Start New Eating Habits
This is one place where what you don’t know can and will hurt you. After 60, your body will have difficulty processing vitamins like it did before and you have to change your diet. Eating right, reducing soda and caffeine and taking a daily vitamin can help you to avoid conditions ranging from heart disease to osteoporosis and depression. Vitamin D and B, B6, B12 folic acid and Vitamin K are particularly important to our bodies as we age.

Start Drinking Water
Your sense of thirst becomes much less sensitive after 65. Water helps keep our bodily systems working properly and clears out toxins.If you are a senior, many of the aches and much of the exhaustion you feel could be a simple case of dehydration. Men should be drinking about 3 liters (13 cups) and women should have about 2.2 liters (9 cups) every day. There’s no cost and the benefits can make a very real difference in how you feel.

Start Cleaning
As we age, our vision decreases and it can hurt more to reach things or bend over. For many seniors, this slowly leads to more and more clutter filling their space. Not only can this cause stress, it can also lead to serious, long-term problems if they have an accident because of a messy area. Having family or friends help keep spaces clear of clutter in the senior’s home or during a visit is an easy step to improve safety.

Start Getting Help from Loved Ones
There are many tasks that we can do when we are younger that we cannot do when we are older. It is very important that you talk with your family and get assistance with things that have a risk of taking a fall, hurting your back, lifting anything heavy, or going out in bad weather (especially icy weather). As you come across tasks that you cannot or should not do during the week, write them down and then schedule a regular time once or twice a week for a friend or family member to come over and help you with these tasks.

Family and professional support make a big difference.

Start Getting Rides
According to the NHTSA seniors are significantly more likely to be involved in a traffic accident. This does not mean that no senior should drive, but you should take extra care when deciding if it is appropriate. If you have vision problems or even a minor cognitive condition, you should consider getting a ride rather than driving. Not only can either of these conditions greatly increase the risk of having an accident, but also seniors over 70 are typically much more likely to be seriously injured if an accident occurs.

Start Being Active
Seniors who lead more active lives are not only healthier, but they also are much less likely to suffer from depression. If you are a senior and feel too sore or tired to be active, try improving your diet and resting. If that does not help, see your doctor. There are many common conditions that can affect seniors that vitamins and medicine can help. By taking steps to be more active, you can not only feel better, but you can also remain healthier and happier.

Start to See Your Doctor
When you are younger, you can often go a long time without a checkup. Evan as early as your 30’s, you should see your doctor to start early monitoring for conditions that may affect you as you age. If you are a senior, going to your doctor once every sixth months or year as your physician recommends is critical. Early detection can often lead to easier and more complete recoveries if conditions arise and it gives your physician many more treatment options for chronic problems.

Start Getting Professional Care
If your family cannot provide the level of care that you need on a daily basis, then finding professional support is key. The important thing to remember about senior care is that is needs to be available at all times. If you feel that care is or will soon become less than is needed, be sure to get professional help in place. Not only will this take a lot of worry off of the senior and the family, but it can also help the senior to maintain better health for longer.

These steps may seem simple, but they are often overlooked or skipped until it it too late for them to really make a difference. Adopting these lifestyle changes can help make your life as a senior more relaxing and healthier.

For example, do you know what your aging parents want done if a life-or-death crisis hits? Many people don’t. And doctors play a part in this topic-avoidance, geriatric physician Gene Dorio told the Los Angeles Times. They generally don’t do enough to help people think through difficult issues.

“Medical technology allows us to live longer, but is it with the quality of life we want?” Dorio wrote after reading a column I wrote about my father’s failing health. “The discussions are avoided and I believe physicians are responsible for this,” Dorio went on. “For some, dementia sets in, but for those who remain cognizant of mind and body, life can dribble away. Who can say when enough is enough?” …

“If you look on the board at the hospital, there might be 30 patients there and only a few of them have ‘No Code Blue,’ ‘DNR.’ Mine are often the only patients who have Do Not Resuscitate,” said Dorio. “The majority are full code,” meaning they want extraordinary measures taken to keep them alive in a crisis.

Have you had these discussions yet about your parents’ wishes—and your own?

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

“We need to think about smell, touch and taste to maintain communication with our loved ones,” [Dr. J.B. Orange] said, adding that while memory and language are the two first things to deteriorate with Alzheimer Disease, some preserved abilities include the use of procedural memories like playing the piano, singing and playing cards, early life memories between the ages of mid-teens to mid-20s, the ability to recite and read aloud and the ability to engage in social ritual. …

He pointed out that if an Alzheimer patient always loved to play cards, that ability will deteriorate slower than the ability to speak so friends and family members can capitalize on that ability to maintain the relationship.

The article is full of good tips. Have you tried playing cards, singing or tapping into any of the other types of memory he mentions when talking with someone who has Alzheimer’s? How did it work for you?

