January 19, 2018 Shaping Up for the New Year
With all the talk of New Year’s resolutions and the perennial onslaught of workout and exercise offers I
thought I would lead you off in a different direction of “shaping up for the new year”.
I read an article today suggesting there are equally important ways to get in shape besides physical fitness or diet. They recommend working on shaping up your “Senior Living” health. The article was published by The Daily Press on January 5, 2018, written by Susan Miller and called “Senior Living: Resolve to take care of yourself”.
Adapting to a life of retirement and preparing for our senior years includes taking steps to ensure our safety as we work to live independently, safely and longer in our homes.
Here is my brief summary of their list of things to do improve well-being in senior years:
- Have a will completed and share with children or close relatives.
- Establish a power of attorney designee for both Health Care and for Financial Affairs.
- Complete your Advance Directives for medical care and share your plans with your children or close family. Sign up in the Stillwaters office if you want to know more information about Advance Care Planning. The next informational workshop is scheduled at The Gathering Place, for March 15th at 11:00 a.m.
- Make sure your children/family/friends you designate as your representatives know where you keep your important papers and how to access them.
- Live in a place (Move to or update your home) like Stillwaters where homes are built with aging in
mind. 36″ wide Doorways, Door handles rather than door knobs, no steps, rocker-style light switches, and outlets placed higher for easier access. - Look for supports that keep you safe and able to stay in your home longer, such as home cleaning, home repairs and yard maintenance. A major portion of the monthly fee at Stillwaters is the yard maintenance (front and back), outside window washing and the exterior house painting every 10 years. These are all services that extend your ability to live independently in your home.
- Don’t forget transportation. Check out the public transportation and/or taxi’s/Uber/Lyft and plan for a time you will not be driving. For yours and others safety we all need to be assessing our ability to drive safely and have a “plan B” for when that changes.
This is an area where a little planning goes a long ways. If you would like to read more of the original article click HERE. Give the gift of planning and organization to your kids or representatives and then sit back and enjoy the good life!
Quote of the Week:
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. – Mark Twain
Happenings this Week:
Thursday, January 25th: Stillwaters Potluck Night! Potluck starts promptly at 6 p.m. as we have a musical program this month that starts at 6:30 – A piano concert! Bring your favorite dish to share and your own plate. Silver, napkins and cups are provided. Come join the fun!
Weather:
Surprise! Rain is in the forecast for the foreseeable future so bundle up and stay dry.
