Modern day seniors have plenty to look forward to and those in their golden years are typically more active, living fuller lives and seizing more opportunities than ever before. However, that is not to say that getting older does not bring with it challenges and worries. The best thing to do in our golden years is to be open about these anxieties and seek ways that we can help seniors, or indeed if we are amongst this group, allow ourselves to accept help to find a way through these concerns.
Here we look at the most prominent and how best to approach them:
Healthcare costs
Typically, the healthcare cost for someone aged over 65 can be around three times higher that that of a working age individual, It is not surprising that this is top of the concerns for seniors in the USA. Having to bear the burden of such high costs when you are retired and costs can erode savings so quickly is undoubtedly a genuine anxiety for many.
The reality is that many Americans do not or cannot successfully plan for the potentially high costs of healthcare once they retire and ideally as a nation we all need to improve our financial management with improved long term outlook.
Working out your financial priorities as you approach retirement is important, whether it is to travel, to stay in your home, to fund a retirement facility – take the time do your research.
Share your intentions with family members and ensure that in retirement you review your budget and keep your spending on track. Be sure to keep abreast of government assistance you may be entitled to or State-wide grants from which you could benefit and take steps to address debt rather than allow this to spiral.
Physical aging
With age comes inevitable change in the body. Around 85 per cent of individuals over the age of 65 have one or more chronic health condition so it is inevitably a concern as we get older. However, for seniors, even normal changes to vision or hearing that occur as part and parcel of getting older are a cause of stress.
Many seniors particularly worry about age related conditions which could cause them to experience cognitive changes, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Staying as mentally and physically active as possible into senior years is one of the best ways to actively ward off the risk of developing some of these conditions, as well as assist in managing any stress around health or ageing.
Requiring physical assistance
Physical aging, whatever the underlying cause can lessen an individual’s ability and confidence to remain in the own home, living with independence. Having to surrender this independence is an unwanted side effect for many seniors of the ageing process.
However, there are ways to acknowledge this concern and face into it with a solution that could enable you to stay in your home as you age, even future -proofing your residence well before time so that for you, such a concern is removed before it ever becomes an issue.
Whether you have been diagnosed with an illness or rehabilitating from an injury, a home elevator, for example could hugely improve your quality of life by helping the user seemingly move between the floors of their home at their will.
Financial security
Many seniors fear they will be unable to support themselves financially into their later years. They are only too aware of rising costs of healthcare and the potential costs of care facilities and fear becoming a burden on other family members.
Talking about this with family can really help. Perhaps they envisage moving closer to you as you age, offering care input that will enable you to stay in the home you love. Or, perhaps like more and more families yours would consider moving somewhere with space for a suite or annexe to accommodate you once you need this.
The suite or annexe can be suited to the requirements of an older person, without the high burden of maintenance and care costs for an assisted living facility.
Loneliness
For some, older age can be accompanied by feelings of isolation. Seniors may have friends who have moved away to be with family or moved to retirement homes. Or perhaps they are experiencing bereavement having lost a friend or a spouse.
With their social circle decreasing whatever the reasons, older people may become more withdrawn. Perhaps certain social activities become less viable, or the driving becomes a barrier.
For all these reasons it is crucial that as an older person, or someone caring for them we acknowledge the impact of this concern. Seeking out new social opportunities, local communities to join, even telephone schemes that connect an isolated senior with others to share stories can make a tremendous difference to their quality of life.
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