As Americans decide to pursue aging in place in increasing numbers, many must face the difficult decision to improve their existing home or move to a new area. For those who have children, the existing home may be too large to maintain in later years, or have an abundance of steps or other challenges to the activities of daily living. Those looking for a fresh start after retirement may move to a new area that supports their interests and can offer enhanced independent living for seniors.
While it is important to find a new home that supports the challenges that can arrive with age, a new study resulting from research performed by the University of Kansas shows that there are other aspects of a new location worth considering. The study found that the "walkability" of a community has a great impact on cognition in older adults.
The health benefits of regular exercise have been well-documented, but Amber Watts, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Kansas, wanted to find out how location can influence older adults' exercise habits, and what effect exercise has on cognitive function. To conduct the study, Watts and her fellow researchers tracked 25 people with mild Alzheimer's disease and 39 older adults without any cognitive impairment.
She concluded that neighborhoods that encourage walking can protect against cognitive decline in older adults. She also found that elaborate community layouts actually serve to keep cognition sharp.
"With regard to the complexity of neighborhood street layouts – for example, the number of turns required getting from point A to point B – our results demonstrate that more complex neighborhoods are associated with preserved cognitive performance over time," Watts told Medical News Today. We think this may be because mental challenges are good for us. They keep us active and working at that optimal level instead of choosing the path of least resistance."
This information could influence older adults' decision on where to pursue aging in place. However, many often feel limited in their housing choices because they want to be in close proximity to elder care help. Fortunately, Independa's senior living technology may hold the answer.
Independa offers caregiving solutions delivered through an intuitive user interface called Angela™, which requires no prior training or technical expertise to operate. Designed specifically with the needs of older adults in mind, with larger screen fonts, higher contrast and brighter colors, Angela™ offers effortless access to family photo and message sharing, video chat, community events and more.
Independa's cloud-based software solution provides the necessary assistance to help both caregivers and care recipients feel more confident about the decision to age in place. In conjunction with our Caregiver Dashboard, which can be accessed via the caregiver web application on any computer or the mobile application through any smart phone device, our solution allows caregivers command of Angela's™ host of exciting features. Contact us today to schedule a demo.
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