Birches’ Breathe Program Promotes Stress Reduction Among Seniors
At the Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills, Ill., residents are learning new methods for handling stress through the month-long program “Breathe: A Stress Resilience Plan by Masterpiece Living.”
Clarendon Hills, IL, November 26, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Health issues, cognitive decline and a limited income are just a few of the stressors that older adults face on a daily basis. However, as the father of stress research Dr. Hans Selye once stated, “It’s not the stress that kills us, but our reaction to it.” At the Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills, Ill., residents are learning new methods for handling stress through the month-long program “Breathe: A Stress Resilience Plan by Masterpiece Living.”
The “Breathe” program, which runs throughout the month of November, consists of four sessions dedicated to understanding and coping with stress. Through “Breathe,” Birches residents learn about stress from a physiological standpoint and are encouraged to reflect upon their reaction to common stressors.
“Everyone responds differently to stressful situations,” said Activities Director Katie Klitchman, who led the second session in the “Breathe” series. “Some people are able to let stress just roll right off their shoulders and others struggle more. Overall, I think everyone can improve their stress resilience by learning healthier coping methods.”
Birches resident Marge Wolf, for example, has learned to keep stress levels low by staying positive and not sweating the small stuff, she says.
“Living as long as I have lived, you go through many experiences and you learn from them. You also learn not to take life too seriously,” said 98-year old Wolf.
Like Wolf, many Birches residents have already developed effective methods for handling stress over their long lives, but others willingly admit they still have a lot of work to do in the area of stress resilience. The one issue that seems to be especially stressful to the seniors that live at The Birches is the current state of the world.
“Seniors worry about all of the scary stuff happening in the world, especially those with kids and grandchildren,” said Klitchman. “I think watching news stations that play stories about the same horrible tragedies over and over again can really impact stress levels, which is why ‘Breathe’ encourages seniors to step away from the TV screen for a while.”
In addition to being mindful about news intake, “Breathe” promotes several other methods for stress resilience, including meditation, exercise, getting enough sleep and confiding in someone, whether it be a friend or a professional.
To add to their arsenal of coping methods, residents have the opportunity to learn different types of meditation during “Breathe” sessions. In the second session of “Breathe,” for example, Klitchman taught participants tonglen meditation, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation that encourages meditators to breathe in the suffering of others and breathe out happiness and goodwill to an individual, group or the world.
“It’s good to develop a sense of compassion for others, which I think the tonglen meditation does,” said Klitchman. “It may seem weird at first to inhale someone’s pain and exhale a blessing, but that encourages you take the focus off of yourself and think about how you can help others, which is a surprisingly effective way to reduce stress.”
The “Breathe” program is one of several programs that The Birches has adopted through its partnership with Masterpiece Living to improve the health and well-being of residents. Based on the results of a decade-long MacArthur Foundation study, Masterpiece Living suggests that older adults who stay engaged physically, mentally, socially and spiritually age more gracefully and enjoy a better quality of life.
The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills offers professional services to support the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual growth of the older adults who make it their home. The Birches offers purposeful programming and activities designed to promote a healthy aging lifestyle and a strong sense of community. For more information about The Birches, call 630-789-1135 or visit: birches.net.
The “Breathe” program, which runs throughout the month of November, consists of four sessions dedicated to understanding and coping with stress. Through “Breathe,” Birches residents learn about stress from a physiological standpoint and are encouraged to reflect upon their reaction to common stressors.
“Everyone responds differently to stressful situations,” said Activities Director Katie Klitchman, who led the second session in the “Breathe” series. “Some people are able to let stress just roll right off their shoulders and others struggle more. Overall, I think everyone can improve their stress resilience by learning healthier coping methods.”
Birches resident Marge Wolf, for example, has learned to keep stress levels low by staying positive and not sweating the small stuff, she says.
“Living as long as I have lived, you go through many experiences and you learn from them. You also learn not to take life too seriously,” said 98-year old Wolf.
Like Wolf, many Birches residents have already developed effective methods for handling stress over their long lives, but others willingly admit they still have a lot of work to do in the area of stress resilience. The one issue that seems to be especially stressful to the seniors that live at The Birches is the current state of the world.
“Seniors worry about all of the scary stuff happening in the world, especially those with kids and grandchildren,” said Klitchman. “I think watching news stations that play stories about the same horrible tragedies over and over again can really impact stress levels, which is why ‘Breathe’ encourages seniors to step away from the TV screen for a while.”
In addition to being mindful about news intake, “Breathe” promotes several other methods for stress resilience, including meditation, exercise, getting enough sleep and confiding in someone, whether it be a friend or a professional.
To add to their arsenal of coping methods, residents have the opportunity to learn different types of meditation during “Breathe” sessions. In the second session of “Breathe,” for example, Klitchman taught participants tonglen meditation, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation that encourages meditators to breathe in the suffering of others and breathe out happiness and goodwill to an individual, group or the world.
“It’s good to develop a sense of compassion for others, which I think the tonglen meditation does,” said Klitchman. “It may seem weird at first to inhale someone’s pain and exhale a blessing, but that encourages you take the focus off of yourself and think about how you can help others, which is a surprisingly effective way to reduce stress.”
The “Breathe” program is one of several programs that The Birches has adopted through its partnership with Masterpiece Living to improve the health and well-being of residents. Based on the results of a decade-long MacArthur Foundation study, Masterpiece Living suggests that older adults who stay engaged physically, mentally, socially and spiritually age more gracefully and enjoy a better quality of life.
The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills offers professional services to support the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual growth of the older adults who make it their home. The Birches offers purposeful programming and activities designed to promote a healthy aging lifestyle and a strong sense of community. For more information about The Birches, call 630-789-1135 or visit: birches.net.
Contact
The Birches Assisted Living
Jenny Smiechowski
630-789-1135
birches.net
Jenny Smiechowski
630-789-1135
birches.net
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