from our work, home life, leisure time and even the quality of our sleep.

What happens at retirement?

It is all very well debating wellbeing and most studies are targeting the working population, but what happens when you retire from work?

What kind of mental picture does this word conjure up for you — sunny beaches and no longer having to set an alarm clock? Or a stressful feeling about how much longer you will need to work to afford such a lifestyle? If we look at it in the previous context then:

Physical. With the addition of time, we are available to exercise more, watch what we eat and challenge our physical demeaner.

Emotional or psychological. Time to reflect on emotions and discover new passions we enjoy.

Social. Chances are your friends would have retired too. Meaning you can spend more time with them and potentially meet new people by increasing your social circle.

Spiritual. You have time to evaluate the meaning and purpose of life. What have you achieved and what is next on your agenda?

Intellectual. We have all heard the expression, “every day is a school day”. Wellbeing is also about pushing your limits, learning new skills, and developing as a person.

Economic. Hopefully, at this stage you will be economically sound. If not, you have the ability to downsize your house or make better economic changes are available.

Moving to a care home and ensuring wellbeing for our residents

We know that this can be a difficult choice for people. The common concerns for those who have never had exposure to care homes would heighten fears of loss of independence and  the unknown.  The attitudes of moving to care homes may be heavily influenced by the media portrayals and we would like to redirect you to our website where you can see all the wonderful things that can be done in a care home.

Moving into a care home does not need to be as scary as you thought especially at Serene Care we have put in a lot of steps to help your transition into care to SUPPORT YOUR WELLBEING:

• COVID19 protocols: We have got vaccination programmes running, regular testing and more PPE than what we know what to do with.
• Regulation: We are governed and regulated by CQC and have numerous checks from the local council to ensure that they are happy with the safety of the service.
• Staff all must go through robust checks (including DBS checks with the police) and training programme. We have a full compliment of staff available 24 hours a day to ensure you are not alone and there are people there to help you with whatever needs you have.
• Care Plans – our managers are trained in documenting detailed care plans with you where you can tell us all about yourself and how you want things done.  We want to maintain and support you to maintain your habits, hobbies, routines, values, attitudes
• Professional Visitors: You will access to all the usual professionals such as GP, Nurse, Optician, Dieticians and if there is ever a need then our staff can even escort you to the appointments so that you are not alone.
• Activities – we have activities coordinators in place to ensure that you have lots of things to keep busy. You can see lots of examples of these on our Facebook pages where we regularly document this.
• Making Friends- Care homes are a fantastic way to build new bonds and relationships with those you are residing with.
• Food- There are varied and delicious meals that are offered throughout the day and we cater for all types of diets.
• Keeping in touch- There are so many ways to keep in touch with your loved ones. This can include visits inside and outside in our gardens and summer house. We have virtual options like zoom or skype too
• TRY BEFORE YOU BUY- Trial days/ day care/respite care are all available to see if you like the environment and it’s one that you would possibly see yourself. You should always have the opportunity to ensure to familiarise yourself with the environment to ensure it’s the right one for you.

Though it can never be promised that the moving process will go smoothly, with the right support, open mind, moving to a care home should be a fantastic way to improve your life.