Benefits of Assisted Living for a Widowed Woman
A woman’s life sharply changes when her spouse dies. The loss of a spouse necessitates that a woman closely reviews all aspects of her life, including her living situation. For example, a widowed woman may want to consider whether or not residing in some type of assisted living community might make sense for her. There are a number notable benefits for a widowed woman when it comes to residing in an assisted living community:
- Safety and security
- Regular social contact
- Reliably nutritious meals
- Suitable housekeeping assistance
- Reliable transportation
- Fitness and exercise opportunities
- Events and activities
Facts About Women and Widows
Before diving into a discussion of the benefits of assisted living for a widowed woman we take a look at some of the basic facts about women who have lost their spouses. Every year more than 700,000 women lose their spouses in the United States.
The average woman will live for about 14 years on her own after the death of her spouse. 45 percent of women are widowed by the age of 65.
Safety and Security
A primary benefit of assisted living for a widowed woman is enhanced safety and security. Older women have a higher risk of being targeted for crime, including residential break-ins and violent crimes of different types. Assisted living residences provide women with a generally higher level of safety and security, more than typically is found in a single family residence, a condo, a townhome, or an apartment.
Regular Social Contact
There are many instances in which senior women tend to isolate. This can particularly be the situation when a woman loses her husband and begins living her life as a widow. Another of the primary benefits associated with life in an assisted living for a widowed woman is more regular social contact. This comes not only in the form of living in a facility with other women but through regularly activities and programs.
Reliably Nutritious Meals
Seniors of both sexes sometimes fail to maintain reliable nutritional habits. They eat nutritious meals on what can prove to be a rather sporadic basis. Widowed women who move to assisted living find that they have consistent nutritious, quality, and tasty meals. Prepared meals of this nature not only enhance the health of widowed women but relieve them of the task of making these meals multiple times a day.
Suitable Housekeeping Assistance
Another important benefit of residing in an assisted living residence is that a resident is provided suitable and consistent housekeeping services. As a person ages, physical changes and limitations can make it ever more challenging to undertake comprehensive housekeeping. This reality can render a senior widowed woman’s living environment at least a bit less pleasant. That can all be changed when an older woman moves to a suitable assisted living residence.
Reliable Transportation
With regularity, a senior widowed woman lacks access to reliable transportation. For example, a widow may have given up driving. Public transportation can be challenging for an older person. Family members may be unable provide all of the transport support an older woman may need. They cannot be faulted for that but the fact that they have an array of responsibilities cannot be overlooked.
Fitness and Exercise Opportunities
Another of the benefits associated with an assisted living facility for widowed women is fitness and exercise opportunities. A typical assisted living program in the United States makes available a range of different types of fitness and exercise opportunities.
Research has revealed that when senior women engage in regular fitness programming, they improve their overall health. Regular exercise is also demonstrated to improve memory and even stave off some of the deficits associated with the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Women who exercise longer also may experience a longer life.
Events and Activities
Finally, the list of benefits that can be enjoyed by a widowed woman living in an assisted living facility include a wide range of different types of events and activities. These include events and activities that occur on the site of an assisted living residence as well as offsite programming.
Events and activities enhance the life of residents of assisted living programs in many different ways. As an aside, oftentimes there is no charge for a particular event or activity offered by an assisted living residence.
In summary, there are also assisted living programs that focus on certain types of activities for residents. For example there are assisted living programs that have events, activities, and programming for senior women who enjoy gardening. There are other assisted living residences that focus on a wide range of events that include day trips to take in different types of events and activities in the surrounding community and elsewhere. Oftentimes, there is no additional charge for many of these types of activities, events, and programs.