Aging in place is a goal for many seniors who want to maintain their independence and stay in their own home. This column will help you create a plan to thrive in your own New Hampshire home. This requires intentional actions to ensure safety, health, and social engagement. Here are my top 5 tips for thriving at home.
1. Create a Safe Living Environment
I teach a course on emergency preparedness for adults and it's surprising how often adults favor stubbornness over safety. To avoid unnecessary hospital visits, think safety first.
Before you hang up pictures install grab bars and handrails in bathrooms, exits, and dressing spaces. Voice-activated systems are essential for calling for help if your health changes and you can't reach a phone. Get these BEFORE you think you need them!
2. Welcome Strangers into your Home
You are new to the neighborhood and I hope you welcomes strangers! Maintaining a home can become challenging as you age. Hiring regular service providers for tasks like lawn care, cleaning, and cooking can significantly reduce your workload and stress. Ask for referrals, check out church bulletin boards, or look online at sites like care.com. If you want to stay home, you'll need to welcome service providers. The alternative is leaving your home- and most of us want to stay.
3. Prioritize Health and Wellness
Staying healthy is key. Find new care providers and schedule a visit even for a small concern. It helps prevent ER trips! While it's tempting to stay inside and unpack - KEEP MOVING! Incorporate physical activity into your daily routine, whether it is a morning walk, yoga, or light exercises at home. Check out your new towns YMCA, local schools with walking tracks, or something online. One of my favorite youtube guy is https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=foreverfitwithmitch
4. Stay Socially Engaged
Social isolation can have serious effects on your mental and physical health. I am going to be honest; you must make an effort to stay socially engaged especially after a move. Now that you are in a new home you are going to need to meet at least one new person a week for the first 3 months! Nurse Cheryl's orders & Only YOU can prevent isolation! Start a weekly social hour, game night, etc. If you can get out, go! Bowling, library groups, museums, and even casinos. There are casinos all over NH now and they give 1/3 of their daily proceeds to charity. These offer movement, people watching, and some degree of mental stimulation. If you go, your goal is to meet a new person and get their contact information. Others are just like you, they have moved to a new state and they too need to make friends. Go meet them, share stories, become acquainted!
5. Plan for Transportation Needs
As driving becomes more challenging, having a transportation plan keeps you feeling in control. Look into local transportation services for seniors, such as community shuttles, Uber, Lyft, or the next big ride-sharing program. In the southern part of the state, you can find help here TASC Rides: Providing Transportation Assistance for Seacoast Citizens
Trust Me!
Aging in place can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience with the right planning and support. It is easier said than done. As you enter NH and your new home keep your heart and mind open to new ideas and experiences that make aging in your new place an amazing chapter.
Cheryl Field is a nurse who has worked in healthcare for over 35 years. Cheryl has served a variety of roles, including clinical director, VP of Healthcare, Chief Product Officer. Cheryl has spoken at state and national conventions for over 25 years on a variety of healthcare care industry topics. Along that journey she focused on caring for seniors who needed rehabilitation after hospitalization, and applied that passion to clinical technology companies. After being introduced to IFS Cheryl realized that IFS was able to help her, and other nurses begin healing from professional and personal traumas. Now Cheryl is working IFS into her message. Authoring her first IFS focused chapter in You Can, You Will in 2023, which helped Cheryl to organize her parts and complete a book project one part started 10 years ago. Now an International Best-selling author of Prepared! A Healthcare Guide for Aging Adults, Cheryl spends her empty nesting time speaking at grand rounds for clinical teams, at local libraries, 55+ communities and senior centers on a variety of topics related to senior care.
Cheryl has been married 35 years to her 3rd grade sweetheart Ted, and has three children Michael, Rebecca and Jennifer. When not working Cheryl can be found gardening, scrapbooking or listening to live music at various small town venues.
