The sun is starting to hang around in the UK and we thought a handy little guide highlighting the benefits of the outdoors to your residents. Also, we will point out a few tips to enhance the care of those outside when it gets warmer.
Reasons for residents to make the most of being outside
Staying Active
It is really important to be as active as possible, this way we stay healthy and fit. It is easier to justify activity in the warmer months as well. Although do keep an eye on anything too strenuous when it is warm.
Get Fitter
Spending a lot of time in doors means that residents could be lacking in vitamin D, this is an essential mineral for our health. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight! Lack of sunlight can be particularly severe for residents as it increases the risk of ailments such as osteoporosis, strokes and heart attacks.
Bear in mind to avoid residents staying outside for too long, as extended sun exposure can cause skin cancer. Just a few minutes of direct sunlight will create a sufficient levels of vitamin D.
Improves Mental Health
Being able to get outside can help to relieve potential day to day monotony and provide a change of scene. It’s been shown that sunlight and spending time outside can help to alleviate symptoms of depression. SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that can occur when people cannot get enough sunlight, resulting in a drop in serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells. Serotonin is believed to help regulate mood and social behaviour, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and sexual desire and function.
Getting outside helps breaks up potentially monotonous days, these changes in surroundings can really boost residents’ mood. Research suggests that being outdoors in the sun can decrease the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. This is a form of anxiety and depression when residents aren’t getting any sunlight. This lack of sunlight effects our serotonin – a chemical produced by the body that controls mood.
Having Fun
Being outside is a brilliant excuse to socialise and enjoy the company of staff and other residents. If you have the space in your care home a nice garden is the perfect environment to entertain residents, their friends and family. Perhaps you could try going further afield and plan a fun day out to the zoo or the seaside.
Enjoy Nature
Nature stimulates our senses – the feeling of leaves crunching under foot, the feel of long grass on your finger tips, these sensations can invigorate anyone who has had long periods of being inside. Touch, smell, feel and hearing are all activated when enjoying the outdoors.
