Yoga Mike

5 Health Essentials Every Senior Needs to Enhance Their Golden Years

Living healthy is the secret to living a longer and more fulfilling life. With so much misinformation floating around these days, it can be difficult for seniors to know what they need in order to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. Thankfully, improving your well-being and enhancing your happiness in your golden years can be simple with the help of these health essentials:

A Long-Term Care Plan

Did you know that almost 70 percent of the aging population will need some extent of long-term care? For many seniors, this may mean living in an assisted living community. Assisted living can provide extra support for older adults who may be struggling to take medications, travel to appointments, or complete other tasks of daily living required to stay healthy and comfortable. If you think that these sort of long-term care services can benefit you, you can go online to access search tools and assisted living resources that can help guide your long-term care planning. A Place for Mom notes that you can choose from among 50 facilities in the Toledo area that the company has teamed up with, to find the right assisted living community for your needs.

Accessible Physical Fitness

Planning for potential long-term care needs can be a basic step for seniors looking to stay in control of their health and well-being. If you want to reduce your need for more intensive long-term care, and possibly even extend your life, then you also need to create a plan that will keep you physically active. Regular exercise is essential for healthy aging, but exercise needs to be accessible in order for you to maintain this healthy habit. That may mean finding indoor workouts, such as walking around a mall, stretching out at home, or swimming in local pools. It could also mean turning to seated exercises, such as chair yoga and strength training.

A Healthy Diet

Diet is another crucial component for any health plan, but knowing which diet to follow can be confusing. Although there are numerous nutrition plans available for seniors, research has found that a diet high in lean proteins and low in calories is the best bet for optimal senior health. Lean sources of protein such as fish, chicken and egg whites can keep seniors feeling full and also help to build muscle mass. Adding protein to your diet can also help you maintain a healthy weight, which can provide added benefits, including a reduced risk for chronic disease, less instances of joint inflammation, and an improved immune system.

Comprehensive Health Coverage

After 65, most American seniors rely on Medicare for their healthcare coverage. Whether you use Medicare or not, having adequate insurance is an important step in staying on top of your health and your finances. So as you research your Medicare options, consider looking for plans that allow more access to preventative care and more coverage for healthcare costs, including things like dental check-ups, prescription drugs and vision care. Without these added coverages, you could be stuck paying up to $285,000 out of pocket or forfeiting these essential health steps.

A Safe and Comfortable Home

As you can see from the tips above, many of the steps you need to take to stay healthy and happy in your golden years focus on preventing injuries and falls. From balance-boosting yoga to healthy weight loss, there are a lot of physical health habits you can maintain in order to reduce your risk of being involved in a serious fall. If you really want to lower that risk, however, you also need to make changes to your home. Start by having a handyman or family member help you install grab bars in your bathroom and then work your way room by room, to see what other modifications you can make to keep your home safe and comfortable as you age in place.

Living a healthy lifestyle in retirement doesn’t have to involve making drastic changes. In fact, as long as you have the wellness basics above, you should be able to stick to the routines and habits that will keep you looking and feeling your best. So make sure these years are truly golden by staying in control of your health!

Photo Credit: Rawpixel