Wellness for older adults goes beyond physical health and prevention of illness. This month, we focus on the habits that support you in feeling your best. During the Golden Years the key elements of wellness include: 

• Emotional Fulfillment and Social Connection
• Mental Stimulation 
• Physical Movement

Let’s take a closer look at each of these; then, check-out our tips to help you create a wellness routine in older adulthood.

• Emotional Fulfillment and Social Connection

Having opportunities to connect socially is directly related to feeling emotionally fulfilled. These two areas of wellness intersect, and both are vital to older adult well-being. You don’t need to be a socially butterfly, but you do need to have outlets to connect with others as these engagements help combat loneliness, depression, anxiety, and support overall healthy aging. 

Life is Good for Active Older Adults Residing at Award Winning Everbrook 

An award-winning senior living lifestyle awaits you and summer is the time to experience all that the Everbrook communities offer current and prospective residents. 

Let’s start with the accolades… All five of the established Everbrook communities received the 2025 Best of Senior Living award! Recipients of this award stand out for the exceptional care and support provided to older adults in independent living, assisted living, memory care, and in-home care. The Best of Senior Living Award winners represent the top 1-2% of senior care providers nationwide based on reviews from those who matter most: residents and families. Each of the Everbrook Communities are nestled within quaint New England communities that are a “puddle-jump” from the attractions of bigger cities and towns. 

If you’re already residing with us, or if are considering an Everbrook community properties for yourself or a loved one, this article will introduce you to some of the many wonderful summer activities accessible from each of our established communities. Please also visit the community webpage to learn more about the location, surrounding towns and the lifestyle amenities of each.

Today’s older adult is often on the move, and summer is prime time for outdoor activities under the sun. Whether you’re beaching, biking, hiking, gardening, or just relaxing, you’ll want to take extra precautions to protect your eyes from sun exposure. That means investing a little time in choosing quality eyewear designed to counter the sun’s UV rays as well as nourishing and exercising the eyes.

Three Ways to Protect the Eyes

• Proper Summer Eyewear
• Nutrients to Support Eye Health
• Yoga for the Eyes

Proper Summer Eyewear for Active Older Adults

UV-protective eyewear is essential year-round for everyone, particularly in the summer months when we spend more time near bodies of water and other reflective surfaces. Summer days are longer and sun exposure increases as we spend more time outdoors. UV light waves are the damage-causing rays emitted by the sun—too much exposure to UV waves can cause serious problems for the eyes: sun damage, sunburn, cataracts, macular degeneration, and even eye cancer or blindness.  If you have any health conditions of the eye, or take certain medications, your eyes may be at higher risk for sun damage.

There’s power in the written word, particularly in reading stories and books that convey a shared experience, shedding light on the ways in which we might, in our own lives, cope with a challenge, heal from a loss or trauma, or become more informed before making difficult decisions for ourselves or for a loved one. All of these are reasons we might turn to reading, both fiction and nonfiction, about how other people navigate a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. 

Several authors have written about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, exploring how to come to terms with the diagnosis, tips for seeking care, and finding hope and meaning in the days that remain to be lived. 

Below, we highlight a few of these authors and their memoir, novel, or non-fiction ‘practical guide.’ Not just for adults, you’ll find books that can be helpful for young adults and children who will also need support as they witness mental decline in a beloved family member.

It can be easy for us middle-aged adults to think that our aging parents, well into their retirement years, don’t experience stress. After all, they are no longer running frantic with the responsibilities of work, family, and community. Yet stress is a real issue for our aging loved ones. Often, symptoms of stress in an aging parent can be mistaken for symptoms of dementia.

Furthermore, chronic stress in older adults has even been linked to onset of dementia. It’s important for adult children and caregivers to understand sources of stress in older adults and how this differs from dementia symptoms.

A 2021 survey showed that 44% of older adults age 50-80 experience significant stress that affects how they feel, think, and function in daily life. Even in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has not been a significant change in rates of stress and stress related illness among American adults, including older adults. 

