In glorious autumn, pursue active senior living safely when outdoors

The beautiful season of fall has arrived, and it’s a great time to savor cooler outside temperatures before winter’s cold chases us indoors. So, enjoy this season of splendor with active senior living while being mindful of your health and safety.

Although the striking colors of autumn leaves may awe and inspire, raking them can literally take your breath away and result in muscle strain or worse. The bending, twisting, reaching, and lifting involved in raking can cause injury to the back, shoulders, and wrists.

It’s a good idea to engage in light exercise for 10 minutes to warm up your muscles even before you start raking. Then, when you’re done, gently stretch your muscles to relieve tension, and maybe take a hot bath.

7 tips for protecting health and safety while raking leaves

If your active senior living includes raking, you can lessen your pain and enhance your safety by taking these precautions from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

1. Wear shoes with slip-resistant soles to minimize the risk of falling.
2. Make sure your rake is a good height and weight for you.
3. Use short strokes to lower the risk of over-extension injuries.
4. Bend at the knees, not the waist, to avoid strain on your back, neck, and shoulders.
5. Avoid twisting your body. Instead, use your legs to shift your weight.
6. Vary your raking movements as much as possible to avoid overusing muscle groups.
7. Slow your pace and take breaks as necessary, especially if you rarely exercise.

If you drive in the fall, we suggest heeding advice from PennDOT to watch out for slippery road conditions, primarily wet leaves and morning frost and icy spots. Also, be alert to deer, who are out and about more in breeding season, particularly between sunset and sunrise when searching for food.

Finally, one more reminder: keep walkways, stairs, and driveways free of leaves, which can cause slips or falls when wet.

Active senior living communities offer fun fall outdoor activities

With fall’s arrival at Brethren Village, many of our Residents like to frequently head outside for sunshine and cool, fresh air while they can. If you visit us, you may find Residents maintaining their fitness through walking, bicycling, bocce, golfing, gardening, or just relaxing on a bench, taking in the beauty of the natural landscape.

For Residents who like to get away for new experiences, we host day trips to area sights and events, as well as overnight trips to farther destinations. This fall, our coach trips will take Residents to the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland’s eastern shore and to western Pennsylvania to visit Fallingwater, Phipps Conservatory, and more.

Brethren Village offers opportunities to be active year round

We also provide seniors with a wide range of indoor social activities throughout the year and encourage participation by all Residents who are able. If you’re looking for a scenic, active senior living community in Lancaster PA, we hope you will visit our bustling campus near Lititz and see why so many seniors enjoy retirement here. We invite you to contact us to schedule a tour of our senior living community or to request more information on our retirement living options.