Age My Way, A Helpful Guide for Aging Houstonians

While Older Americans’ month has come and passed, it is imperative that we continue to advocate for and seek proper care for aging adults.  Older adults are the figureheads of many of our communities, as they are positive role models in important positions such as mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, friends, and, of course, family members.  That is why this year the Administration for Community Living chose the slogan, “Age My Way.”  The theme is an opportunity for caretakers, families, and the wider community as a whole to explore the plethora of ways older adults can continue being active and involved in the communities while also helping them to plan how to stay in their homes and live independently in their communities for as long as possible.

Home Vitality strongly supports this message and is committed to helping all older Americans age their way.  While “Age My Way may look different for every person,” we believe these are common implementations everyone can consider as they get older:

Planning:

From home activities or services to external, community based, it is important to consider what will be needed or wanted to lead a fulfilling life.

What this could look like:  

As mentioned before, this could look different to everyone since everyone ages in their own way.  However, planning could be simply planning monthly or weekly activities you enjoy with your family at home or activities you like to partake in within your community.  Planning could also be installing home supports such as elderly or mobility aids within your home, assistive technologies, or installing emergency alarms and security cameras.  Lastly, planning could also look like hiring a caretaker to visit your home to take care of simple chores around your home and to ensure you are able to socialize with someone.

Engagement: 

Continue to remain involved in your communities at the capacity you are able to.  Some are able to maintain a full schedule and go out everyday while others may only be able to to manage one or two.  No matter where you fall on the spectrum, ensure you take the time to go out and socialize and partake in an activity or hobby you enjoy at least once a week.  This will ensure that you will always have something to look forward to and friends to see.  

Connection: 

To prevent social isolation, maintain social activities and relationships to stay connected to your community, friends, and loved ones.  Outside of our friends and families, much of our socialization and spending time with others comes from our daily work and careers.  When many retire or are recommended to stay home, they may sometimes find it hard to continue to be social with others since it can be a huge change.  It sometimes may result in accidental social isolation from the world.  Social isolation can in turn result in mental and emotional health issues arising.  This is why it is important to put forth some effort to maintain whichever relationships you have, whether friends or family.

As mentioned before, we are committed to ensuring the seniors in our communities here in North Houston, Tx are able to age their way and continue living life to the fullest.  If you or someone you know requires assistance in some or all of these areas, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.  Home Vitality Care has professional caretakers that are trained in many areas of home care services such as companionship, exercise, personal care, and more.  Contact us online or call us at (281) 580-9955 to learn more about how we can help you or a loved one.