Bucks County Magazine’s
SENIOR LIFESTYLES
W
ith the current advances in medicine and a greater awareness of fitness and nutrition, people are living decades longer than they were in previous generations. It is becoming common for people to live into their 90s and beyond. This brave new world has its upsides and its downsides. Having a long period of time after retirement gives us time to do many of the things we wanted to do when we were building careers and taking care of our homes and children. Now free time is available to travel, write, paint, go to the theater, join clubs, give back to the community by volunteering and list can continue. The downside, however is that many of our faculties diminish as we age. No matter how hard we exercise our bodies lose strength, our hearing and eyesight diminishes and we become forgetful, sometimes as a result of normal aging and sometimes from more serious causes. Aging can be thought of as a continuum from being able to live on our own to needing various degrees of help. This continuum begins with independent living, then assisted living, and then total care. Not everyone goes through all three stages, and many elders are independent up into their nineties. But even with this group, often widowed, there can be isolation and loneliness that can cause anxiety and even depression. These people need friendship, community and
things to keep their mind and bodies active. Aging nowadays is often something we face twice— with our parents and with ourselves. The sunset years are a good time but they can take a toll on families, especially when disabilities and memory challenges are added to the mix. The generation who is assisting their parents are often themselves in the process of downsizing and planning for their own sunset years. Our Senior Lifestyles section presents a variety of living situations from retirement apartments that allow for independent living on campuses that offer care along a continuum of assisted living to total care. All the options that we explore in this section offer residents a sense of community and active living according to the circumstances of each resident. In our section you can learn about options. It is all about options for a variety of situations that include such things as on campus food service, outings into the community, cultural programs, transportation and continuing education. In our area aging can be done purposefully and with dignity. Living situations are now staffed with professionals who offer rehabilitation, recreation and medical care. Lifestyle can make a difference, so it can never be too early to think about these things for ourselves and those we love. Aging does not have to be something to dread, but rather can be another step in our development.
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