By Bob Crego.
Bradley House is a licensed non-profit residential care home with over 60 years of service to elders in the Brattleboro area.
According to Michael Jones, our Activity Program Director at Bradley House, for elders to be healthy, happy and to truly thrive, they must be regularly active in mind, body, and spirt.
“At Bradley House, it is important that residents have ample and varied opportunities for exercise every day,” says Jones, who works with a variety of local service providers, volunteers and staff who encourage and support residents to engage in such activities as tai chi classes, meditation, hiking, and yoga.
For much of the past year, an instructor from the New England Center for Circus Arts has visited Bradley each month to lead residents in a session of seated acrobatics (see photo).
Residents also exercise their minds by engaging in word games, trivia, and opportunities to learn more things. Research suggests that participation in these types of activities may have a positive effect on memory. Even watching videos can be beneficial if approached thoughtfully with intention.
“I am careful in choosing movies and documentaries to watch because we want to stimulate thought and discussion,” says Jones.
And while not all residents of Bradley House are spiritual, all are supported in pursuing the religion or belief system that provides meaning to their life. Priests from local Episcopal and Catholic churches offer regular services at Bradley, and volunteers have accompanied residents of other denominations to Sunday services in Brattleboro, as well. Activities staff have group discussions on the end of life, and plan to host a licensed therapist this fall to facilitate further discussion on this topic.
A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that 1 in 4 adults over age 65 is socially isolated. Older adults face unique challenges. Many have chronic health conditions which can dissuade them from participating in activities; many also experience some degree of cognitive decline, making it difficult to make plans or to regularly connect with others. As we age, we lose family members and friends; this can have a devastating effect on our health and make it hard to form new friendships.
For all these reasons, being a member of a residential care community like Bradley House can have tremendous positive health benefits.
“Connecting is really a special part of being here,” said Jones. “Trying to create the opportunity for connection is a one of the most important things that we can do. Folks who move in are coming to their last stage in life—the last place most will live—but they are also joining a community where they can receive support. Many have lived alone and lost a spouse. Here (at Bradley House) they develop connections to others through conversation at dinner or by sharing an event or activity. This not only makes the move easier—it makes for a fulfilling life.”
Residents not only forge connections with those within the Bradley House community, but they benefit, as well, from ties with organizations and institutions from throughout the Brattleboro area which regularly bring programming to Bradley House. This includes students at Hilltop Montessori School sharing their learning with residents, children from Horizon Preschool celebrating the first day of May, and performers from the New England Youth Theater enacting scenes from their latest production. Brattleboro’s rich cultural scene is very much a part of programming at Bradley House, as evidenced by regular events staged with the Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center, the Suitcase Theater Group, the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, the Brattleboro Music Center, and many more.
In fact, music is one of the most popular activities at Bradley House. Our monthly schedule boasts a broad roster of performers playing seemingly any and every genre from classical, folk, jazz, and old-time fiddle music, to popular show tunes and sing-alongs.
“Music is something that people can connect deeply to either privately or as a group,” said Jones. But like all activities at Bradley, no engagement is required or mandatory. “Everyone has the freedom to be themselves, to choose what they would like to do…They can leave in the middle of an activity if they want…Having fun is a huge part of what we do. We try to create a light-heartedness, and respect boundaries.”
To learn more about Bradley House, including applying for admission to our community, please visit our website at gardenpathelderliving.org, email us at: info@gardenpathelderliving.org, or call us at 802-246-1556.
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