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Tag: Ageing

As Time Goes By… What We Need To Look Out For

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Ageing is one of those inevitabilities of life, but we don’t always know the best way to cope with it. The importance of looking after yourself as you enter your 30, 40, 50, and every decade beyond, means you need to take a little bit of extra care with how you do things on a regular basis. But also, lots of people feel that age is just an inevitable decline, but in fact, if we keep an eye on specific symptoms as we age, we can learn to manage these better, and live a much richer life. So, what is worth keeping an eye on, regardless of how old or young we are?

 

Hearing Problems

Loss of hearing isn’t something that’s just for elders, the more you are exposed to loud noise, including music, the likelihood is that you will develop hearing problems sooner rather than later. Tinnitus is one of those things you need to be aware of, and it can start by hearing a ringing, or some sort of noise inside your ear. Luckily, there are various forms of tinnitus treatment now, but it’s important to be aware of some of the things you might be doing that accelerates your hearing loss. One prominent example is if you listen to music through earphones.

 

Various Bone Issues

While there are things like osteoarthritis that can strike when you are much older, the seeds are sown much younger in age. If you like to go running to keep healthy, there is a chance that you might be using improper form, and if you run too much, it can wear away at your cartilage, meaning your joints will rub together and be very uncomfortable. It’s always important to take proper stock in the health of your joints and bones, especially after the age of 40. But strength training is one of those solutions that help, as long as you do it with proper form.

 

Digestive Problems

This isn’t something you notice so much when you are younger, but gradually as time wears on, so will your stomach. The lining of our stomach can be eroded by the poor diet we can eat through our lives and our gut bacteria can be worn down, which can contribute to issues relating to inflammation, as well as food intolerances. A few ways to help our stomach is to eat foods rich in probiotics, which helps to replenish the bacteria in our guts, but also, giving our stomachs time to repair itself. While they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there has been research into how fasting can help repair the cells of every part of your body, not just your gut. You can start to do this by, very simply, skipping breakfast now and again.

 

In addition to these, one of the main things we all know this is that our minds aren’t as sharp as they used to be. You can remedy this by, very simply, exercising your mind. Much like we exercise our bodies, you can do the same for your brain. Ageing doesn’t have to be a depressing thing, as long as you keep an eye out for the key problems we all get.

 

 

 

Improving Your Health As You Get Older

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Aging is the one thing that nobody can avoid. No matter how physically or mentally healthy you may be, we all get old at some point. The best way to make sure you can still enjoy life when you’re old is to work harder to look after yourself as you get older. An aging body already comes with its aches, pains, and more medical issues than you faced when you were younger. You don’t want to make things harder on yourself by doing a poor job of looking after your body. 

It’s best to adopt a healthy lifestyle whilst you’re still young, but it’s never ‘too late’ to start making changes to your life so that you can live a little more healthily. If you’re alive and kicking then you still owe it to yourself to look after your body and mind. Here are some pieces of advice to help you improve your standard of health as you get older.

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Physical health.

‘Physical activity’ is just another way of saying exercise, I know. But don’t be too dismissive when it comes to keeping your body active. You don’t want to lift weights at the gym or run marathons and that’s absolutely fine. There aren’t too extremes of the spectrum when it comes to exercising or not exercising. You don’t need to spend hours and hours exercising every day if you don’t want to be incredibly muscular or athletic. The key is just to keep your body physically active on a daily basis.

Moving your body doesn’t just reduce fat surrounding your organs (which is a great health benefit) but it also helps to boost your immune system and help to fight off illnesses; this is something which becomes very important as you get older and your body weakens. Just 30 minutes of light exercise or a brisk 10-minute walk could make a huge difference to the health of your heart, your digestive system, and your ability to sleep well.

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Hearing.

Everything deteriorates slightly as you get older. The vast majority of people notice a gradual decline in their hearing as they age, so you’re not alone if you’ve noticed that you’re frequently asking people to repeat themselves because you misheard what they said. Of course, in the modern age, hearing loss doesn’t have to be a permanent state of affairs. Hearing aids and other modern technology have improved the lives of people both old and young who experience auditory difficulties.

