Planning for your health and finances is vital if you want to live a happy and satisfied elderly life. Here are some valuable tips to help you out.
Ensure that your house is safe to live in
Trips, slips and falls become more common as you grow older. The best way to prevent any injuries and mishaps is to ensure that your house is safe to live in and equipped with necessary safety devices. Look around your house, identify safety hazards, and take steps to eliminate them. www.patienthandling.com.au provides a wide range of daily living and toilet aids that can help you eliminate safety risks around your house.
Ensuring a safer house involves, but isn’t limited to, the following:
- Install smoke and gas detectors in suitable places around your home.
- Install a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
- Fix hand rails or grab bars near the toilet and the tub.
- Ensure that the floor throughout your house is flat, slip resistant and not cluttered with objects.
- Ascertain adequate lightning inside and outside.
- Pay particular attention to the stairs. They should be clear of everything and not covered with worn-out carpets or rugs. Install handrails along the stairs and make sure the area is well-lit.
- Avoid keeping anything in the higher cabinets if you can’t comfortably reach them.
Visit your doctor regularly
Heart conditions, blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis are common health problems among senior citizens. So visit your family doctor. Ideally, you should undergo medical examination at least once a year, but if you suffer from any chronic conditions, then your may have to visit your doctor more frequently.
Get your eyes checked
Eye diseases like low vision, dry eye, macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma are more likely to develop as you grow older. Ophthalmologists at www.personaleyes.com.au advise that healthy eating and lifestyle habits along with regular eye examinations reduce your risks.
Take advantage of your Seniors Card
Not enough money or too many expenses are common complaints of Australian senior citizens. Free yourself of all these worries by signing up for a Seniors Card.
A Seniors Card, issued by the Australian government, is your best bet for saving money in later years of life. This card entities you to avail lower rates for certain government and private services. Specifics may vary from region to region, but generally, you can enjoy discounts on many products and services belonging to the retail, travel, hospitality, entertainment, insurance and other industries. You can travel for free during certain time slots or on specific days. You can also avail several rebates related to cost of living, emergency services, spectacles and even fishing.
Financial advisors at Freedom Insurance have compiled together some Senior Card Tips so that you can make the most out of it.
Get rid of debts
Interest can take up a major portion of your expenses. So try to pay off all your debts before you retire.
Which of these tips do you already practise? Do let us know!
