Healthy Winter Living for Seniors: Tips for Staying Active and Thriving

Winter presents unique challenges for seniors, from chilly weather to shorter days that limit outdoor activities. Yet, it also offers an opportunity to refocus on health, wellness, and building meaningful connections. At Pines Village Retirement Communities, we believe every season holds potential for joy and vitality. With the right strategies, winter can be a time of thriving. Here’s how to maintain physical and mental well-being throughout the colder months.

Stay Active, Even Indoors

Physical activity is essential for maintaining overall health and energy levels, and winter is no exception. While outdoor activities may be limited, there are plenty of ways to keep moving indoors.

  • Try Low-Impact Exercises: Activities like yoga, tai chi, and chair aerobics are gentle on joints while improving flexibility, strength, and balance.

  • Take Indoor Walks: Utilize hallways, community spaces, or even your living area for walking. Regular movement can improve circulation and keep you energized.

  • Join Fitness Classes: Many communities, including Pines Village, offer group exercise sessions designed for seniors. These classes combine physical activity with social connection, making fitness fun and engaging.

Nurture Your Mental and Emotional Health

The darker, colder months can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation or the “winter blues.” Prioritizing emotional well-being is just as important as physical health.

  • Stay Connected: Reach out to family and friends through phone calls, video chats, or in-person visits when possible. Meaningful connections lift spirits and foster a sense of belonging.

  • Engage in Hobbies: Dedicate time to activities you love, whether it’s painting, knitting, puzzles, or reading. Creative hobbies keep the mind active and reduce stress.

  • Socialize Within the Community: Join group activities, book clubs, or social events within your community. Spending time with others can greatly enhance your mood and sense of purpose.

Fuel Your Body with Proper Nutrition

A healthy diet is key to supporting your immune system and overall vitality during winter. Hydration and seasonal nutrition should also be top priorities.

  • Embrace Seasonal Produce: Incorporate nutrient-rich winter vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens into your meals. They’re flavorful, satisfying, and packed with vitamins.

  • Stay Hydrated: Despite the cooler temperatures, staying hydrated is crucial. Warm drinks like herbal teas or broths can help you maintain fluid levels while keeping you cozy.

  • Enjoy Wholesome Comfort Foods: Warm, hearty dishes like soups, stews, and casseroles are perfect for winter and provide essential nutrients in every bite.

Create a Safe and Cozy Environment

Safety and comfort are especially important during winter. A few simple adjustments can help create a warm, secure living space.

  • Prevent Falls: Use non-slip mats in high-traffic areas and ensure that walkways are clear and well-lit.

  • Dress for Warmth: Layer clothing to maintain body heat, and have blankets or cozy sweaters readily available.

  • Let in the Light: Open curtains or blinds during daylight hours to maximize exposure to natural sunlight, which can improve mood and regulate sleep patterns.

Connect with Your Community

Staying socially active is one of the best ways to beat the winter blues. At Pines Village Retirement Communities, we offer a vibrant calendar of events, from exercise classes to arts and crafts, movie nights, and group outings. Being part of a supportive, dynamic community provides countless opportunities to engage with others and enrich your daily life.

Embrace Winter Wellness

Winter can be a time of growth, joy, and connection with the right mindset and tools. By staying physically active, nurturing your mental health, and creating a safe environment, you can fully embrace the season.

At Pines Village Retirement Communities, we’re here to support your journey every step of the way. Let’s make this winter a season of well-being, happiness, and fulfillment—together.

Senior Living on Your Terms: Why Moving Earlier Helps You Thrive

As we age, many of us believe we’ll stay in our homes “as long as possible,” doing chores, maintaining the yard, paying for repairs, and getting help from family and friends with our health needs. However, waiting until a crisis forces a move can be costly—both financially and emotionally. Making the decision earlier, while you still have options, often leads to a richer, safer, and more satisfying life. Here’s why.

More Control, Better Choices

Moving early gives you the advantage of time to find a senior living community that truly matches your values, pace, and lifestyle, not just what’s available in an emergency. When health, mobility, or safety concerns increase, options become limited. Waiting often means accepting what you must have rather than what you want.

Health, Safety & Well‐being Benefits

Preventive care and support are more accessible in senior living communities. These include on-site wellness programs, regular check-ins, meals prepared with nutrition in mind, fitness offerings, and better access to medical assistance. These advantages help maintain health and delay the onset of decline. For example, one recent study by NORC at the University of Chicago found that people who live in senior housing score better on many measures of wellness compared to those living in the general community. (nic.org)

Fewer falls, injuries, and emergency hospitalizations. When you live somewhere designed for seniors, with fewer trip hazards, more supportive infrastructure, and staff to help, risks go down.