Maybe you’ve been to see a specialist before, but you might want to reconsider your audiologist if you think your hearing still isn’t as good as it could be. There are so many options out there that you shouldn’t “make do” with bad hearing. In fact, it can be dangerous to do so. Many people might counteract the fact that they can’t hear the TV by turning up the volume but, much as it would for people with good hearing, high volumes can do just as much damage to the eardrums of somebody with poor hearing. Don’t try to battle with your ears, and make sure you look into appropriate medical solutions.

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Bad habits.

There are countless studies which indicate that curbing bad health habits can have a huge influence later on in life; in other words, you’ll live longer. Addictions such as smoking or drinking are very hard to kick but it’s much easier to do so when you consider the long-term damage. Perhaps you’re still relatively young and the effects stemming from excessive intake of these drugs have yet to really take hold, but the decline of your health is often something which takes place internally before you really start to see the effects externally. Exercise becomes far easier once you stop smoking or drinking excessively, so a healthy lifestyle becomes far more manageable once you’ve stopped these bad habits. It’s about breaking out of that damaging and unhealthy cycle.

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Mental health.

Finally, let’s talk about the mind. When it comes to living longer, people often say the key is to be happy. Not only is this a nice sentiment, but there’s actually some science behind it. The mind and body are interlinked, so it’s completely accurate to say that a good state of mental health can vastly improve your physical health. Think about the ways in which stress, anxiety, and depression all take hold of the body; you might get blemishes on the skin from stress (even young people get that in the form of acne), you might start greying or balding far more quickly, and you might notice a fluctuation in weight.

These things are just a few of the effects of a poor mental state. That’s why it’s so important to work on a healthy mind if you want to keep your body healthy. Breathing exercises and meditation techniques can really help to center yourself if stress is a big part of your life. It’s about becoming more in tune with your mind and finding ways to switch off now and then.

How to Talk to Elderly About Handing Over The Car Keys

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Image source: Pexels

 

Driving is a sensitive topic when we’re young as well as old. To a teenager, being able to get their license and own their own car means independence and freedom – two of the keywords that most people appreciate today. To an older person, keeping their driver’s license and continuing to transport themselves around means exactly the same.

 

So how do we approach a relative or neighbor tactfully when we suspect it’s time for them to hand over the keys? Realizing how difficult it can be to give this up is just the first step; here is how you can address the issue and eliminate your worries without sparking resentment.

 

Understanding their situation

 

Empathy is the way to success in this case, and the more you have of it, the easier it will be to understand why a relative or friend will be reluctant to give up on driving. The older we get, the more losses we tend to experience in life, and many elderly will rigidly hold onto whatever they can to avoid losing even more control of their lives.

 

When so much has been taken away already, how can one give up on the only thing that enables us in seeing who we want, going where we’d like to go, and pursuing the same activities? In the eyes of many seniors, this is just not going to happen.

 

This is why it’s so important that you plan ahead and approach the topic tactfully. Take some time to consider your own role in all of this – is it really up to you to decide if they can drive or not, and do you even have any recent experience with not being able to drive?

 

Talking by listening

 

While you’re still in the process of planning the talk, it’s a good idea to challenge yourself. By not driving for a week or two, you can approach the conversation with some first-hand experience and a fresh layer of empathy.

 

Whatever you choose, make sure you find a quiet time of the day to mention your concerns. Remember that this is a gradual process and you’re not going to triumphantly end the conversation with their keys in your hand.

 

The truth is that if you’ve noticed that their driving is a bit more reckless than it was, they’ve probably noticed it themselves. We all need a nudge in the right direction, especially with regards to our health, and asking them about a recent parking ticket can be an effective way of starting the conversation.

 

Just like the presence of medicalert.systems is a way to keep them safe and your own worries at bay, a conversation like this should be built around ensuring their health. How do they feel about driving lately? Try to listen rather than finding solutions to their problems with being unable to drive – sure, somebody may be happy to drive them around, but it’s not what they need to hear right now.

