Morada Lake Hefner: How Gentle Routines Support Brain Resilience in Aging
Building a supportive cognitive wellness routine at Morada Lake Hefner can help you as you mix aging and memory. Residents enjoy senior routines that are flexible to use across all seasons and times of year so that they don't have to restructure their routines as the seasons change. We mix a healthy balance of brain support, social activities, and physical wellness.
How do you use routines to battle stress in your daily life? According to Northwestern Medicine, routines help reduce stress and anxiety. While this is true for people of all ages, it's particularly true for seniors.
Oklahoma City, OK, is the perfect spot to spend your golden years. We're well known for our Western heritage, as well as our cultural arts scene. Whether you're here for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum or to explore the Bricktown Canal, there's something for everyone!
If you're curious about senior routines, we're here to help. Here's how you can build a routine to aid you in cognitive wellness.
How Do Routines Help?
Are routines truly helpful? Do we build routines for better organization, or are there real benefits to living by a routine?
Daily routines provide seniors with structure and clarity. These routines help to instill peace and calm into seniors, who can rely on the structure throughout their day. Overall, it's shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
What to Structure
At Morada Lake Hefner, we recommend scheduling out your mealtimes and resting areas as a starting point. Scheduling out your meals helps your body be more regular in digestion and calorie usage. According to Johns Hopkins, eating dinner around 5-7 PM is optimal.
Many of us also struggle to get proper rest. Oftentimes, a leading cause for this is an inconsistent bedtime or an inconsistent waking time.
Set your bedtime at a specific hour so your body gets used to falling asleep at that time. As the routine sets in, you'll find it much easier to fall asleep, as well as awaken. When you're dealing with cognitive wellness issues, proper rest is critical!
Senior Routines for Aging and Memory
Where do you start with building your routine? The first step is to consider what limitations you have as a senior dealing with cognitive issues.
It's important to design a routine that won't leave you isolated, so focus on tasks and scheduled events that put you in contact with others. If you have a personal assistant or caretaker, work with them to design your routine!
We have three main categories that we like to focus on: physical, social, and mental wellness. Here are the best starting points for designing a routine.
Brain Support Activities
Senior routines often focus on cognitive wellness. If you're already dealing with cognitive decline, then it's certainly not too late; there's even more incentive to get started!
One of our first recommendations is to try to limit your screentime. Work instead to step away from the screens and read a book! Some great brain support activities that don't require a screen include:
- Reading your favorite novels
- Engaging with hand-written puzzles, like crosswords
- Using math-centric puzzles, like Sudoku
- Taking time outdoors to watch and log birds
- Completing puzzles with your community members
If you don't want to put down your screens, just be more conscious of what you use them for. Speak to your community members and family about some good cognitive apps you can download and spend your screentime playing those in the morning! That way, you can step away from the doom and gloom of the news and use your screens for good.
Scheduling Social Time
Many seniors battle feelings of loneliness. A study from Michigan Medicine states that as many as 33% of seniors battle feelings of loneliness and isolation.
At Morada Lake Hefner, we work to provide you with activities and community events to keep you active and engaged. Doing so won't just pass the time; you'll meet new friends and improve your cognitive health!
Browse our activity calendar to see what sorts of events we have planned.
Watching Your Physical Health
You may have had a gym regimen in your younger years, but how are you staying fit now? Seniors need physical activity, too! And while it may seem unrelated to your cognitive health, your physical health is closely tied to your mental state.
Your community offers numerous amenities focused on health and wellness to support your assisted living experience. Consider looking for events that help you stay active in your community as well!
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Cognitive Decline Impact My Routine?
Yes, but don't focus on this as a downside. Instead, focus on building a routine that mixes brain support activities to support cognitive wellness. Work to see your routine as something to care for you, rather than cognitive decline as something stopping you.
Is It Easy to Shift My Routine?
Shifting routines can become difficult once they're fully ingrained in us, but it's far from impossible. You should take some time to think about what you want to switch out and why.
Speak to your local community members, family, and doctors to see what's missing from your routine. Or, if you overcrowded your routine, think of what you can comfortably drop without causing complications.
Is It Dangerous to Change Routines?
No part of changing your routine is inherently dangerous. However, consider what changes you're choosing to make.
Never change your medicine regimen without consulting your doctor. If you intend to make a drastic change, also speak to a doctor!
Cognitive Wellness at Morada Lake Hefner
At Morada Lake Hefner, we work to help attain mental clarity in aging seniors. Work to design a routine that provides you with the brain support activities you need to stay stimulated and active mentally. Design your routine to also include social time and physical wellness so that you're building a fully healthy routine.
Here at Morada Lake Hefner, we understand there's more to life than a schedule. We're part of the Discovery Senior Living family of management companies, which ranked first in the Customer Satisfaction Among Assisted Living & Memory Care Communities in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study. Schedule a tour today to see how we can help you bring a shine to your senior years.