According to gerontologists getting older maybe rife with emotional landmines, including fears of losing one's independence or getting a serious illness. Ageing gracefully isn't always easy but attitude matters a lot and can make a big difference.
"The key to successful ageing includes accepting changes and finding meaningful activities."
For some reason it seems that our society is obsessed with pointing out negative aspects of ageing;
A leading gerontologist suggests that we shouldn’t get "bogged down in all the hype about ageing. Once you start thinking about it, it can drive you mad. There's nothing you can do; the clock is going to tick away."
Of course, not all seniors are pessimistic and accepting that your life won't stay the same makes it much easier to manage the day to day activities.
If you live until you're 95 years old, you're probably not going to be living alone in a beautiful apartment and driving your car to the supermarket or picking up your dry cleaning or walking alone along the beach or to the park. If you want to do all these activities and you have organised how you will manage them ahead of time it will be much easier to accept for you and your family. A leading expert in aged wrote the following.
"To age gracefully, one needs to anticipate the changes that are inevitable”.
People need to think about these natural changes and perhaps their health status as part of ageing. This can really minimise a lot of stress and strain in their lives. People who do not plan for these changes can become depressed as they have not anticipated the changes to their lives and are unable to navigate the emotional challenges in order to age gracefully.
Ageing can bring hardships, but the old are survivors and with age comes wisdom, resilience and a mature perspective. Growing old gracefully is an accomplishment and it is important to continue to find things that are important to you like hobbies, learning new things and enjoying activities like concerts, movies, theatre or literature.
At careforfamily.com.au we can help you plan, find out where your passions lie and set meaningful goals. This way the important things are out in front of you and you can focus on all those purposeful activities.
With the support of our caring, professional care workers and nurses, Care for Family can make the challenge of ageing gracefully so much easier. We will continue to find all the things that are important to you whilst remaining in the comfort and familiarity of your own home.
Don't wait until you urgently need assistance, enquire now at careforfamily.com.au