 

Reflective listening is a term in psychology and especially helpful with such a sensitive topic. It should be a long talk, encouraged by a type of listening where you reflect some of his worries by repeating them. Read more about it at caring.com for a detailed guide on how to approach the talk.

 

No matter how much you dread it, you’re not doing anyone any favors by procrastinating. Spend some time on thinking about your own role and try to understand their feelings before attempting to talk about it; although it may not be resolved by the end of the day, you’ll be well on your way.

Healthy For Life: Medical Checks You Need To Be Having as You Age

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It is inevitable that we are all going to age. But how well we age will be dependant on a number of things. Some things in our life we have inherited and may or may happen as a result. Other things can happen through incidents in our life, or how we treat our body. But there are some things that can occur as we get older than can be dealt with pretty quickly. We just need to be getting them checked in time. So has never been more important to have regular doctor’s appointments as we age. Throughout our life we should aim for at least a yearly physical unless we have any conditions that need to be seen to. But what are some checks we should be having as we get older? Here are a few suggestions. If you have yet to have one of these and are reaching a certain point in your life, then it might be time to schedule an appointment. I hope this helps!

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Hearing Test

Hearing tests should be done from a young age. But unlike eyesight, it doesn’t need to be done too often. Once every five years or so should suffice, as long as you aren’t noticing any problems in the meantime, of course. But as we get older, our hearing can deteriorate quite quickly. So more often than not is recommended for hearing tests. But don’t worry, if there are any issues, it can be easily dealt with. Just take a look at a site like hearingaidbuyertoday.com, and you’ll see the variety of hearing aids that are available. There are many that look like you’re not even wearing one, so you don’t have to make it obvious, if that is something that you’re worried about.

Eye Tests

Throughout our lives, our eyes should be tested around every two years. Again, this should be done sooner if you are noticing problems with the quality of your vision. The number of people, especially women, that wear glasses later in their lives is quite high. So you might want to consider having eye tests annually, rather than every two years. Having good vision can impact your health and life in general greatly, so it is worth looking into.

Stepping on the Scales

Knowing how much we weigh is important for weight maintenance. As we get older, our metabolism can slow down; we tend to be a little less active than we have been before, so weight gain can be quite likely if we’re not careful. So keep an eye on how much you weigh. Being overweight can lead to many issues later in life, but being a reasonable weight can reduce your chances quite significantly.

Cholesterol Testing

Do you know what levels of cholesterol are in your blood? It isn’t something that we tend to know. But having it checked every so often can be really important for our overall health. If you have high cholesterol, it can lead to problems with your heart, and even problems with your blood pressure. So having it checked regularly is important. This can be done with your doctor, especially if you are concerned about it or are overweight. Then you can adjust your lifestyle accordingly, to help improve the results.

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Blood Pressure

Similar to cholesterol levels, our blood pressure can have a big impact on our health, but it isn’t something that we get checked all that often. Untreated high blood pressure can be a killer, as it can lead to things like heart attacks or stroke. So don’t let it sneak up on you. You could check out symptoms at webmd.com if you’re unsure. Get your blood pressure checked regularly and then you can make some changes, as well as take prescribed medication, to help with it.

Mammogram

For women over a certain age, and some men, a mammogram regularly is a great way to detect something like breast cancer before it happens. As well as an annual check, you should look for changes in your body, especially your breasts, and have any changes checked. Yes, it isn’t ideal and can be uncomfortable. But staying on top of it all will help you to deal with anything that might arise, prolonging your health and your life.

Checking Shots

Things like the flu vaccine are available for many of us, especially when the winter months roll around. So if you think you would like one or want to know about it, then speak to your doctor. It can be a lifesaver in winter months when the flu is doing the rounds!

 

 

How To Have A Happy Retirement

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Retirement has come at last, but you might not be thinking that everything is plain sailing from here. Whilst there are things to sort out now that you’re out of work, the important thing is focusing on relaxing and enjoying life from here on out. The following points might help you with sorting out the boring side of things so that you can move on quickly towards enjoying the more exciting side of life.

Sort our your living situation.

