Staying Well During Challenging Times!
The coronavirus pandemic has changed everyone’s life in so many ways. Stressful times like these challenge us to adhere to health-promoting routines and habits. Nourishing our body, mind and spirit to stay strong and healthy is exactly what we need to combat the stress while learning and improving!
At Westminster Canterbury Richmond, the coronavirus pandemic did not hinder our dedicated staff Wellness team from finding innovative ways to help our residents stay healthy and engaged. We worked “together,” from afar, to keep one another motivated while maintaining safe social distancing.
Throughout April and May, a Wellness staff member frequently joined our weekday televised Live Briefings to share a tip, such as demonstrating a new stretching activity or suggesting a way to liven the spirit and maintain a positive perspective. Prior to the onset of this pandemic, many residents across all areas of our campus participated in instructor-led Wellness classes. Once it became unsafe for us to gather together, our Wellness staff pivoted to recording video workouts for our residents with the help and expertise of our Communications team. We aired these workouts on our in-house television channel, TV970, and on Touchtown Community Apps.
There’s nothing like a challenge to keep us motivated. Perhaps you can use these ideas yourself! Throughout the pandemic, our Wellness staff engaged our residents in some friendly self-competition with challenges. April’s CV-19 challenge engaged residents in a new exercise, stretch or positive practice six days per week. In May, residents were coaxed outside in an “I Spy Scavenger Hunt.” Find something for which you are grateful. Find a family photo that makes you laugh out loud. Such practices reflect our multidimensional approach to wellness, nurturing the body, mind and spirit. With the arrival of June and beautiful late spring weather came the “Mind Body Spirit Challenge.” Our residents were further encouraged to walk more, try new independent exercises and truly appreciate their outdoor environment. In Assisted Living and the Mary Morton Parsons Health Center, our residents stayed active by working out in their hallways, enjoying one another’s presence from a safe distance. Our high level of resident participation in these opportunities demonstrates that it is possible to stay well using ways we may not have thought of before, all while adhering to safety standards.
We are excited and grateful that residents may use our fitness and aquatics centers on an individual, supervised, scheduled basis. We look forward to offering some small group exercise classes to our residents when it is safe to do so. In spite of the challenges, our lives have become richer knowing we have found innovative ways to stay strong in body, mind and spirit! Learn more about our Wellness offerings here.
What creative ways have you found to remain active during the pandemic? What new ways are still out there, waiting to be discovered? We wish you well as you discover them!