Later Life Advice
When We’re 64: A guide to healthy ageing
from the Centre For Ageing Better
Getting older can creep up on you and it can be hard to find all the advice and help you need. It’s why we started ElWell, and what prompted Louise Ansari from the Centre for Ageing Better to write When We’re 64 (she wrote this before we launched!).
This book is a friendly and accessible guide to a great later life, and here’s our top reasons why We Like it.
And if you want to buy it, then click here.
Positive Approach To Ageing
It’s a fact of life that we’re all getting older, and this book wants to change our mentality on what we can achieve, and what we need to know. Our later years could be the best of our life after all!
We champion a positive, can-do attitude and so does Ansari. Let’s stop committing ageism to ourselves or our parents, and saying what can’t be done at a certain age. These self-limiting actions can have an adverse effect on our lifestyle as we get older, but it is possible to break the cycle.
Accessible Advice
The language isn’t condescending, and it lays out important information (state pension, dementia, Type 2 diabetes and more) in an easy to understand format. Understanding your needs, changes and opportunities as you get older shouldn’t be confusing.
Importance Of Staying Fit
We’re huge advocates of staying fit and strong as we get older too (Nancy is a physiotherapist so it’s her goal for clients). Taking small (and we mean that!) steps in middle age can make all the difference as we get older.
The book reinforces the importance especially of strength and balance. Make this part of your everyday life – try standing on one leg as you brush your teeth and you will reap the rewards.
And if you want to read more on how strength and balance can help with preventing falls, we’ve written an article on it here here.
Planning Ahead
Planning here is key. What do you (or your parents) want for later life? If they want to stay at home, how can this be a possibility? Consider what needs to be done to future proof the house. Or do you just want to stay there because you don’t think there’s an alternative?
Prioritising what you want from your home and area could be a good exercise. It could lead you to explore assisted or independent living properties that are being developed across the country. They provide freedom, your own space and a community on your doorstep so it could be a chance to put aside your assumptions.
Take a read of this blog post by positive ageing blogger Suzi Grant aka Alternative Ageing when she went to visit a McCarthy and Stone property.
Louise Ansari is the Communications Director at the Centre for Ageing Better. This charitable foundation was started five years ago and they have an aim for everyone to enjoy later life. Louise says that working at the Centre, they have access to so much information on ageing and she wanted to put it all down on paper.
If you want to read it for yourself, you can buy When We’re 64 here.