I participated in this program on behalf of Aetna and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
Aging is a fact of life, and, like most things that are inevitable, it’s best to try and make friends with it. After all, our attitudes really determine how we live our lives.
My Mom would always tell me as she got older that inside she felt like a young girl. She kept that youthful outlook throughout her life. When she was younger, my Mom loved to sing opera and to dance salsa and jitterbug. She would tell me stories about how she and Dad danced in the streets on their honeymoon in Cuba. She was a hot ticket.
As my Mom got older, she developed some health problems which made it much harder to do the things she loved to do, but, of course, she retained her irrepressible spirit. We would always try to take a walk around the block and stop to look at the ocean. She took a t’ai chi class which she loved and I took it with her. Every weekend, we would go to our favorite seafood restaurant and order something healthy and delicious. Salmon with grilled asparagus was a favorite. She cut out salt and ate more salads. I would take her grocery shopping with me, even if it meant she had to lean more on the cart. She loved Jeopardy and her favorite gift was always more crossword puzzle books. These kept her mind active and young as well.
Parents and grandparents can still stay active, even though it may not be in the same ways as when they were younger. New and healthy foods can be an adventure and one that helps ease inflammation and blood sugar issues.
In short, we can help our elders age gracefully and healthfully.
This fall, Aetna teamed up with Grandparents.com on a new survey of more than 5,000 Grandparents.com members to gauge what matters most to grandparents for healthy living.
Aetna.com
A group of bloggers were recently invited to a virtual chat with Dr. Randall Krakauer, Vice President and national medical director for Medicare Strategy and Innovation at Aetna. A recognized leader in geriatric care, board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology, Dr. Krakauer is also the proud father of three and grandfather of two. What we learned was interesting and enlightening.
Only one in four Grandparents.com members view themselves as”seniors”and less than half are retired for good. In fact, over one in three are still working either full or part-time.
Ninety percent of grandparents have access to a computer, almost sixty percent have access to a smartphone, and over half of the respondents list overuse of technology as their biggest concern regarding their grandchildren’s future. I don’t blame them. Sometimes when we’re having dinner and the kids are texting one another across the table, I feel the same way!
The most common health conditions reported were high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity while only one in five list exercising 30 minutes a day at least three times per week as their most successful health habit. I think this is something we all can work on together. It is a great benefit at any age. If you exercise with your parents or grandparents, they may be more likely to join in.
Regarding top health concerns, cost and chronic disease management were predominant.
If they could do it all over again, about 30 percent say they wish they had started exercising 20 years ago and 40 percent believe that exercise is the hardest health habit to form.
The holidays are a good time to talk and an opportunity to discuss family health history with your parents and relatives and help them make health goals for the year ahead.
We can also help our family members make the most out of Medicare Open Enrollment. The General Open Enrollment period runs from November 15, 2014 to February 15, 2015 and Open Enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries runs from October 15, 2014 to December 7, 2014.
Consider preventive services and learn how to make the most of them. If using Medicare, consider other programs that many Medicare plans offer – such as Silver Sneakers.
Be a smart shopper – use resources available on sites such as www.grandparents.com/aetna-survey and AetnaMedicare.com to help make healthy informed decisions for the year ahead.
Above all, show your concern in authentic and helpful ways. This compassion is invaluable as parents and grandparents go through the different stages of life. To know they have your support is everything.
My mom is in that stage of life so I really appreciate this article’s timing. When I get home next month, I’ll definitely be having a chat with my siblings on how she stands.
I have to say this has made me so thankful that my parents exercise as much as they do. It has also reminded me to do a better job of that myself!
It is definitely a necessary, although difficult, topic to cover as a parents age.
My parents are aging too, I find it hard to believe that my dad will be 77 in January. He’s still in pretty good health, but I know that my siblings and I need to have a conversation on what our game plan should be with my parents should we need to get them physical, mental, emotional and/or financial help in the years ahead.
My mom just got a dog and has been getting lots more exercise taking him for walks every day. It is important to stay active and engaged as you get older.
My parents are at this age! It’s so important now to know be prepared and help them age well!
Thankfully my parents are not at this stage yet, however I’m glad to see there is help out there once I need it.
My parents are still “young” but it’s never too early to be prepared.
I really hope my parents and grandparents start valuing their health more and heeding this type of advice. I’d love for them to prolong their lives any amount at all!
My mom’s older but she’s very healthy but it’s always best to be prepared though.
I am the caregiver for my mother and I appreciate your ideas and inspiration on how to keep myself and her healthy.
Though my mom is not yet a “senior”, I am her caretaker, because she was badly injured in a car accident years ago. She doesn’t need help with everything, but there are things she can’t easily do by herself (it depends day-to-day and how bad her pain is). Physical exercise can be very painful with her various conditions, but she certainly keeps a youthful outlook, and reads and plays crosswords everyday.
I think that we, as a society, just throw away people of a certain age. I was watching the Walton’s and thinking about how different the world was, when Grandparents lived with the families and helped share the wisdom they had learned. I think that we can learn so much from our elders. In addition to helping them remain healthy, we too can learn how to live healthy to avoid some of the pitfalls when we are older. It is a win-win.
Kelly, I couldn’t agree more! There is so much wisdom and love that we can learn from our elders.
I think I am living this artcle.
I wish I could get my mom to be more active, I feel like it would improve her health and her outlook, but she just doesn’t want to do anything.
This is an excellent post. Thank you so much for sharing!
I try to take advantage of all seniors can use.
this is something we are having to think more about lately. thank you for sharing
This is cool. Thanks for the info.
Any advice for aging parents is wonderful for everyone. It is not easy at all when parents are elderly and not in good health. My parents lived into the 90’s so I am lucky for that, but I sadly lost them both within two years of each other. Articles like this are definitely needed.