10 Things for Seniors

As we age, physical tasks can become more difficult.  These are some of the products hubby and I use to "combat" aging...

1. The pill boxes above.  Hubby takes a boatload of pills each day and there is no way we would be able to remember if he took his pills each day without these containers.  In fact, it is kind of a common thing that elderly people will overdose themselves if they just take their pills right out of their prescription bottles because they can't remember if/when they last took their pills.  Better to be safe than sorry.
2. A bidet.  We love our bidets.  Although it took hubby more than a year to come around to even trying it, now he is a die-hard fan.  For elderly people who have a hard time twisting around to wipe, a bidet cleans the entire undercarriage, no twisting required.
3. A step stool.  Although these days I don't even want hubby on a low step stool, it is better than the alternative of climbing on the counter to reach a high shelf.
4. A very long shoehorn.  Hubby has a hard time bending over these days so a short shoehorn isn't much help.  He found a super long shoehorn at Ikea and now doesn't even have to bend over to put on his shoes.
5. A "grabber".  We use a grabber like this that the SIL left at our house and it really is a better alternative to reach lightweight items on high shelves or pick up things off the floor for hubby who has a hard time bending over or reaching higher shelves.
6. The SIL also left an extendable hook like this that she bought when she couldn't reach into our top-loading washing machine to take out the clothes.  I've used it a few times when something drops behind the washer or stove and we didn't have the strength to pull the appliance out to reach the item.
7. A back-up camera.  Most new cars come with back-up cameras these days and it is a God-send to older, crunchier people who cannot twist to look behind them when they back out of parking spaces.  Fortunately, even if you have an old car, you can buy these cameras to put on old cars and they are pretty inexpensive.
8. A step-in shower.  This is the next home improvement project we will do at our house.  Our bathrooms only have tub-shower combinations and every time hubby goes to take a shower I worry that he will trip getting into or out of the shower which would be a disaster. 
9. Which leads us to grab bars.  We haven't installed these yet, but they are definitely a good idea to help people get on/off the toilet and in/out of the bathtub.  A bonus--many fire departments provide these for free!
10. Hearing aids.  Hubby is pretty much deaf without his hearing aids but a nice thing about today's hearing aids compared to the hearing aids from years ago is that they have bluetooth connectivity which means his hearing aids connect directly to the TV (nice because now we don't have to crank up the TV to deafening--to me-levels when we both watch TV) as well as to his cell phone so he can hear calls coming in/listen to music.etc.

100 Things About Ageing (Part 4 of 4)

And finally...

76.  Put all of your important documents in one place in your home (like a fireproof safe) and let your most responsible friend or relative now where this is.  Note, don't put your will or original copies of other important documents in a safe deposit box.

77.  Get a bidet!  For people with mobility issues (and everyone else!), a bidet can be a great way to tidy up after using the toilet.

78.  There are a lot of other tools specifically for the elderly or those with mobility issues too (like grabbers, long handled shoe horns, back scratchers, step stools to reach high cabinets, etc).

79.  There are also ways to design and organize a kitchen for people who want to age in place (these updates focus on safety and ease-of-use appliances in the kitchen).

80.  If you are caring for an elderly person from afar (or want your kids to be able to find you if needed), consider installing a remote-access camera system in your home as well as use an Apple/Google watch/phone with the "find my android" or "find my iphone" app installed (make sure you/they can access these apps remotely from your/their phone or computer).

81.  If the worst happens, here is a useful checklist for what to do when someone dies.

82.  Seek solace from others who have gone through what you are going through (such as this, this, this or in-person support groups).

83.  Exercise your brain regularly to stave off cognitive decline by doing puzzles, word games, card games, etc.  A lot of our friends meet up at least weekly to play mahjong, rumikube, or poker which is great for their brains as well as for socialization.

84.  Keep a positive attitude--this is said to improve ageing.

85.  Keep up with regular medical care (skin cancer screenings, vaccines, blood work, etc).

86.  Keep up with regular dental care (regular dental cleanings and x rays to keep your teeth in good condition, denture realignment if needed, etc).

87.  Have a long-term care plan.  This may or may not be necessary but when you need it, this sort of care can be ridiculously expensive.  It pays to plan ahead for such a possibility.

88.  Join clubs that are only open to seniors (examples here, here, and here).

89.  Get rid of bad habits (smoking, alcoholism, etc).  Obviously easier said than done, but the longer you have these bad habits, the worse it is for your health.

90.  Take a walk after each meal instead of beaching yourself on the sofa.  My grandmother did this all the time and said it is good for digestion (she also did headstands and cartwheels into her late 70s!).

91.  Make friends of all ages.  There is a lot of learn from friends your age as well as from the old old, but making younger friends is also beneficial.

92.  Work on sleeping well every night.  Again, easier said than done for many people, but getting good sleep is important for your energy levels during the day as well as your general health.