This is the second thing you’ll need to think about now that you’re retired. Perhaps your children are now adults and they’ve moved out of home. You and your partner, if you have one, might be looking to downsize from your current home. It might be time to move somewhere else. Perhaps a small cottage or a bungalow is more your thing. Of course, you might not want to live alone anymore, depending on your age. You might want to check out RiddleVillage.com if you want to look into options for retired living. There’s more out there than the standard care home; you could be part of a village community which encourages independent living with your peers.

There would be the added benefit of care and help on hand, no matter which kind of retired living community you chose to explore. Of course, it all depends at which stage you’re at in your life. You might have just retired, but perhaps you’re still happy living at home with your partner or your family. This is more something you might have to plan for the future, but it doesn’t hurt to get these things in order. As mentioned in the last point, regarding finances, it’s better to have these things set way in advance. An article over at usatoday.com explains that staying social is the key to happiness in retirement, so if you’re not finding that in a living community then you might want to find it elsewhere. The final point discusses this further.

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Sort out your happiness.

It’s hard to be happy all the time as you get older, and you might find it difficult to deal with the lack of things to do once you retire. It’s important to find hobbies and ways of staying active. Join groups of likeminded people; that might mean volunteering, but it’s all to do with how you want to spend your time. Much like when you were young, being happy is a state of mind, and it’s something that has to be pursued.

One of our articles sums it up perfectly by stating that you need to still find the time to be active, whatever your age. That might just mean going on a leisurely walk around your local park with a family member, rather than heading off on a strenuous run. You need to keep your mind and body active because the mental effects of exercise, whatever your age, are huge. Of course, cardio is also great for your heart and it might help alleviate aches, pains, or stiffness which might be stemming from inactivity.

 

Not a Day Older: Taking Care of Your Body and Mind in Old Age

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Growing old takes a toll on your body. Although most of us will change as we age, and looking in the mirror is more of a surprise than anything else, you need to take care of yourself more than ever when you’re getting older. If you think the amount you exercised back in the days is what you’re living off now, you’re quite right – but that doesn’t mean you should stop caring about your body and mental health quite yet.

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The truth is, your mind as well as your physical health will be declining when you’ve reached a ripe age and to keep yourself healthy, it’s important to look at health holistically. Here is a handful of the best preventative measures you can take for your health in old age so that you can enjoy a functioning body and a healthy mind for as long as possible.

The best exercise to stay young

The mitochondria in our bodies are considered the cell’s power generator; it produces energy and converts it into forms that are usable by our cells. As we age, our cells stop to regenerate as easily as it did before, and are simultaneously affected by the mitochondria diminishing in both number and vigor.

We’d like to keep it as a generator for as long as we can, and certain types of exercise have actually proven to undo some of what aging has done to our cell’s power producer. The type of exercise that produced the biggest change in people’s genes in a study from this year was intense exercise – or interval training. There are a lot of different ways to incorporate this into your regular routine, although it’s usually associated with running or jogging. How well your aging family member is able to cope with running, you know better than any, but consider similar options such as cycling if this is difficult due to painful knees or other immobilities.

While there’s no decent alternative to growing old, by taking care of yourself and your older family members, you’ll be able to enjoy active years as a senior citizen and leap from one Pilates class to the next one. It will keep you independent and happy for as long as possible so that you can get much more out of your Medicare Supplement plans – and enjoy your golden years for a long time still.

Aging and stress

Stress is bad company when you’re trying to look after your health, and little is able to have such an impact on your health as this one. While we may experience hard times at any age, you’re more likely to have gone through a traumatic emotional loss when you’re older and it becomes even more important to know how to deal with this.

To get in touch with your spirituality can take you a step away from stress and depression; while there are a lot of ways to do this, the most popular way is to try meditation or holistic exercises such as yoga.

The combination of a loss of a loved one, loneliness, and even financial concern can make the stress factor a lot worse when you age – and seniors are at an increased risk for depression. Take care of your mental health as soon as possible and reach out to a professional or your family members for a chat, and practice expressing your emotions.

Remember to laugh and surround yourself with positive people who enjoy life and have managed to stay active. They’ll keep us young for longer and make it easier to enjoy everything life has to offer.

 

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