Don’t Let These Common Stressors Of Aging Hold You Back

Thanks to guest contributor, Kent Elliot, for this excellent article:

As we age, it’s normal to face some decline in health and wellness, but this doesn’t need to affect our overall quality of life. Some of the most common health concerns seniors may face include:

• balance issues
• cognitive decline
• diabetes
• hearing loss

This article shares how to tackle these concerns head-on and where to find the right support so you can enjoy your retirement and make the most of your golden years.

How To Maintain Cognitive Health

Many older adults experience a bit of memory loss, and that’s nothing to worry about. We all forget where we put our keys every now and then or forget to buy milk at the grocery store.

That being said, developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease isn’t normal, and if you have a family history of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, it’s important to work with your provider to test for cognitive impairment, since early intervention will help you slow this cognitive decline.

Managing Diabetes

Roughly 25% of seniors in America have diabetes, and changes to your blood sugar levels can be harder to manage as you age. Your best line of defense for managing diabetes is to make small adjustments to your diet, monitor your blood sugar levels at home, and remember to take your medication.

Treating Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is extremely common, and among adults over the age of 75, approximately half have hearing loss. Living with hearing loss will make it difficult for you to connect with family and friends, so schedule a hearing test.! You can easily manage hearing loss by wearing hearing aids, which enables you to maintain a vibrant social life and continue to enjoy the activities you love.

Dealing with Balance Issues

With age, the risk of a fall or injury increases, often due to some minor balance issues. Work on maintaining your mobility by being active, joining a fun walking group, or doing some easy exercises at home. If you struggle to get around, you may want to research assisted living communities where you’ll enjoy a more accessible home and be part of a great community.

Home Improvements For Greater Independence

If aging in place is your long-term plan, but your home doesn’t provide the accessibility you need, consider some home improvements.

You don’t need to go through the stress of moving to an assisted living facility if a few simple renovations can make your home safe and accessible. For example, you can add a ramp to get up the front steps and install some handrails to make your home safer.

The bathroom is often one of the least accessible rooms in the home, so place a non-slip mat in the bath, install grab bars in the shower and beside the toilet, and add a handheld showerhead so you can shower sitting down. Remodeling the bathroom will give you greater independence and can even increase the value of the home for a later sale.

Understanding Insurance

Finances can be stressful at any age, so give yourself peace of mind by regularly going through your insurance policy. Make sure you know exactly what your insurance will cover. Medicare will cover healthcare costs such as doctors’ visits and prescription medication, and Plan B coverage will even cover the costs of vision and hearing testing.

However, many insurance policies don’t cover the cost of assisted living. If you’ve decided to move to an assisted living home, you can find alternative financing solutions, such as tapping into retirement accounts, using home equity, or renting out your home.

You may face some of these common stressors as you age but knowing how to navigate these changes will help you more easily address them to improve your overall health and quality of life. You can manage most stressors from the comfort of your home, so make sure your home is accessible, and don’t let aging hold you back.

Kent Elliot is a retired architect with a passion for dogs, DIY, and universal design. After a stroke left him with mobility issues, he thought he would need to move out of his home and into an assisted living community. But, using his experience as an architect and with a little creativity, he was able to successfully remodel his family home instead. The relief he felt has inspired him to help others do the same. He created At Home Aging to share what he’s learned.