Finding Purpose in Retirement: How to Encourage Meaningful Senior Living

Many adults look forward to retirement as a chance to finally unwind and leave the stress of work behind, but some seniors may find that leaving behind the structure, community, and ambition provided by a traditional work setting can disrupt their sense of purpose. Although many retired seniors enjoy the initial relief that comes with retirement, those feelings can wear away quickly if they don’t keep busy with meaningful activities that provide a driving purpose. 

At Garden of Palms, our mission is to ensure that our residents lead happy and fulfilling senior lifestyles after retirement. Below, we explore a few of the ways we encourage retired seniors to find purpose after leaving the workforce.

Explore Passions

Before retirement, many older adults may not have had the time, energy, or financial freedom to fully explore their passions, values, and aspirations outside of work and family. Getting to know oneself without these demands can help a senior better find their purpose. After retirement, we encourage seniors to spend some time brainstorming the passions and goals that they haven’t yet had the chance to fully pursue. These questions can serve as an excellent starting point:

• “What is important to me?”
• “When do I feel creative?”
• “What are my talents?”
• “What will I regret not doing when I die?”

Set Goals

Goals of all sizes often provide a driving purpose in life, and it’s easy to feel aimless without them. Setting concrete goals gives retirees something new to look forward to each day as they take steps to work toward meeting them. These goals can be as simple as finishing a book every month or visiting a friend once a week and as ambitious as learning an instrument, writing a memoir, or starting a community organization. 

Give Back

Retired seniors who found meaning in their work don’t have to completely abandon the skills they learned throughout their career. Though going back to traditional work is not an option for most seniors, giving back to others by volunteering a small portion of their time and energy can be a great way to continue using their talents while positively impacting the lives of others. 

Find Community

Research suggests that regular social interaction and a sense of community leads to happier, healthier, and more fulfilling senior lifestyles. It’s easy to fall into isolation during retirement as social opportunities dwindle, but we encourage retired seniors to visit with friends and family as much as possible. For many older adults, shifting to life at a senior living community that encourages a sense of friendship and family can have a profound impact on their quality of life and sense of purpose. 

Garden of Palms

An assisted living community in Hollywood

If you are exploring Jewish retirement communities in the Los Angeles area, we’d love to show you around our assisted living and independent living community. Out commitment to providing meaningful opportunities and activities to our residents makes us an excellent choice for seniors seeking purpose past retirement. Please consider touring our senior living community, or contact us for more information.

 

Please Contact Us

1025 North Fairfax Avenue.

West Hollywood, CA 90046

Phone: (323) 656-7900

Email: director@gardenofpalms.com