aging

How Are Your Health And Your Age Connected?

July 3, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

There’s no doubt that there are few things as important as taking the proper care of your health. Most of us would agree that we are relatively concerned with taking care of ourselves. However, one of the most common things that a lot of people forget about is the fact that your needs in regards to your health change as you get older. There are some things that will stay the same but the truth is that your body goes through so many changes as you age that the way you interact with your health can be seriously different at different times of your life. With that in mind, here are some connections between your age and your health that you should be aware of.

Your Lifestyle

When you’re young, it’s pretty easy to feel as though you’re pretty much invincible. You can eat whenever you want, go out every night, drink as much as you want, and none of it seems to have any negative impact on you. However, as you get older these kinds of things start to take more of a toll. Not only that but a lot of the things that you do when you’re younger don’t feel like they’re having an impact because of the fact that the consequences tend to be more long-term. Things like going to loud concerts or clubs are some of the most common causes of hearing loss but it’s something that you might not realise until it’s far too late. Much better to protect your hearing now rather than worry about it later.

Your Diet

Let’s face it, no matter how lucky you are in terms of being able to eat what you want when you’re younger, that’s something that’s almost certainly not going to last. If you want to take care of your health as you get older then you’ve got to get used to paying attention to your diet. Your body responds to food differently as you get older and not only can that result in things like weight gain but it can also involve pain and discomfort from certain foods. Obviously, if something has seriously changed then talking to a medical professional is always a good idea.

Joint Pain

Joint pain is something that most people assume is only really an issue as they get older, and to a certain degree, that’s true. However, even joint pain that only presents later in life can be caused by behaviours that have been happening for years. Staying active and keeping your joints strong when you’re younger can make a huge difference further down the road.

Now, none of this is to say that getting older means that you have to give up everything that you enjoy doing that’s even the slightest bit unhealthy. There’s no point in just giving up everything that makes life enjoyable. But it’s a matter of creating the best possible balance that you can. And if you can develop that balance as early as possible, you’ll end up having to give up far fewer things as you get older.

Thank you for reading!

Health

How to Help Your Aging Parents Stay in the Best Health

July 2, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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Seeing your parents age, and no longer as active as they once were can come as a shock. When your parents grow older, they may begin to experience health problems, and you may see your roles reversed. Instead of your parents taking care of you, you may now need to help care for them.

Helping your parents stay healthy can be tricky. They may resent your attempts to take care of them, or they may not believe that they need any help at all. It is vital to strike a balance between caring for them and not interfering. It is likely that your parents will want to stay independent for as long as possible, and won’t appreciate being told what to do. If you are too overbearing, you are likely to cause issues in your relationship, so talking things through with your parents, and being guided by them as to the level of help that they require is crucial.

Regular Checkups

To stay in the best health, your parents will need to have regular checkups. Along with the usual medical checkups, it is also essential to schedule hearing tests and eye tests. Many people experience a deterioration in both their hearing and their eyesight as they age. Both hearing loss and vision problems can impact on your parent’s sense of wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Ensuring that your parents have regular checkups should help to detect the early onset of any problems, and steps can then be taken to resolve them. Hearing loss can make people feel isolated and can be frustrating for them. Not being able to hear conversations clearly, or able to listen to the radio and television can really impact on your parent’s quality of life.

If a visit to the audiologist shows that your parent is experiencing hearing loss, they may suggest that they have hearing aids fitted. Getting hearing aids can make a massive difference to your parent’s wellbeing and help them to feel more connected to the world around them. Nowadays, there are many different styles of hearing aids available. During the consultation, the audiologist will be able to recommend a style that best suits your parent’s needs, and will bring them the most significant benefit.

Keep in Touch

One of the most important steps towards helping your parents to stay healthy is to keep in touch with them either over the phone or in person. Communication is at the heart of all healthy relationships, and the parent/child one is no different. Contacting your parents regularly will help you gauge how they are feeling and gain a clearer idea of how they are doing. Being in regular contact will ensure you notice subtle changes to their health more quickly, and help them get these issues resolved.

Keeping in touch with your parents is especially important if they live alone, as they may feel isolated and lonely. Human connection and communication are crucial to everyone’s sense of wellbeing, and your parents are no exception.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Three Changes You Might Notice As You Age

March 2, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

It’s true that as you age your body certainly goes through a wide variety of changes. You might not be prepared for all of these differences and this can mean that they are quite shocking. It can make you feel anxious or even scared of the differences that you are beginning to notice. However, age is, of course, a natural process and there’s often nothing to fear. Particularly if you are prepared for these new experiences. Let’s explore some of the changes that you might notice.

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More Injuries

You might find that you do get injured more easily as you age. Why is this? Well, there are a few possibilities. For instance, you might find that you have issues with injuries because your body isn’t able to recover quite as quickly. This is certainly a problem as you continue to age and it does leave your body susceptible to damage. You might also find that you develop chronic pain. Usually, this is due to an injury that occurred earlier in life that you may have completely overlooked. It’s important that you do consider this and ensure that you are taking the right steps to treat chronic pain. It doesn’t have to change your quality of life.