Emotional and mental health. Social isolation is one of the biggest threats to older adults. Moving to a community with built-in social supports, programmed activities, and opportunities for friendship can reduce loneliness, boost mood, and even improve cognitive health. (leisurecare.com)

Stability & Predictability (Including Cost)

Predictable monthly costs. Senior living often combines multiple services—such as maintenance, meals, utilities, and some health support—into one fixed fee. That can make budgeting simpler than managing house payments, home repairs, “surprise” medical bills, or paying for help at home when needed.

Reduced hidden costs of aging in place. Staying in one’s home longer means paying more for things like home modifications (ramps, walk-in showers, railings), contractors, yard care, plumbing, heating, and other expenses, which can add up. Additionally, hiring caregivers, transportation, and meals if cooking becomes more difficult—all these costs increase. In some cases, home modifications alone can cost thousands of dollars. (fountainviewlogansquare.com)

Avoiding crisis costs. Waiting until health emergencies happen (falls, hospitalizations, urgent care) often means more expensive, more drastic changes, less room to negotiate contracts, higher stress, and less favorable financial terms.

Better Quality of Life — More Than Just Basics

Freedom from maintenance and chores. Yard work, snow removal, big home repairs—these can become physically difficult, costly, and stressful. Senior living frees you from those burdens, allowing you more time to enjoy the things you love.

More time to enjoy amenities and relationships. If you move earlier, you have more years to enjoy the amenities, build friendships, participate in programs, travel, volunteer, and live life rather than constantly responding to daily tasks.

Flexibility for future care levels. Many senior living communities offer multiple levels of care (independent living, assisted living, memory care). Moving earlier gives the opportunity to stay in one community even as needs change, rather than having to move again.

Emotional & Family Peace of Mind

Reduces worry for loved ones. Families often feel stressed when an aging loved one struggles at home—worries about safety, sudden medical issues, and caregiving responsibilities. Moving early can ease many of those concerns.

Sense of community & belonging. Moving earlier lets you settle in, make friends, and contribute to community life. It’s harder to build strong social bonds if you arrive under duress or in decline.

When “Too Late” Feels Terrible

When waiting becomes necessary, you risk:

  • Fewer quality options: fewer apartments available, more waiting, more compromises on location or services.

  • Moving under duress: in crisis mode, decisions are rushed, emotional, and may not align with preferences.

  • Greater disruption: you might have to sell the home quickly, downsize with less time, and struggle with logistics.

What Should You Do If You’re Considering Moving Sooner

  • Start exploring the senior living communities in your area now. Take tours. Ask current residents what they like about the community they live in.

  • Estimate full costs today vs projected future costs: include not just rent or fees but healthcare, home upkeep, modifications, transportation, etc.

  • Think about quality of life: which services or amenities are most important to you? Independence? Meals? Social life? Activities? Safety?

  • Talk with family or trusted advisors about your options. Sometimes clarity comes from an honest conversation.

Conclusion

It’s natural to want to stay “in place” as long as possible. However, for many people, moving to a senior living community earlier often brings more benefits than waiting, including improved health, greater control, reduced stress, predictable costs, and more time to enjoy life.

If you’re curious about senior living in Northwest Indiana, we invite you to explore Pines Village. Take a look at our available apartments, discover Meridian Woods, or contact us today to schedule a tour. At Pines Village, we celebrate life by enriching the lives of older adults—and we’d love to show you how a move made earlier can be one of the best decisions for your future.

Pines Village Retirement Communities embraces your independence with a true “village-style” approach to retirement living, offering maintenance-free residences, security, opportunities for socialization, fitness, and lifelong learning. You choose the space and lifestyle that work for you: a cottage or paired home at the Meridian Woods Campus, or an easygoing apartment at the Pines Village Campus.

Residents enjoy flexibility and freedom—cook for yourself or savor restaurant-style dining onsite, drive your own car or take advantage of transportation services. Both campuses are pet-friendly and feature unique amenities and services, with the option to add personalized assistance as needed. Plus, Meridian Woods residents receive priority access to apartments at Pines Village, should they decide to transition into apartment living and enjoy the on-site amenities there.

Comparing Not-for-Profit and For-Profit Retirement Communities

Individuals ages 65 and older account for 17% of the population of the United States—about 56 million people. Many of these individuals still live in their own homes or with family members, but senior living communities are becoming an increasingly popular option for older adults. It is important to understand one important distinction between senior living communities: those that are for-profit and those that are not-for-profit. This article will compare the differences between for-profit and not-for-profit retirement communities.

