No one wants to get older and lose their independence, but sadly this is something which we all have to deal with eventually. Luckily, there are some ways that you can help to prolong having to be looked after by others and retain your independent for longer. To help you achieve this, we have put together some tips in this article. Keep reading if you think that this could help you.
Stay Active
Although you might find that your joints start to ache a little more as you get older, it is important that you stay active. This will keep you a lot healthier and you will be able to retain your independence for longer. You don’t need to do overly active things, consider going for a walk each day or taking up a sport like bowls. If you are making sure that you are staying active, you can trust your body for a little longer.
Adapt Your Home
Just because you are less mobile than before doesn’t mean that you need to move out of your home and lose your independence. Think about how you can adapt your home early on to ensure that you can live in it for longer. You could get a stairlift installed or even switch your bath to a walk-in bath. Walk-in baths are a worthwhile investment and you will love being able to make use of your own facilities and not having to rely on someone else to bathe you or help you up the stairs every time.
Talk To Others
If you want to be able to stay independent as you get older you need to be willing to engage with people and not isolate yourself. When you are alone and feeling isolated, you are at more of a risk of falling and hurting yourself. Make sure to talk to others and let them know how you are doing. You can go to them for advice on how you can stay independent and get the help that you need. Don’t ignore your problems and hide in your home as this is going to affect your independence.
Maintain Your Balance
Our final tip for those who are trying to stay independent as they get older is to maintain your balance. To do this, you’ll need to get your hands on a walking aid that you can use when you are about your house and outside of it. This way, you can prevent the number of falls that you have, and you will be able to look after yourself a lot more. It can be quite embarrassing to have to ask for help when you have fallen over, however you should try not to get embarrassed about this. Get an aide and you will be able to maintain your balance and your independence for a lot longer.
Unless you get really ill early on, there is no reason why you should give up your independence too soon as you get older. Make sure to take all of the advice that we have given in this article on board and see what you can do to stay independent for longer. You should try to adapt your home to ensure that you can access anything that you need to and think about investing in a walk-in bath. The most important thing to remember is that you should stay in touch with your friends and family and don’t let yourself get isolated. This will help you to stay a lot more independent for longer.
