Friendship Village of South Hills Launches Masterpiece Living, New Successful Aging Initiative

Friendship Village of South Hills launched a new successful aging initiative called Masterpiece Living. Long dedicated to an active and engaging lifestyle for its residents, the Upper St. Clair senior living community is taking the additional step to provide the research-based approach to ensure a more in-depth approach to wellness.

Masterpiece Living focuses on finding and developing individuals’ passions related to four components of wellness: physical, intellectual, spiritual and social. It then uses a scoring system to measure and track progress. The initiative is based on research from the Mayo Clinic and the MacArthur Foundation Study, which says that 70% of how we age is determined by lifestyle, and just 30% is based on genetics. In addition to the numbers, the research generally shows that older adults who are physically and mentally active, socially engaged and feel purposeful in their lives will age more successful.

“We’re looking to help residents develop a personalized plan and guide them, with measurable outcomes, to higher levels of health, vitality and independence,” said Bobbi Jo Haden, executive director of Friendship Village of South Hills. “Implementing Masterpiece Living at Friendship Village of South Hills is a proactive way to help build a culture that believes in the growth of our residents in all areas of their lives.”

The program is voluntary for residents, and those who have taken advantage are showing more interest in new hobbies, eating healthier, developing new skills and achieving their personal best. The combination of Masterpiece Living and Friendship Village of South Hills is a way to challenge the perceptions and age-old norms of senior living communities. With this program, older adults will learn it’s never too later to make a difference in how you age.

To kick off the initiative, Dr. Roger Landry, nationally known wellness expert, author of the book Live Long, Die Short: A Guide to Authentic Health and Successful Aging, and Masterpiece Living president, spoke at Friendship Village of South Hills to residents and guests on Tuesday, March 24.