Resident Lu enjoying the newest exhibit at The Village Gallery

Ownership

The driving difference between not-for-profit and for-profit retirement communities is ownership. For-profit organizations are owned by an individual or group of shareholders who are looking to make money through their business. These individuals are often based far from the community and don’t know what is happening in local communities. Not-for-profit organizations are not owned by anyone and are instead overseen by a board of directors. These board members are individuals who volunteer their talents and their time in order to help the organization provide quality services and management. 

As volunteers, board members don’t accept any financial gain, which means that they are solely focused on and committed to managing the organization's financial resources, planning for the future, responding to needs within the organization, and staying true to the mission. These individuals are also from the local area and understand the community’s needs and expectations.

Price and Profits

By definition, for-profit organizations have to show a significant return on their owners’ investment. By charging the local communities management fees and paying dividends, the for-profit institutions move funds from their local community to the owners’ bottom line. On the other side of things, not-for-profit organizations are not owned by anyone and do not keep profits. Instead, they reinvest any profits back into the organization in order to continue carrying out their mission and improving the lives of their residents. 

Nearly 80% of all senior residential care communities are privately owned and for-profit. When giant corporations own hundreds of properties, they’re not necessarily worried about using profits to help people; they are worried about growing their own equity. This usually leads to them keeping rental rates as high as possible and costs as low as possible, which can affect different offerings from the community like dining, staffing, activities, transportation, and more. Combined, these can end up negatively impacting the residents' quality of life.

Commitment to the Community

Another key difference that separates not-for-profit retirement communities from for-profit ones is the commitment they offer. Nonprofit organizations are committed to their mission above all else. This commitment also factors into the quality of services that are provided in the community.

As mentioned earlier, for-profit communities generally try to keep costs low in order to maximize their profits. That doesn’t always result in a commitment to providing quality services for residents. For-profit retirement communities that do not have ties to the communities that they service may be more likely to fold when things get tough, leaving their residents scrambling to find a new home.

For-profit communities are mainly focused on making money, while not-for-profit communities are committed to providing quality care to their residents above everything else. While there are many individuals at the for-profit communities that are deeply committed to their residents, the organizational commitment at for-profits will always start with the financial return.

Growth and Improvement

Two other areas that differentiate not-for-profit communities from for-profit ones are growth and improvement. This comes back to the commitment and quality that not-for-profit communities offer, as they are committed to growing and improving so they can continue to provide quality services to their residents and seniors in the surrounding community—now and in the future.

In fact, many not-for-profit senior organizations have been around for over 50 years. These organizations have been at the forefront of improving and changing the field of aging services to better help older adults. 

In comparison, some for-profit organizations start with a financial goal in mind and then cash out once they’ve hit that goal. This leaves the older adults in those communities vulnerable to changes that may be brought with new owners.

Not-for-profits, on the other hand, don’t usually have an exit strategy. Instead, they are built for the long-term benefit of their residents and the overall community, not short-term financial gains. This includes tailoring the housing, health care, and community services they offer to residents to address specific needs within the community. 

Ultimately, not-for-profit retirement communities are different from for-profit communities because they are committed to their mission of providing the best service possible to their residents, and they reinvest the money from residents directly back into serving them and the community. This creates better living options for older adults where their quality of life is always the top priority.

Porter County’s Only Not-for-Profit Retirement Community

Pines Village Retirement Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit senior living community in Valparaiso, Indiana, with two campuses: Pines Village and Meridian Woods. Our nonprofit status means we put people before profits; quality before earnings. Our funds are committed exclusively to running and improving the Pines Village community, enhancing services for our residents.

Pines Village is privileged to give back to the Northwest Indiana community in many ways, including:

The Pines Village campus offers pet-friendly independent living apartments with the option to add assistive services à la carte or in packages. The Meridian Woods campus features maintenance-free paired homes and the Meridian Woods Community Center, which hosts events and serves as a meeting space for residents and local nonprofits.

At Pines Village, we celebrate life by enriching the lives of older adults. We pride ourselves on our culture, which is driven by a passion for serving the residents, visitors, and staff of Pines Village as well as the greater Valparaiso community. Explore our senior apartment availability, learn more about our assisted living options, or contact us with any questions today!

Celebrating Hazel Hannell: An Afternoon of Art, History, and Community

On a warm summer afternoon, more than a hundred guests gathered at Pines Village and The Village Gallery for the Hazel Hannell Artful Aging reception, an event as colorful and inviting as Hannell’s own art. Friends, neighbors, artists, and history lovers filled the gallery, mingling among the vibrant works while enjoying the kind of warm hospitality that makes our community so special.

Photograph of Hazel Hannell by Margaret L. Willis

The evening’s highlight was a captivating talk by Serena Ard, whose deep connection to the history of the Hannells shone through in every word. She wove together stories of Hazel’s artistic journey, her commitment to conservation, and the creative partnership she shared with her husband, Vin. Serena’s storytelling offered guests a deeper appreciation for the pieces on display, transforming them from beautiful works of art into living records of a remarkable life and era.