Changes To Hearing

Alternatively, you might notice that your hearing changes as you get older. It’s possible that you are struggling to hear things that you used to have no problem with. Perhaps, you have begun to turn up the volume on the TV. You might find that this irritates other people in the family who think it’s loud enough already. This is probably one of the clearest signs that there is an issue with your hearing and that it does need to be addressed. If you are worried about hearing loss, speaking to an audiologist is always the best option. They will complete a hearing test, designed to determine the extent of the damage.

You might also find that you are suffering from tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear sounds that are not actually there. It can be quite irritating and disconcerting however it is usually harmless. As such, while it can be annoying, you don’t have to worry about this too much. It’s also worth noting that there is no cure for this condition. However, you can learn coping mechanisms that will help a great deal.

Weight Gain

Finally, you might find that you gain more weight as you age. Your body won’t bounce back quite as quickly. Particularly, if you have an unhealthy lifestyle. As such, it’s important to make sure that you are focusing more on your diet as you age. You don’t have to be too extreme here. However, you should be cutting out junk food where possible. You may also want to consider implementing cheat days to enjoy unhealthy food on a far less regular basis.

We hope this helps you prepare for some of the changes that you can encounter as you age!

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle

Getting Older But Not Lonelier: How to Stay Socially Engaged

January 10, 2020 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

One of the risks of getting older is becoming more isolated. Your family, if you have any, have their own busy lives, and maintaining close friendships can become difficult too. Depression and anxiety are significant problems for older adults, and social isolation is one of the factors that contributes to these issues. Fortunately, there are ways to stay socially engaged as you get older. There are many different ways to interact with other people, and resources that can provide you with things to do and people to talk to. You can take the right steps to remain engaged as you get older, no matter how old you are now.

Image from Pixabay – Pixabay License

Nurture Your Existing Network

Your current friends and family are valuable and provide you with a strong social network. Maintaining these relationships is a two-way street, so you need to be prepared to put in the work to do so. While spending time with friends and family might not be anything like work, doing things like arranging times to talk or meet up can take a bit more effort. Rather than leave it to other people to make these arrangements, make sure you do your part too. Family get-togethers or time spent with friends can help you to stay connected, whether it’s something you’re able to do frequently or less often.

Make Use of Modern Technology

One of the best things about modern technology is that it provides you with lots of communication tools. It makes it much easier to stay connected with other people, and you don’t even need to leave your home. If you want to keep in touch with family members who don’t live close to you, you can use phone calls and video calls, as well as social media, email, and text or instant messaging. Online forums and communities are excellent ways of meeting new people too, and you can find options that cover a wide range of interests. If you like fishing, sewing, traveling, cooking, cycling or anything else, you can find an online community for it.

Image from Pixabay – Pixabay License

Get Your Hearing Tested

It might not immediately be an obvious thing to do, but getting your hearing tested is a smart idea if you want to stay social as you get older. Hearing loss is a common problem for older people, and it’s a good idea to start getting your hearing tested regularly once you hit 50 years old. If you’re experiencing hearing problems, it can make it much harder to socialize, especially in group settings and busy locations. When you can’t hear well, background noise and trying to follow along with multiple people becomes difficult. Fortunately, modern hearing aid technology helps to solve these problems. Many newer hearing aids can be connected to your smartphone, allowing you to adjust the settings easily. When in a busy location, you can change the program and settings to match the environment.

Join a Club

Joining clubs and societies isn’t just something that you do while you’re at school. There are also plenty of opportunities to do so as an adult with a career or someone who has retired. It’s a fantastic way to meet new people and to find people who share your interests. There are many different types of clubs and groups you can discover, which you can find by looking online as well as elsewhere. You might find ads in newspapers and magazines, on local noticeboards, or perhaps discover some things to do at your local senior center (if you’re old enough to use one).

Image from Pixabay – Pixabay License

Consider Work or Volunteering

Retiring can be one of the best periods of your life. However, not everyone enjoys feeling like there’s nothing for them to do. Many people like to feel that they have a purpose and once they’re out of work, they may feel like they no longer have one. If you’re not enjoying the retired life, you don’t have to spend all of your time relaxing. You can go back to work, perhaps part-time, which is a great way to have some extra money. Another option is volunteering, which allows you to contribute to a good cause. Both options are good ways to be around other people more often.

Go Back to School

Is there something you always wished you had learned about in school, or something you’re interested in but don’t know much about? Your retirement is a great time to go back to education and learn something new. It’s never too late to learn, and you can meet other students with the same passions as you.

Getting older doesn’t have to mean being lonely. You can stay socially engaged with your existing network and meet new people too!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!