For most of us, getting older is quite a big worry. In fact, some studies show that the majority of people are a lot more worried about potentially losing their independence in old age than they are of dying.
Of course, most of us don’t want to lose our independence because it will severely limit us around the house. We might not be able to carry out all of our chores and housework, and it could really reduce our overall living standard. One further concern for most people who are fast approaching old age is that they don’t want to end up being a burden on their family. If you were to become ill with an age-related illness or end up suffering with reduced mobility, you might find that you need to rely on your family a lot more for help and support. However, some people don’t want to put too much stress or worry onto their family be needing them to support them. Not only do they not want to be an emotional burden, but they would rather not be a financial burden either.
For these reasons, lots of people try as hard as they can to stay independent throughout their old age. While this isn’t always possible, there certainly is no harm in trying. Here are some of the main benefits you can enjoy if you do try to hold onto your independence.
Why It’s Important To Try To Stay Independent In Old Age
Want to know some of the reasons why you should try to remain independent in old age? Here are just a few of the great benefits that it will bring.
- You don’t need anyone else. One of the most obvious benefits of independence in old age is that you won’t be reliant on anyone else. You will be able to continue living your life without any family members or close friends getting involved. This will mean that there is no chance of you becoming an emotional or financial burden on them, and you will be able to keep your lives separate just like they have always been. After all, your children won’t feel the need to move back in with you to make sure that you are doing alright on your own!
- It will help to keep your mind healthy. When you are independent, you will be free to do whatever you like. You’ll be able to keep up with your usual hobbies and activities that will keep your mind active and healthy. This should help to reduce your risk of conditions like dementia.
- You can hold on to your social life. You will also be able to keep up with your social life. As you will still be very active and mobile, you will have no problems when it comes to meeting up with your friends and attending any groups and clubs that you are a member of.
- You will be less likely to suffer from loneliness. As you will still be able to keep up with your social life, you will find that this can help you stave off any potential loneliness. Research now shows that the older generations suffer quite a bit from loneliness especially if they live on their own. However, if you are still independent, you will find it very easy to keep in touch with your friends and relatives.
How You Can Stay Independent In Old Age
As you can see then, it really is worth trying to keep hold of your independence for as long as you possibly can. It isn’t always easy to, though, once the effects of old age start to set in. Thankfully, there are a few different things that you might want to try that can help to hold off the signs of aging for a little while longer, and therefore help you hold onto your independence for longer as well. Here are a few things you might like to try.
- Keep Up With Your Fitness
It’s always important to try to stay as fit as possible. This is just as important now in your older age as what it was when you were younger. Even though you might not be able to run a marathon or lift heavy weights anymore, it will still pay off if you manage to fit in some gentle physical activity to your day. Even if it is just going out for a leisurely twenty minute stroll around your local park. This will get your heart going and will also ensure that you are doing enough to burn off excess calories. Not only is this gentle exercise good for physical fitness, though, but it can also help to improve mental health too. So, if you make sure you keep fit even in your later years, you will be able to enjoy a mobile and healthy life for longer, which is great news for your independence.
- Continue To Lead A Healthy Lifestyle
As well as trying to stay fit, you should also endeavor to lead a healthy lifestyle as well. That means that you should try to follow a nutritious and well balanced diet whenever possible.This will help your mind and body to get all of the essential nutrients that they need to ensure that they function properly well into the future
- Go To All Necessary Medical Appointments
It will also be a big help if you attend all of your scheduled medical appointments and consultations. Make sure you don’t miss any as they will be an important chance for you to discuss your health with your doctor. They will also be able to provide you with any medication and resources that could make things even easier for you in your own home.
- Keep In Touch With All Your Friends And Relatives
You will also find that staying in touch with all of your friends and relatives will help you to enjoy a lot more independence as well. All of your loved ones will keep you active with plenty of catch ups and fun times spent together.
- Get Involved With The Local Community
Another really good idea is to think about how you can be involved with the local community. This will give you a great chance to make some new connections with people who you might not have usually meet in your day to day life. It’s a great way to maintain an active social life and you can also stay active by giving something back to the community. What’s more, it means that you aren’t just stuck in the house every day.
- Find A Suitable Home Care Service Provider
It is also highly advisable to find a great home care service provider that can send professionals to come and look after you in your very own home. More often than not, they will send a nurse to come and see you however frequently they need. They will ensure that you are coping well on your own at home and that you are getting all of the necessary care and medication that you might need. One of the great things about using a home care service provider is that they can provide you with very specialist care, such as disability care, dementia care, and palliative care. So, no matter what your needs may be, you can be sure that you will be able to find a provider who can offer you all the services that you need.
How A Home Care Provider Can Help You
There are a lot of different kinds of home care service providers out there, and they will each be able to help you in different ways. At the end of the day, though, the main aim of them all is to provide you with plenty of quality in-home care so that you are able to keep your independence and don’t feel like you have to move into a care home or nursing home.
Here are just a few ways home care providers will be able to help you out.
- They Offer Support Services
Do you find that you now struggle doing basic chores and household jobs, such as the ironing, laundry, and vacuuming? If so, then your home care provider will certainly be able to give you a helping hand. Most of them offer support services, which means that they will send a professional carer around to your home to do all of these chores and tasks for you. They will also be able to carry out any necessary home modifications that can help you get around the house a lot easier, such as handrails. As well as all of this, the support services usually includes transport to all medical appointments as well. So, you will never have to struggle getting to your doctor’s surgery or hospital.
Home care providers will also be able to help you keep up with personal care. Things like washing and showering can become difficult past a certain age, especially if you struggle with mobility issues. There won’t be any reason to worry about these when you do seek the services of home care, as nurses will be able to help you with all of this. No matter what your personal needs may be, your home care service provider will certainly be able to help you out with them.
- Home Care Packages Are Available
The majority of home care providers will offer comprehensive packages. If you opt for a package, it will be tailor made to suit all of your individual needs. When you first sign up to use a home care package, the provider will discuss any possible health conditions and other requirements that you might need specific care for. Once they know what these are, they will then be able to develop a home care package that meets all of your needs and helps you to stay comfortable and independent in your own home.
What To Look For In A Home Care Provider
If you think that hiring the services of a home care provider might be the best option for you right now, then you might be wondering which one to go with. There are a lot of different providers out there, so it’s really essential that you find the best one for you. Here are a few things to look out for that should help you decide.
- Reasonable fees. The first thing you will need to think about is your budget. How much can you afford to spend on your care? Each home care service provider will have different costs and fees, so you will need to make sure that you go with one that you can actually afford. Thankfully, you will be able to contact all providers for quotes before you decide, so this should make it easy to see which ones fit in with your budget.
- Range of services. You should also consider the exact range of services that the home care provider can offer you with. Make sure you go with one that can provide you with everything that you need. This is especially the case if you are looking for a specialist form of care, such as dementia, palliative, or respite.
- The necessary licenses and certificates. You should double check that a provider has all of the necessary licenses and certificates. If they do, then you know you will be in the good hands of a very professional service.
- The quality of care. How often does the company review their caregivers? How do they measure the quality of their care? These are things you can ask them to ensure that you really will be given the best possible care at home.
It really is possible to stay independent in your old age. If you decide to use a home care provider, then you will be a lot more independent than even longer than you might have imagined! So, why not get in touch with us today to see what we can offer you. Give us a call today!
