Important Things to Consider as Your Parents Get Older

As we all get older, there comes a point when we need to think about our parents and how we look after them. This can be a tough conversation to have with them as you might need to make decisions about how they will spend their final years. Here are some things to consider when it comes to our parents getting older.

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Caring for Ageing Parents Without Taking Over Their Lives

Caring for ageing parents can be one of the hardest changes in anyone’s life - one day you’re calling for a chat, and the next you start to notice little changes with them, like the stairs seeming to be harder or they’re having trouble with the weekly shop, and so on. And once you do start to notice that they might need some help, it’s normal to want to step in right away, but you’ve got to be careful not to take control.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Securing Peace of Mind: How to Choose the Best Life Insurance for Over 50s

Planning for the future becomes very important as we get into our fifties and beyond. One area that often requires careful consideration is life insurance. With so many options available, it can feel overwhelming to identify the best plan for your needs. If you’re looking for immediate coverage and peace of mind, life insurance with no waiting period is an increasingly popular choice. 

This guide will share how to look through your options and make the best choice.

Photo by Nina Uhlikova: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-standing-on-hand-rails-with-arms-wide-open-facing-the-mountains-and-clouds-725255/ 

What Families Really Learn When Caring for Loved Ones at Home

Caring for loved ones at home can be a challenge. There are a lot of valuable lessons that can help to ensure growth within those who are providing care and the bonds that are often strengthened within the family.

Families who have to adapt and care for ageing loved ones can learn a lot from caring for them in the home. This guide will look at how dynamics can change and what life lessons can be learnt in this next chapter of their lives.

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Caring for elderly and disabled loved ones - how we made the home safer

Whilst we may not want to admit it time creeps up on all of us. Not only do the years pass us by and we grow old but those around us do too. Many of us fondly think of ourselves as our younger self - it only seems like yesterday that I was 21 and carefree - and not notice how many years have actually passed since that magic number. As well as forgetting how much we have actually aged it is often

Over the years I have witnessed and helped care for a number of my loved ones as they suffered from all types of illnesses and disabilities.

I sadly watched my great-great-great aunt Nansi disappear thanks to Alzheimer’s. Heartbreakingly I watched my beloved Mamgu (grandmother) bravely fight a battle with cancer that she sadly could not win.

I have seen my mum struggle with afflictions galore including spinal injury, arthritis, and fibromyalgia to name but a few, that have made her life a daily struggle.

I have also witnessed my Dadcu (granddad) suffer from aches and pains leftover from a hard life working on the farm which has seen him have two hip replacements and a shoulder replacement.

Caring for an elderly loved one

Whilst we may not like to think of our loved ones getting older and struggling with old age, time ticks on and we all get older with old age causing difficulties to some people’s lives. As old age creeps up on people being able to maintain an active and independent life sometimes becomes increasingly more difficult.

Being able to get out and about easily especially being able to drive oneself places may become a challenge. Looking after the home and coping with household chores may become too much. Caring for and managing to clothe, wash or even feed oneself may become too difficult.

When a loved one starts to struggle with looking after themselves due to the difficulties and declining health that old age can cause family members have to consider living arrangements and long-term care.

Living independently when older

Next month my Dadcu (grandad) turns 80. It only feels like yesterday that we were celebrating him turning 70 with a big birthday bash with all his friends and family. As it seems unreal that 10 years has passed and that his will soon be 80 – I still think of and see him as the young, fun Dadcu from my childhood – I find it hard to accept that he is getting older.

My Dadcu is passionate about being independent. He lives an active, independent life with a better social life than I have.

As his independence means so much to him he hates having to rely on others for help with daily life and would be devastated if he needed help from carers or if he had to leave him own home to live in a care home.

#BreakingBarriers - Bathing Solutions campaign to inspire seniors to learn new skills.

I've always been close to my elderly relatives and neighbours. I love spending time with the older generation and love their wealth of interesting stories of adventures and life over the years.

Of the older generation I know the ones who have thrived and been the most happy are the ones who have thrown the saying 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' out of the window and had the desire and drive to learn new skills, do what they want, have adventures and simply live life to the fullest.

With the number of people living longer increasing every year so that the senior generation makes up a large proportion of our population I find it sad that negative stereotypes about seniors are still commonly viewed as correct. Yes there will be some of seniors who fit into the stereotypes commonly connected old people but thanks to advances in mobility aids, innovations and progression in healthcare and improvements in the standards of living seniors seniors are being given an improved quality and length of life that enables them to live life to its fullest, do what they want and brush off the stereotypes of old grumpy people who do nothing and cannot learn any new skills.

Loneliness and the elderly - Stannah Stairlift survey.

Having grown up in a rural Welsh community where there is a strong ethos of looking after each other I grew up with the belief that helping others is important.  Thanks to my belief in helping others and a respect for others especially the elderly, since I was a child I have thought it is very important to care for the elderly.

Not only do I regularly spend time with and do my best to care for and help my elderly relatives, I also make sure to keep in regular touch with my elderly neighbours. For me personally I love spending time with elderly people; they have a lifetime’s worth of wealth to impart through their stories, are inspirational and are friendly company.

As I believe the British pensioners are valuable members of society I found the results of a recent YouGov poll conducted by lift manufacturer Stannah Stairlift to be a sad insight into how British pensioners feel.

Pet Therapy - Sunrise Senior Living.

I've mentioned before that we have two dogs, Sassy and Trixie, and how our fluffy friends are part of the family.

Trixie the eldest of our fluffy family is 9 and has been a loving part of my life since she was an adorable little puppy.  When I was suffering from depression a few years ago my mum and sister bought Trixie for me after they read about the benefits of pet therapy.  They hoped that having a pet to care and be responsible for would give me a positive focus and the routine of caring for my new fluffy friend would help keep me busy and active.  They also hoped that having a dog that needed walking would help encourage me to leave the house which I hated doing at the time with the extra physical activity of taking my dog for walks being good for my physical and mental health.

Helping your Elderly Loved One Maintain their Independence.

When my great grandmother was alive during her last few years of her life she started struggling with everyday tasks making it difficult to keep her independence and the very social lifestyle that she enjoyed.  Unfortunately for her with old age came a fight to maintain the independence she had cherished and preserved for years. 

Being very close to my great grandmother, loving and admiring her for her strength of character and the achievements she accomplished during her earlier difficult life I hated seeing the spark and passion for life dwindling in her as she felt helplessness and anger at no longer being able to maintain an independent life.

Whilst we as a family supported my great grandmother, encouraged and helped her maintain her busy social life and helped her when with tasks she struggled doing independently so that she did not feel a burden and still felt that she could maintain an independent life without having to rely on family we organised home help for her.

It was a joy to see my great grandmother happier at being able to continuing living at home and enjoying her life thanks to getting some help for her at home with carers and by supporting and helping her ourselves.