93.  Take care when using supplements and other "anti ageing" products advertised on TV.  Many of these things are a straight rip off, on the flip side, overuse of these products could be toxic.  Check with your doctor about these things for an expert opinion.

94.  Take fire safety seriously.  Seniors are at a distinct disadvantage if there is a fire in their home so it pays to plan ahead.

95.  Be open to new experiences and following your passions.  This makes life more interesting, makes you an interesting person to others, and fills your retirement days with fun things to do (examples here, here, and here).

96.  Create a bucket list and strive to check off every goal.

97.  Age gracefully...or radically.  Examples here, here, here, and here.

98.  Check out the myriad of senior resources online (examples here, here, and here).

99.  Age joyfully.

100.  Leave a legacy.

100 Things About Ageing (Part 3 of 4)

Moving right along...

51.  Lonely?  Consider getting a pet (preferably from a rescue).  Pets are great companions, give you oodles of unconditional love, and are even good for your health (examples here and here)!

52.  Pick up hobbies that you can carry into old age.  Obviously I wouldn't recommend parkour, but things like fishing, knitting, genealogy, etc. are hobbies that people can do at any age.

53.  Look into the many travel opportunities available to seniors.  Seniors can get a lifetime National Parks Pass for only $80, there are a number of senior-only travel groups, and even senior-oriented cruises.

54.  Speaking of travel, did you know that many seniors travel for medical care?  From medical tourism, to hopping across the border for cheap dental and vision care in Mexico, to even moving abroad for cheap yet high-quality elder care.

55.  For a more local type of care when you are ageing, there are several options for having friends or relatives get paid to care for you (examples here).

56.  There are also several options for getting free or reduced prescriptions if you need them (examples here, here and here).

57.  And if you are a veteran, don't forget to take advantage of the numerous veteran's benefits at both the federal and state level.

58.  If you live in a college town, besides taking advantage of community life programs that are open to the public like lectures and performances, did you know that seniors can often attend university classes for free or cheap?

 59.  Another way to keep busy is to volunteer.  One friend of mine is a retired dietician so she spends one or two days a week volunteering at a local food bank, sorting food and teaching participants how to create healthy meals out of the food they receive from the food bank.

60.  More senior housing options if you don't own a home: low income senior housing (varies by state), living with others like the Golden Girls, having a rent controlled apartment, living in an ADU in your kid's back yard, renting out an ADU in your backyard, vandwelling, or even living on a cruise ship!

61.  Use a big calendar.  I used to keep my calendar digitally on my computer but these days, since I don't work, I may not check my email/calendar for several days so now we have a big calendar in our kitchen with appointments, birthdays, events, etc which we see everyday.

62.  Keep a "sick kit" in case you come down with the flu and can't get out to a store for supplies.

63.  Ask for what you want.  If someone asks what you want for your birthday, for example, instead of saying "anything", ask for something you will specifically use (like grocery or restaurant gift cards).  This way you won't end up with shelves full of dusty tchotchkes.

64.  Instead of struggling with a problem, ask for help.  Sometimes you need help navigating tech, navigating government programs, or just navigating your daily mail.  Ask someone to help you with difficult things; most people will be more than willing to help if they know specifically what you need.

65.  Sometimes you need people to advocate for you if you have a difficult problem.  This is why hospitals have patient advocates, states and sometimes local news stations have consumer advocates, and there are even victim's advocate programs, etc.  Utilize their services if necessary.

66.  If you are stuck with a problem that you don't know how to deal with, call 211.  This is a hotline for help with pressing social service and other needs.

67.  Note that if you need help with mental health issues, 988 is the new number to call for this.

68.  If you need to find honest, reliable doctors/dentists/service providers, I usually skip Yelp and online review sites and ask friends for personal recommendations, search our local subreddit by topic like 'electrician' or 'plumber', or ask other service providers (like the local car parts store for mechanic recommendations).

69.  Share your knowledge with others.  Seniors are taking to the internet in droves to share their knowledge whether through blogging (hi bloggy friends!), via YouTube, on TikTok, or through regular mentoring programs (examples here and here).

70.  Don't be afraid to turn over work to the younger generation.  Before, hubby used to cook for all family gatherings but these days that is too physically taxing on him so now we assign parts of the job to the kids and grandkids when they visit.  Ditto home improvement projects (we recently asked the son in law who is a contractor to come visit...so he can install a walk-in shower for us!).

71.  On another topic, I haven't dated in 40 years so I don't know much about this subject, but judging by the number of seniors we know who are dating, this is a big deal.  Whether they meet people in person or online (eeekkk...the horror stories I have heard!), this is a topic of concern for seniors.

72.  On a related note, if you decide to get married at a later age, there are several things to consider.  From protecting assets for your descendants, to the possibility of losing insurance/pension payments from a deceased spouse, there are many things that make this more complicated.