The luck o’ the Irish is upon us, as March springs forth it's meadows of four-leaf clovers and golden daffodils. Warmer weather means more time outdoors in the New England region and a perfect opportunity for older adults to engage in fun activities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

You don’t have to be a little leprechaun to enjoy the festivities around St. Patrick’s Day. Older adults can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Mad Hatter crafts, Irish dancing, baking traditional Irish treats, playing luck-themed games, or attending parades and community events.

For those who love basketball – you can show-off your team colors in crafty ways during March Madness! And, if there are little leprechauns in your life, invite them to join you at your residence at Everbrook Senior Living.

In 2013, some thirty years after Diana Nyad tossed in the proverbial towel on her dream to swim from Cuba to Florida, she returned to the ocean—at age 64—to complete the dangerous feat. It took her 5 attempts over four years to complete the 110-mile ultra-swim that she failed to do at age 28.

Diana is proof that you’re never too old to get back in the water and swim after a dream. Her achievement is not just a testament to the ability of the body to adapt to physical conditioning at any age, but to the power of mindset, social support, and trust in the possibility of “What if I still can?”

It’s true that she had the benefit of modern training techniques and nautical technology, both of which had come a long way since the 1970s. These things were not what kept Diana in the pool or the ocean every day for hours. 

So, what does it mean to have quality of life in your Golden Years? The topic is so important that the month of January is recognized as International Quality of Life Month.

Whether you’re approaching retirement age or helping a parent plan for their Golden Years, an important consideration is how to create and maintain quality of life. Older adult quality of life goes well beyond the size of one’s retirement income. There are plenty of people with substantial retirement accounts who don’t have quality of life. 

Beyond the basics of physical health, comfort, and safety, older adult quality of life encompasses the individual’s needs, interests, and goals so they can experience wellness and happiness, day-to-day. At the core of quality of life for older adults are social-emotional factors that empower them to maintain their dignity, independence, and social connection and which create opportunities for a fulfilling life.

We often hope for holiday visits with aging parents to be sentimental celebrations. For some adult children, though, the holiday visit can be a distressing time. Subtle signs may surface, indicating their parent is not taking proper care of themself—and it may be time to consider assisted living. 

You may already be familiar with the more obvious warning signs that an aging parent is not able to live on their own, such as frequent falls, persistent forgetfulness, hoarding, lack of social relationships, misuse of medication, and overdue bills. During holiday visits, adult children can pay attention for subtle signs that an aging parent needs assisted living care.

When visiting an aging parent, be observant of the following:

From youth through older adulthood, we’ve all experienced the power of music in our lives. Whether it’s a moving instrumental piece or a swift beat with diverse vocal range, music has the power to shift your mood, inspire creativity, enhance concentration, evoke memories, and make mundane tasks more enjoyable.

The influence of music on health and behavior, particularly among older adults, is a topic of growing research interest. A specific set of 10th Century musical frequencies, known as the Solfeggio Frequencies, lay the foundation for modern interest in music and health.

In this article you’ll learn more about:

Unlike most major league sports, baseball seems to harken us back to a more nostalgic time. Whether you have grandkids visiting or are gathered with friends at your senior living community, we can’t think of a better way to enjoy the World Series than by baking cookies while watching the game. 

Check out our favorite recipes (and we've tested many!), then pair your baking with a classic baseball flick before the games begin. Remember, baseball games seem to go on forever… so you’ll need a lot of cookies!

Back to the Sandlot

Ah… the big 5-0! Whether you’re just celebrating the “half century” milestone, or you’ve been in your 50s for a while, you’ve probably noticed the subtle signs of aging in the way you move, how you handle stress, and your energy level. Fear Not!

You can continue to age wise and well by following our tips for aging into your fifties—giving additional longevity to your mind-body vitality. 

How Your Body Changes During Your 50s

The aging process actually begins in earnest shortly after age 30. At this point, age-related changes tend to be slow and subtle, but become definitively noticeable by the time you enter your forties.