Leave unnecessary stress at the door this summer!

While summer brings hot days and a plethora of entertaining activities, it’s not always fun in the sun for everyone. Seniors who are experiencing memory challenges often take comfort in routine, and transitioning out of their cold-weather routines may trigger stress. At Copper Canyon Transitional Assisted Living and Memory Care in Tucson, Arizona, it’s our goal to make every resident feel calm and cared for. With that in mind, we’re sharing our top tips to help your loved one enjoy a stress-free summer!

How to identify stress

Before we get started, it’s important to be sure we know how to identify stress so that if we notice a loved one experiencing stress in a specific situation or from a new routine, we can help to resolve it! Stress will display as anxiety or irritability. When faced with a stressful situation or routine, it’s important to first care for our loved one’s immediate needs, and then redirect that energy into something positive! So what are some things we can do to redirect our stress? Keep reading!

Get active

Getting active at least once a day is a great way to reduce stress! Lucky for our senior memory care residents, we’re located in sunny Tucson, Arizona, where there are plenty of simple physical activities you can do outside. We recommend taking a light walk around the community or even taking a day out with the family to a local park. Not only will getting exercise help reduce stress, but it also improves cognitive function and restful sleep. Bringing your activities outdoors also adds the amazing mental and physical health benefits of sunshine, like vitamin D and improved mood!

Play games

There’s nothing quite like grabbing a simple card or board game, having some laughs, and passing the time with the people you love! Playing games is a great way to unwind and focus your attention on something entertaining. Our professional tip is to choose games that don’t have intricate rules and follow a simple structure in order to keep it fun for everyone playing. You can’t go wrong with some classic card games like Go Fish, Crazy Eights, or Old Maid!

Prioritize Sleep and Rest

When the weather is beautiful and our calendars get packed with activities, it’s tempting to go, go, go. After all, we want to take advantage of all that summer has to offer! But nonstop activity is not the best way to manage or prevent stress. Take time each day to allow yourself and your loved one to prioritize rest and sleep in order to help remain calm and relaxed.

Listen to music

Music is a healing art form. Listening to music has been scientifically proven to improve mood, memory, cognitive function, and creative flow. If in a stressful situation, it’s always a great idea to use music as a calming mechanism, as it has been shown to calm the nerves of people of all ages. There are so many ways to get involved with music, whether it’s simply listening or taking it a step further by playing a new or once loved instrument.

Join guided enrichment activities

At Copper Canyon Memory Care and Transitional Assisted Living, we take pride in making sure our residents feel comfortable and relaxed at all times, which is why we offer our Hope Blooms Life Enrichment Program designed to honor the memories and experiences of our residents. Through this program, we provide spiritual support, engagement, connection, intellectual discovery, and emotional expression using Montessori-principles.

Make this summer calm, fun, and enjoyable for you and your loved ones by following these simple tips!

To learn more about our memory care and assisted living residency or schedule a Copper Canyon tour, contact our friendly team today.

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