Top Seven Steps for Preparing for Old Age

How was your high school experience? For maybe half of all graduates, the high school experience was less than stellar. Ever wish you could have a do-over once you’d grown up and learned a few things?

Well, buckle up. While we won’t get a chance to go back and fix any regrets from high school, a much more foreboding season looms ahead: old age. And there are several things we can do to make sure this season is a rewarding one rather than one fraught with misery and fear. Let’s allow the regrets of adolescence fuel our resolve to give ourselves the best chance of a happy old age!

Top Seven Tips to Prepare for Old Age

 Downsize.

One of the greatest hindrances to many older adults is the desperate need for stuff.

“I can’t live anywhere that I’m not able to store my 4,321 scholarly journals!”

“I might need this accordion, and these guitars each have their own stories.”

“But my Aunt Mabelanne made these quilts! I can’t get rid of them; think how she’d feel if she knew!”

How much money do we spend sheltering things we don’t even remember we own?

As the wise man said, “A man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things he possesses.” While we must strike a balance between preparing for lean times and ruthlessly purging all possessions, most of us could do with an honest evaluation of how much space is needed just to house our stuff.

It’s a good idea to think of decluttering as a lifelong habit, bit by bit. As we get a sense of how freeing it can be, we become braver to downsize things gently without suddenly purging precious belongings.

Old age is a bad time to be lifting heavy boxes and making even heavier decisions about what things we can live without. Let’s do our older selves a favor and get those heavy things handled now. Getting rid of the accordion won’t be easier when we are also mourning the loss of sight, memory or loved ones.

Daily walking.

We all know we need to exercise more. When will it be easier, now when we have the muscle to tone, or later, when the lack of muscle makes any movement excruciating? Even walking half a mile a day will pay us enormous benefits; more exercise will be even better.

Let’s incorporate the discipline of exercise now, and reap the rewards for the rest of our lives by a heightened enjoyment of living.

Delight in silence.

Many people have conducted studies on the power of music, types of music, and benefits of sound on the brain. A byproduct of these studies has surprised researchers by revealing that neurogenesis, or new brain cell formation, can be triggered by silence, and that these new brain cells can go on to provide better brain function. What a prospect for those seeking answers for memory issues!

Keeping a podcast or the TV constantly running may seem like an efficient use of time, but it turns out that enjoying periods of complete silence may do even more for us than the Sudoku. Go figure!

Decide about moving.

If you live far away from family members who will feel responsible for caring for you one day, now is the time to consider moving closer. It isn’t realistic to expect others to uproot their lives to come care for us. The more sensible decision is to move closer to them, and early enough that it isn’t so heartbreaking for us.

Even moving in your fifties can be difficult, as the loss of old friends and the struggle of new surroundings sets in. That pain wears off, though, as you get settled, and it’s so much easier than it would be to uproot in your eighties and try to make new connections.

Develop connections.

Once you’re settled into the place where you’ll most likely spend the rest of your life, do all you can to develop connections there. Make friends. Talk to people at the park. Get in the habit of reaching out beyond yourself.

Join clubs. Volunteer. Becoming involved in service groups at church. You form the best bonds with people you serve with, so see how you can help other people while meeting like-minded friends who will care about you when your old friends fade or pass away.

Drink more water.

So much pain in our bodies happens as a simple result of dehydration. Drinking water is such a simple act, but it has powerful results. Make a habit of setting a glass of ice on the table, and every time you pass by, fill it and drink it!

Display gratitude.

The best way to ensure that our old age will be spent well is to learn to direct our thoughts away from dark places into happy places. The easiest way to make this habit is to regularly show gratitude for everything.

When you get in the habit of thanking the hostess at the restaurant for seating you, for the server for refilling your drink—yes, even though it’s his job—or sending compliments to the chef, soon everywhere you look, you’ll see nice things instead of things to complain about. As we focus on the good, the bad will fade in significance, and we can one day enter old age with an optimistic outlook rather than fear and anger.

At Cura for Care, we love helping those experiencing difficulties from the aging process live happy, healthy and active at home. We hope these ideas can help you look ahead and prepare so one day your days will be the best they can be!

ALSO:

We’re developing a list of talks regarding aging well, and we’d love to present one or more of them to your group or congregation!

For more information, please call Moises at 615-678-9223.