Guests enjoyed an impressive grazing table prepared by Frank, our Executive Chef, overflowing with meats, cheeses, fresh fruits, crackers, dips, and colorful garnishes — a feast as thoughtfully arranged as the art on the walls. Laughter and conversation filled the air as attendees moved from table to table, taking in the details of the exhibit while reconnecting with friends old and new.

If you missed the reception, there’s still time to experience Hazel Hannell’s work in person. The exhibit will remain on display at The Village Gallery through October 2, 2025. Whether you’re a longtime admirer or discovering her art for the first time, we invite you to step into her world of bold colors, nature-inspired themes, and community spirit.

This program is part of the Vin & Hazel Hannell: Creativity, Community, Conservation series, presented in partnership with Art Barn School of Art, Chesterton Art Center, Indiana Dunes Tourism, Porter County Museum, and Westchester Township History Museum (Westchester Public Library).

📷: Albert Photographic

Pines Village’s Connection to Hazel Hannell

At Pines Village, our mission is to celebrate life by enriching the lives of older adults. Everything we do is guided by the residents. Our spaces reflect their lives, values, and sense of home. That’s why our halls showcase fine art by regional artists like Jan Sullivan, Margaret Burroughs, Harriet Rex Smith, Russell Nelson, and Hazel and Vaino (Vin) Hannell.

Our connection to Hazel Hannell began with our first administrator, Margaret M. Rivers, a devoted supporter of the arts who believed creativity could enrich everyday life. Over time, several of Hazel’s paintings made their way into our community. Some were passed down by residents and displayed throughout the building. These pieces became gathering points where residents stopped to admire and share stories.

Some had known Hazel personally. Some still treasured the small clay animals she made for children and the mini mugs she’d make as gifts for newborns. Others remembered her digging red clay from her yard to craft pottery. Her spirited life and creative energy left a lasting impression.

Former CEO Laurie Mullet’s vision helped grow Pines Village’s art collection and deepen our ties to the local arts community. Under her leadership, we established the most extensive public collection of Hazel Hannell’s work. Today, it serves as a daily reminder of the creativity and purpose that can flourish at any age.

We invite you to join us in celebrating Hazel’s life, her legacy, and the enduring power of artful aging.

Evolving Through Life and Creativity

Kathleen McQuillan’s “A Lifetime of Experiences” at The Village Gallery June 8 - July 31, 2025

At Pines Village Retirement Communities, we believe that life is a journey meant to be celebrated at every stage — and that celebration becomes even richer when we have passions to pursue, people to connect with, and opportunities to continue growing.

Our residents continually inspire us with the many ways they share their talents, dreams, and life stories — none more so than artist and resident, Kathleen McQuillan.

We are thrilled to announce The Village Gallery’s newest exhibit, A Lifetime of Experiences, featuring oil paintings by Kathleen McQuillan, will open with a reception on Sunday, June 8, at 2 p.m. Kathleen’s work reminds us that creativity knows no age limits, and that each chapter of life brings new opportunities for reflection, beauty, and discovery. The exhibit will be open to the public for viewing through July 31, 2025.

About the Artist

A longtime resident of Valparaiso, Kathleen’s journey in art began in high school and flourished through her education at St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame. Her work has been widely admired, including her senior series on the images of The Trinity, exhibited at the Vatican Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.

Throughout the years, Kathleen raised five children, welcomed 14 grandchildren, and continued her creative pursuits — from designing church banners to painting landscapes that reflect her deep appreciation for the world’s beauty.

Now, as a member of the Pines Village community, Kathleen embraces a full and creative life: gardening, reading, and socializing. She has even taken painting classes offered right here at Pines Village to keep her creative juices flowing— a wonderful example of lifelong learning and passion.

Her exhibit, A Lifetime of Experiences, is a powerful reminder that each day holds new inspiration and that creativity can grow and flourish no matter where you are in life.

Why Community and Creativity Matter

Research shows that staying socially, mentally, and creatively engaged is vital for healthy aging. A report from the National Institute on Aging found that seniors who participate in meaningful activities report better emotional well-being and live longer, healthier lives. Additionally, engaging in the arts has been linked to improved memory, lower rates of cognitive decline, and a greater sense of purpose.

At Pines Village, we offer a vibrant community where residents can connect with friends, attend enriching activities, explore their passions, and support each other’s creative and personal growth. Whether it’s through painting, music, gardening, volunteering, or simply sharing a meal with a neighbor, these moments of connection make every day fuller and more joyful.

Kathleen’s story—and her exhibit—are beautiful examples of how lifelong creativity, a supportive community, and an active spirit can make life meaningful at every age.