3 ways we support independence in our nursing homes

One of the biggest fears people face when they move into aged care is the fear of losing their independence. Everyone wants to remain independent for as long as possible, because it’s not easy relying on others to carry out even the most simple day-to-day tasks.

There’s a fine line between providing essential care and services and allowing people to be autonomous and maintain their independence. At HillView Care we want to be there for those who need a little extra help, but we don’t want them to feel like we are encroaching on their freedom or right to do things autonomously.

We encourage our residents to remain as independent as possible. Of course, we are always here to lend a helping hand, however we also want to support our residents to live their best life and enjoy every moment at our residential aged care homes.

Here are 3 ways we support independent living at HillView Care

Connecting residents to people and places

At HillView Care, we believe it’s important for our residents to stay connected to people and places and develop relationships they can maintain independently.

To encourage interaction and social engagement between residents, our diversional therapists organise a wide variety of activities at both our Merrimac and Ashmore residential aged care homes.

These activities promote connectivity and are a great way for our residents to get to know each other and build valuable relationships within the home. They can also:

• lift mood
• reduce boredom
• enhance emotional health
• improve self-confidence
• help residents find new hobbies or passions
• increase feelings of inclusiveness
• assist memory retention.

Some of the activities our diversional therapists organise include:

• bingo
• poetry
• social morning teas
• BBQ nights and ice-cream extravaganzas
• music and karaoke
• quizzes
• craft
• happy hours.

To find out what’s on now at Hillview Premium Aged Care? View our Ashmore activity calendar or Merrimac activity calendar.

As well as connecting at home, we feel it’s also important for our residents to remain connected with their community.

While of course, residents can go out and about as they please, we also organise bus trips into the community to see sights and partake in a range of wonderful activities.

Keep your body moving

To remain as independent as possible, movement is vital. Some studies show that there is a link between the physical decline of our bodies and the decline in physical activity we undertake as we head into old age.

At HillView Care we encourage our residents to stay as active as possible, so residents can continue to be independent and do as much for themselves as is comfortable. Our in-house physiotherapist and exercise therapists are also available to help with daily movement, strengthening and flexibility to help residents to stay physically independent.

Our diversional therapists run a variety of physical activities including:

• exercise
• bocce
• gardening
• garden walks
• shuffleboard.

Residents can also get involved in our HillView Steps program, regular walking groups that take off on adventures to various local destinations such as beaches and lakelands.

Provide a safe environment for all mobility levels

To help our residents remain independent we ensure HillView Care is safe for all, no matter your mobility level. Residents with walking aids can easily get around the grounds, with ample space and access throughout the properties.

Our buildings are architecturally designed to ensure they provide maximum facilities that support independence and allow free movement around the home with ease. This includes rails around common areas as well as in individual homes.

Our team is always available to help residents with tools which will enable them to feel safe when doing things for themselves. This may include helping to organise modifications in your room or to help locate equipment that will make day-to-day living easier. It’s important to us that all our residents feel at home. For this reason we will always go above and beyond to help our residents stay as independent as possible. If you’d like a tour of our facilities, book a tour or contact us online for more information.