Setting New Years Resolutions for Seniors

In a few days’ time, you will have done it: gone another rotation around the sun. No matter your age, celebrating the New Year is something everyone relishes. For a few days, we reflect on all we’ve accomplished in the past 365 days, and all that is to come.

For many individuals, with the New Year comes the desire to start anew. Whether that is joining an exercise class or reading a certain amount of books, setting New Year’s resolutions for seniors is a great way to fill one’s life with purpose.

Start by revisiting last year’s resolutions

If you made a list of resolutions last year, take a look at them. How many of your listed items did you actually achieve? Are you still working towards some? How many are no longer important to you?

Use these factors as a guide for creating your new list of resolutions. For instance, if you made a list of 10 goals but only achieved four, consider cutting your list to five. If there are items on the list you regret not prioritizing, prioritize them this year. Remember: you are setting these resolutions for yourself. The items you include should be all because you want to, not because someone told you that you should.

Once you’ve evaluated your previous list, you can get to work setting new goals.

Learn something new

Any form of new learning has shown to have serious impacts on one’s cognitive health—and it doesn’t discriminate. Whether you decide to join a pottery class, grow fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, or master a new language, each of these will boast a myriad of benefits.

And those benefits stretch past a boost in problem-solving and creativity (both of which are great). Seniors who develop a new skill often build a stronger sense of community. Even if they don’t take an in-person class, it’s easy to find a group of like-minded individuals online, which does wonders for their overall mental health.

Create a new system of organization for your documents

As you age, you may find yourself more forgetful. It’s one thing to misplace a bottle of ketchup, but it’s entirely another thing to lose important documents. At the New Year, consider creating a fresh organizational system for all your important documents. This system should be easily accessible and easy to remember. Spend some time with your family members determining not only a system you can remember, but one they can too in case of an emergency.

Spend more time with loved ones

A crucial aspect of senior living is staying connected. Older people are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can result in declining mental and physical health. One of the best ways to ensure you stay social is to set specific times to meet up with your loved ones.

Look at your schedule and determine when you can devote time to your friends or family. You could have breakfast with one friend every Monday and go for a walk through the park with another friend on Thursdays. These pockets of time will help keep you feeling like the best version of yourself.

Put yourself first this New Year with the help of home care

As you age, you may begin to struggle with new health problems. This can make activities of daily living, such as bathing, cooking, or running errands, challenging, severely impacting your quality of life.

Don’t allow anything to get in the way of your quality of life. Home Care Powered by AUAF has offered seniors in the Chicago area the support they need to age comfortably and confidently at home for over 30 years. Our skilled caregivers are trained in intricate nuances of care that allow them to provide some of the best support in the area. If you think you would benefit from the care of our staff, give us a call at (773) 274-9262. We would be happy to help.