73.  Another senior money topic is when to take social security.  This is definitely something that should be researched ahead of time.

74.  As a side note, if you take social security before full retirement age, there are some rules about your earnings you should know.

75.  And no matter your age, you may find discussing everything from earnings to investing to remarrying to making a retirement plan with a qualified financial planner.

On to part 4... 

100 Things About Ageing (Part 2 of 4)

Continuing on...

26.  Be debt free ASAP.  Whether you are retiring or just want to be more financially secure, get out of debt as fast as possible and stay out.  You can make a limited income stretch further if you aren't paying multiple debts (with interest!) every month.

27.  Consider bulk cooking.  A lot of times, people who are elderly and/or living alone don't feel like cooking a complete meal every single day.  With soups/stews/chili/etc stored in single-serve containers in the freezer, you will always have a good meal at hand when you don't feel like cooking.

28.  For seniors who have difficulty cooking for themselves, local Meals on Wheels programs may be a great option. 

29.  Other food options to look into: meals at the local senior center, accessing food stamps, and community meal programs for seniors.

30.  Do all you can to avoid falls.  Did you know that falls are the leading cause of hospitalizations and one of the leading causes of death for the elderly?

31.  Consider your driving and know when to hang up the keys.  Obviously this is easier said than done as may seniors don't live in places with good public transportation or they may see this as limiting their freedom but it is an important topic look into as you age.  Here is a way to evaluate your driving ability.

32.  Look into taking a senior driving class in your community (there are several, this is one example).  After taking the class, people can often get discounts on their car insurance plus it is just good information to know.

33.  If you know of a senior driver who could be a danger to themselves or others, most states have a senior driver reevaluation process as well as rules specifically for elderly drivers.

34.  Check out the senior centers in your area.  We have several in our city which offer meals, exercise classes, or just the opportunity to socialize. 

35.  Depending on your ethnicity, there may be special centers in your city such as Tribal Elder Centers, Chinese Senior Centers,  Jewish Senior Centers, etc.

36.  A great way to socialize and get some exercise is walking.  I belong to a local chapter of this walking club and our area also has a senior hiking club.

37.  For people who really want a lot of activity and socialization opportunities, consider living in a senior (55+) community.  Here is the club list for a senior community in our area.  A caveat for this, grandkids and younger family and friends are limited to the number of days they can stay with you.

38.  Speaking of exercise, there are so many opportunities for seniors--from following along with a chair yoga YouTube channel, to swimming at your local pool (seniors get discount passes for this), to participating in the Senior Olympics!

39.  Ask for senior discounts everywhere you go.  We do this and often save 10% off our groceries, 10% off at Ross on Tuesdays, and 10% off our groceries at a local Asian store on Wednesdays.  Here is a huge list of senior discounts to check out.

40.  You can also sign up for this huge list of birthday freebies to help you celebrate growing older!

41.  Here's a list of mental health resources for seniors.

42.  And here's a list of elder abuse resources (I think this is a bigger problem than most people realize).

43.  And here's a quick reminder about seniors and sexually transmitted diseases.

44.  Create a life file.  My friend just passed away yesterday and now her daughter is tasked with so many things that probably weren't taken care of because my friend's death was totally unexpected.  This life file list is a good place to start when it comes to planning your end-of-life no matter your age.

45.  Take a video of your home and it's contents.  This is great information to have if you suffer a disaster or need to file an insurance claim.

46.  Speaking of disasters, prepare a "Go Bag" in case you need to evacuate your home during a disaster or find yourself staying over night at the hospital.  Here's how to do this.

47.  On your cell phone, keep an ICE (in case of emergency) number for your next of kin/trusted friend on the lock screen.  This way, if you are unconscious, the police will know who to contact on your behalf.

48.  Also on your phone, keep your (and the spouse's) list of medical information (prescriptions, health history, allergies, doctor's name, health insurance info, etc).  This is much easier to provide during a medical emergency than trying to remember all of this stuff off the top of your head.

49.  Consider taking a senior self defense class.  It should never come to elderly people having to physically defending themselves but that isn't the society we are living in now.

50.  Stay up to date with cell phones and new technology.  While there are several things that aren't great about technology, cell phones, tablets, and computers can become lifelines for seniors so it is good to learn all you can about them. 

On to part 3...

100 Things About Aging (Part 1 of 4)

Unfortunately I have had way too much experience with aging issues over the past several months.  Here are many of the things I've learned...

