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Expanding Wellness at Bridgewater

Here at Bridgewater Retirement Community, the wellness of our residents is one of our top priorities. “Wellness” has become quite a buzzword in recent years, and it’s tempting to reduce the concept to good nutrition and exercise. But we know it involves so much more.

The Eight Dimensions of Wellness

The medical and mental health communities recognize eight key dimensions to living a fulfilling life:

You can see how the right choice in a retirement community drastically affects these dimensions of wellness. Bridgewater provides pastoral care for spiritual wellness. Our status as a LifePlan Community provides financial peace of mind in peaceful, inspiring surroundings (environmental). Community gardens, committees and opportunities within the town provide vocational and social wellness. Our close relationship with Bridgewater College enhances intellectual growth. And our wellness center and dedicated staff help look after our residents’ emotional and physical needs.

Growing the Wellness Center

Speaking of wellness, we are planning a major renovation in 2019. Our plan is to double the size of Bridgewater’s wellness center. This will allow us to add more equipment, many more exercise machines, and additional classes and personal training. Our goal is to assist our residents in leading balanced, healthy lives – and have fun doing it!

A High Tech Twist

Bridgewater is currently rolling out an exciting new program – one that at first might seem unusual in a senior community. We will be giving iPads to every resident, and the devices will have a special wellness app pre-installed on them. This app will let the residents track their exercise, set wellness goals, research topics, and even find out what’s for dinner. The app also lets all the residents communicate with one another through a closed social network.

The Bridgewater team saw this program at a national Senior Living conference and knew it would be perfect for the community. We will be only the third community in the nation to implement the program, and while seniors have a reputation for “technophobia”, the team here knows that isn’t the case. “We’ve seen Baby Boomers take to new technology quickly. It’s already a part of their lives,” notes Sarah Hagan, VP of Independent Living. “This program dovetails perfectly with our core values of compassion, innovation, and stewardship.”

Here at Bridgewater, we are always looking for new ways to promote wellness, whether through expanded buildings or innovative technology. We know these are just tools – the focus is always first and foremost on our residents and improving their lives. After all, people are our most important dimension!

 

To remain eligible for the Home No Matter What Promise, residents must fulfill their obligations in turn as citizens of the BRC community and not give away the resources needed to meet financial obligations to BRC.