Emmy Cornell

The Importance of Wellness for Healthy Seniors As the population of older adults has grown so has the body of geriatric knowledge, improving upon the care provided to older adults. To that end, wellness has become relevant and mandatory factor in the delivery of geriatric care across the spectrum of health disciplines and has developed exponentially over a very short period of time. Today, we have come to recognize and realize a remarkable increase in the state of senior wellness through “person centered” programs in Long Term Care Facilities. Those “essential workers” that work diligently each day to ensure that each and every resident wakes up each morning with something to look forward to- a day that is individualized rather than institutionalized- a day that is meaningful and purposeful to the resident population regardless of their continued age progression. Achieving wellness is a common sense goal for anyone. But how does the concept of wellness benefits our aging population? A

Turmoil has certainly visited the world over the last year and it has thrown systems that have been in place for years wide open and exposed areas that are working and areas that are in need of massive social change. One of these areas is in the care of our elderly. Activity Directors have been shifted into the forefront of this pandemic within the walls of your facilities. Your importance in maintaining peace and stability in the lives of those you serve has never been more evident as you are each being called upon to perform tasks that you would have never thought possible only a few months ago. The flip side to upheaval is the renewed ability to put the pieces back together in a better way. I am sure you have thought of many areas over the years that could be improved upon or had many ideas of things that could be introduced that would be game changers. I think now is the time for us to all come together as a profession and start working towards some of these changes for the betterm