Healthy aging – who does not want that? Because the older a person gets, the more precious his health seems to him. And what would you ultimately have from the “deserved” retirement if you were sick and immobile. The German Federal Association for Health has therefore developed 15 rules for healthy aging. Because it’s never too late to change your lifestyle and start “getting or staying healthy”.
Rule 1: Prepare for your old age!
Deal with the question of how you want to shape your life in old age in good time. Mentally prepare for changes in your life (for example, leaving your job). Ask yourself what opportunities and demands these changes are associated with and how you can take advantage of them or how you can respond to them. As you prepare for your old age, think about your home. Removing obstacles, installing assistive devices or moving to another home are important to maintaining your independence. Ask your doctor or take advantage of local housing counseling to get ideas for making meaningful changes in your home. This counseling will also provide you with information about financial assistance for making such changes.
Rule 2: Live healthfully at all ages!
So make sure you get enough exercise and eat a balanced diet, avoid nicotine and other addictive substances, use alcohol and medications responsibly, and try to avoid prolonged physical and mental overload.
Rule 3: Use preventive measures!
In this way, impending diseases can be detected at an early stage and treatment can be initiated in time. Take the initiative yourself and talk to your doctor about what you can do to maintain your health and in what ways you can contribute to healthy aging.
Rule 4: It’s never too late to make positive changes to your lifestyle!
You can start living a health-conscious and physically, mentally as well as socially active life at any age. By making positive lifestyle changes, you can act on risk factors that have already occurred – such as metabolic disorders, high blood pressure and obesity – and reduce their harmful effects on aging.
Rule 5: Be physically, mentally and socially active at all ages!
Look for tasks that engage and challenge you. Keep in mind that your behavior at a young age will play a key role in whether you reach old age while maintaining your health, activity and independence.
Rule 6: Use free time to learn new things!
Continue physical, mental, and social activities you developed earlier in life as you age. Ask yourself to what extent you would like to continue these in old age. Use your free time in old age to learn new things. You can also train your memory and thinking in old age. Consciously deal with developments in your environment (for example, in the field of technology, media, traffic) and ask yourself how you can use these developments for yourself.
Rule 7: Stay open to positive events and new experiences even in old age!
Preserve the ability to enjoy beautiful things in everyday life. Keep in mind that if you lead an active life and have a positive outlook on life, you will feel healthier. If you have found a personally appealing task, if you can take pleasure in beautiful things in everyday life, and if you do not resign yourself in stressful situations, then your health well-being is more likely to be maintained.
Rule 8: See old age as an opportunity!
Understand old age as a phase of life in which you can develop further. You can expand your skills and interests, you can find new insights and a more mature approach to life’s demands. Note that you can also evolve as you deal with stresses and conflicts.
Rule 9: Maintain contacts even in old age!
Do not limit yourself to family alone, but also think about neighbors, friends and acquaintances. Remember that contact with younger people also offers opportunities for mutual stimulation and enrichment.
Rule 10: Give tenderness a chance!
A partnership in which both partners enjoy tenderness, physical closeness and sexuality contributes to satisfaction and physical well-being. Do not be put off by those people who think that age and tenderness or age and sexuality do not go together.
Rule 11: Trust your body to do something!
Do sports and exercise enough without overexerting yourself. By doing so, you will maintain your physical fitness. You help keep your support and movement system elastic and strong. You feel your body in a pleasant way. Talk to your doctor about what type of physical training is right for you.
Rule 12: Health is not a matter of age!
Therefore, always ask yourself what you can do to maintain your health, independence and personal responsibility as you age. Note: Just because of age, we do not forfeit health as well as the ability to lead an independent and self-responsible life.
Rule 13: Don’t just accept illness!
If illnesses occur, consult your doctor. Even in the case of a chronic illness, regular visits to the doctor’s office are necessary. Note that you can be helped in case of losses of vision and hearing. Do not simply accept these either. Rather, talk to your doctor about existing assistive devices and use them if they are prescribed. If you are impaired in your independence due to illness, rehabilitation often proves to be useful and necessary. Talk to your doctor about the possible rehabilitation successes in your particular case. Keep in mind that rehabilitation can only be successful if you do everything you can to regain your independence yourself.
Rule 14: Seek good help and care!
If you have become in need of help or care, look for opportunities for good help and care. Make sure that the help or care does not take away your independence and personal responsibility, but that it maintains and promotes them. If you are cared for by your relatives, help make sure that they are not overburdened and that they receive sufficient support.
Rule 15: Have the courage to be independent!
In stressful situations you should ask yourself how you can best cope with this stress, what could do you good, which people you want to be with, how they can help you and when this help from others is too much for you. If you need help, have the courage to ask for it. But also have the courage to refuse help if you feel it limits your independence too much.