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

Basically, NORCs grow out of areas where a bunch of people are remaining in their own homes as they age, explains The Associated Press in a profile of one New Jersey NORC. The community can then organize, and residents can get help accessing services that help them stay in their homes. For example, in the New Jersey NORC:

There’s a transportation network that takes older people on shopping trips and to medical appointments, and the town is benefiting from a $100,000 federal grant to put in place an aging-in-place program called Verona LIVE.

Administrated by United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey, the program strives to educate older people about available services to help them address problems and stay active in the community. Its partners include the health and police departments, the rescue squad, the public and public schools, and religious groups.

The article also talks a little about senior villages, which are similar to NORCs, and even remodeling for aging in place. It’s a catch-all piece that’s lengthy but informative.

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

Florida news website Hernando Today offers four final tips for the Medicare season. You may have heard that you should make sure your plan still covers your medications for next year. But if you have a Medicare Advantage plan, have you checked into your doctor too?

The website reports:

Doctors are not guaranteed to be on the plan and can leave at any time. Call your doctor’s office and ask if your plan is one they intend to stay with in the future. Then check with the carrier to make sure this doctor is contracted. Plans can drop a physician without the practice even knowing about it. Also plan directories are out of date the minute they are printed.

Related posts:

• Where to Get Free Help Choosing a Medicare Plan
• Medicare-Advantage Plans: More Coverage But Limited Doctor Options

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

A seven-year nationwide study of emergency room patient data has found that 49 percent of patients over age 75 were given pain medication, compared with slightly more than 65 percent of those under age 75. The study, which included data on more than 88,000 emergency room visits, appeared online last month in Annals of Emergency Medicine.

One reason for the difference may be doctors are concerned about side effects in the elderly, the article says. What other reasons do you think there might be for older people to get pain medicine less often in the ER?

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

In a New York Times interview, Wid Chapman and Jeffrey P. Rosenfeld, the authors of Unassisted Living: Ageless Homes for Later Life, give tips on what makes a home aging-friendly:

Along with grab bars (which are frequently mentioned in your book, though none is visible in the pictures), what makes a house suitable for aging?

Mr. Chapman: A lack of thresholds as you enter. Surfaces that don’t create glare from sunlight. Obviously, accessible bathrooms and showers that have no or minimal thresholds.

Mr. Rosenfeld: Also, décor that makes for easy navigation. A minimum of surfaces where you can slip. A minimum of places where you can bump into furniture. Most of these interiors can be beautiful, but we like to think of them as streamlined so you don’t trip or fall as you cross them.

If you’re thinking of doing an aging-friendly remodel, you may also be interested in these previous Today Senior Living posts: 

• Aging-in-Place Remodeling Advice: Start Early, and Don’t Skimp
• Remodeling Your Bathroom? Simple Tip to Plan for Future Needs

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

So it seems like an appropriate time to talk about a pension benefit many veterans don’t know they could be receiving. Aid and Attendance helps vets and their spouses pay for senior care. KCTV News in Kansas City reports:

“The benefit is … for low-income veterans who are totally or permanently disabled, or age 65 or older that qualify based on income and assets,” said Ron Cherry, a service officer with the Veterans of Foreign War. “We assist them in residential care, home care or even nursing home care.”

To qualify, the veteran must have served 90 consecutive days of active duty with one of those days occurring during a time of war.

A veteran can receive up to $1,632 a month, a couple up to $1,949 and a surviving spouse up to $1,056.

The benefit is underutilized, the article says. You can get free help with the paperwork from service organizations.

Thank you to all our veterans and their families. May you have a beautiful holiday season.

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

If you’re visiting elderly parents, in between stuffing yourself with turkey, you might want to let your eyeballs roam a bit. Make sure Mom and Dad are doing OK living by themselves.

Since many people visit parents during the holidays, experts remind us every year to address issues if we see them. Making sure parents get a little help now is far preferable than waiting for a crisis.

USA Today reports:

“It’s really best to have early conversations with parents about what they need and want so they can age in place,” says [Sandy Markwood, chief executive officer of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging]. “Sometimes what they might need is a ride to the doctor or a home-delivered meal or someone to help with chores. It’s rare that they need full support overnight.” …

Markwood suggests leaning on your parents’ neighbors if you don’t live nearby. “Make sure they have your phone number in case they need to call you,” she says.

The article also goes over some things to take note of during your visit, such as how your parents look and what’s in the fridge. If you think your parents do need help, you can read about a variety of senior-care options here.

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.

However, as San Diego’s KPBS points out, not everyone has children, and many of those who do don’t live near them. That can pose challenges for seniors who need care. But some have formed their own families.

The people I spoke with at the senior wellness center had various answers to what they would do when it came time for someone to care for them. Queen Johnson, age 73, has no spouse or children. But she said she can rely on what she calls her “extended family,” which is her close circle of friends.

“I have a very good network that is an extended family since I don’t have children, or brothers, or sisters,” said Johnson. “But I do have an extended family that is very supportive.”

It seems that some people may have found their “family” at the senior center the journalist reports from. Have you formed an extended family? Where?

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Leigh Ann Otte is a freelance writer who specializes in aging issues and senior care. She covers both for the Today Senior Living blog.