1. Downsize to a reasonably-sized house and yard while you are still young enough to do this on your own without being forced to do so when you are elderly and/or ill.
2. Try to get a place without stairs (stairs are the bane of most elderly or infirm people).
3. If you are a life-long renter...well good luck with that.  As we have seen over the past couple years, there is no limit on how high rental prices can go which is a disaster if you are on a fixed income.
4. Try to have your house paid off before you retire.  Again, the fewer bills you have, the further you can stretch a fixed income.
5. See if your county or state offers a senior property tax abatement program.  Our county has such a program which allows us to save several hundred dollars on both our vehicle registration fees and the property tax on our house.
6. Consider making home improvements that will make aging in place easier.  Here are several ways to do this.
7. If you cannot afford to make such home improvements, see if there are programs available to help you.
8. Live closer to town where you can access public transit, para-transit, ride shares, etc.  Living far out in the country becomes exponentially more difficult as we age and have issues with driving ourselves.
9. Have as big of an emergency fund as possible.  The longer we live in our homes, the more things break down and need (often expensive) repairs.  Obviously big, expensive repairs are more difficult to cover on a smaller fixed income.  Also, DIY repairs become more difficult as you age.
   
10. If you are younger and have a ways to go towards retirement, don't count on retiring on only social security.  It is best to have a pension (or two!  several people I know have both a military pension and a pension from a government or civilian job).  Savings, investments, 401ks, etc are all additional sources of income for retirees.
11. Become familiar with Medicare before you need to rely on it.  From my point of view, it is a convoluted mess so plan accordingly.  Figure out if your Medicare plan or your savings will cover things like glasses, hearing aids, dentures, prescriptions, etc.  These are all expensive, necessary things which basic Medicare usually doesn't cover.
12. If you can barely eek out a retirement in the US, consider retiring abroad.  This guy has a YouTube channel with many posts about retiring in the Philippines.
13. Google your area and senior services (this is an example from my area--I didn't realize they had so many services just for seniors!).
14. Buy items with longevity in mind.  We bought a car that we hope will last the rest of our lives, and I am going to buy a washing machine that will hopefully do the same.  The older we get, the less we want to buy things, fix things, and replace things.
15. Also reduce the amount of stuff you buy.  We don't need a lot of consumer stuff as we age, we don't need to spend our limited income on buying material goods, we don't need to store/clean/upkeep/insure consumer goods, and we don't want to leave a mountain of junk for our kids to sort through after we are gone.
16. Stay healthy.  Eat as healthily as possible and be sure to exercise every single day.  Exercising daily improves your health (prevents doctor visits and chronic health issues) and falls (improves strength and balance).
    
17. Review critical health needs on an annual basis.  Do your hearing aids still meet your needs or has your hearing declined necessitating new ones?  Can you still see well with your current glasses or should you get a new prescription?  Has your physician reviewed your medication list to make sure there are no conflicts or drugs you no longer need?  How are your dentures looking (these need to be replaced at least once a decade or sooner)?
18. No matter your age, make sure you have your end of life documents updated regularly, signed, and notarized.  You literally NEVER know when you will need these.
19. Regularly Google senior scams to see the newest ways scammers target seniors.  There are literally so many scams out there I could write an entire book about them.  I am very careful about who I give any of my personal information to, we don't answer our phones unless when know who is calling, and we don't answer our door unless we know the person (even with a 'no soliciting' sign, our neighborhood is overrun with solicitors...who apparently can't read).
20. Make your home as secure as possible.  Long gone are the days when we could leave our doors unlocked (I don't thinking my grandparents even had house keys...neighbors would stop by and leave a pie on the counter, workers would borrow a truck which always had the keys in the visor, etc).  If you do that these days, you wold probably come home to squatters or an empty house!
21. Review your insurance coverages to make sure they still meet your needs.  I call around for insurance prices annually because the cost for bundled home and car insurance can change so much each year.
22. Practice living on your retirement income before your retire.  Figure out what your fixed income will be then put the rest of your income in savings.  Track your expenses in order to see where the holes in your budget are and figure out how to mitigate these before hitting full retirement.
23. Consider how you will stay active once retired.  We have friends who can afford an elaborate retirement (international travel, golfing, a second home) and other friends who can barely afford to eat, let alone spend money on activities.  We live frugally and enjoy a wide range of activities mostly because there are so many free or cheap things to do in our city to keep us busy.
24. Some ways to stay busy and save money: volunteer, work a temporary or part time job, inexpensive weekly group activities like walking or bowling, senior half-price matinee movies, starting a YouTube channel, etc.
25. Build friendships.  From what I have seen, most of our senior friends rely much more on their friends than their family when it comes to getting them to doctor's appointments, checking on them daily, helping with home issues, picking up groceries when needed, etc.

On to part 2...

So Much Negative News on Ageing

Really, it gets pretty depressing after a while...

• The majority of Americans have nothing saved for retirement.
• And older workers are having a much harder time finding employment.
• This article was particularly scary about people having to work forever.
• Of course having any debt when you retire can create big problems (or even keep you from retiring).
• Here are some good reminders of things to consider when planning your retirement.
• And don't even get me started on the problem with the American healthcare.