Healthy ageing – stay involved

Humans are social animals. We need contact and intimacy with others to feel good about life. This is even more important after retirement, when the social contact that comes with being in the workforce is gone.

Factors such as low income, reduced physical mobility due to illness, or lack of access to transport can leave some people at home alone with nothing much to do. If this is the case, retirement may lead to social isolation, loneliness and depression. But there are lots of ways to stay involved in the wider community.

Ways to stay involved

Reach out to the immediate world around you for fun, a sense of achievement, social contact and mental stimulation. Some suggestions include:

• improve your health
• widen your circle of friends
• volunteer in the classroom, community centre or organisation
• become a mentor
• get computer savvy
• increase your physical activity.

Improve your health

For some seniors, health problems are a barrier to participation in the wider community. Suggestions include:

• Control existing health issues in close consultation with your doctor. Ask for self-help suggestions to better manage your condition.
• Have regular check-ups with your GP, and keep up to date with health screenings (such as breast and bowel cancer and eye tests).
• Keep active – stick to a regular exercise routine that suits your lifestyle and fitness level (30 minutes each day is good, see your GP if you are just starting out or haven't done exercise for a while). Exercise improves your physical health and boosts cognitive abilities (such as memory and logic). Some suggestions include –walking, strength training, dancing or water aerobics. Or incidental activities like gardening, washing the car, or doing the housework will keep you moving!
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Don’t smoke.
• Limit your alcohol intake.
• Turn off the television and take a break from social media. Sitting in front of the TV or online for long periods every day can ‘sedate’ the body and mind.
• Stimulate your brain with activities (such as reading, crossword puzzles) or ‘thinking’ games (such as Scrabble, Sudoku or Trivial Pursuit).
• Lively conversation is effective and fun exercise for the brain. Make an effort to be more sociable – regularly invite family or friends over for a cup of tea and a chat.
• If you are feeling persistently depressed or sad, see your doctor.

Widen your circle of friends

Having friends and other social connections is good for your health and wellbeing. It is rewarding to put time, effort and love into existing relationships, particularly with family members.

New friendships, however, can energise your life and open up opportunities for fresh experiences. For example, a new friend’s passion for a particular hobby may inspire you to have a go. Ways to widen your circle of friends include:

• Ask the people you already know to introduce you to friends of theirs that you’ve heard of but never met.
• Check your local paper for clubs, associations and groups that get together in your neighbourhood. Join a club that attracts other people with similar interests to your own.
• Use this time to develop an interest or hobby you’ve wanted to try but didn’t have the time while you were working and raising a family. Choose one of those hobbies and enrol in a local course.
• Further your education with a short course or university degree, and meet like-minded people at the same time.
• if you haven’t already, check your eligibility for the Pensioner Concession Card with Centrelink. (This card offers a range of savings, including reduced fares on public transport and at least one free rail trip in Victoria per year.)
• Volunteer in your local community. The added bonus of volunteering is the sense of personal satisfaction from making a meaningful contribution in your neighbourhood.

Volunteer

Many local councils, volunteer centres and community organisations are very interested in hearing from older people to support the work they are doing and to gain from the skills and knowledge you bring.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved in your local community or to be involved in an area that interests you. Research shows there are many personal benefits that flow from volunteering, including:

• increased confidence
• sense of personal achievement and satisfaction
• opportunity to learn new skills
• feeling good about making a difference to others’ lives
• friendships.

Classroom help is always welcome

One volunteering opportunity is the local school or perhaps your grandchildren’s school. Primary and secondary schools appreciate assistance from unpaid helpers.

The support you could offer in the classroom includes helping students with curriculum activities (such as reading, mathematics or art). Other volunteering opportunities include working in the library or making improvements to the school grounds. Students benefit a lot from seniors who volunteer at their schools.

Become a mentor

Retirement does not mean that your wealth of career knowledge has to lie idle. You could become a mentor, an experienced person who helps a less experienced person to realise their career goals. Many organisations across Australia offer mentoring programs.

Alternatively, you could contact your previous employer and offer your services as a mentor to one or more of their up-and-coming employees. Typically, a mentor spends a small but set amount of time (for example, 2 hours every fortnight) with the person they’re mentoring to help ‘show them the ropes’.

Mentoring can be particularly meaningful to retirees who had responsible or challenging jobs. Studies show that it can be difficult for these retirees to replace their careers with leisure activities.

Get computer savvy

Being online offers immediate and easy access to an unlimited number of opportunities. You can:

• Keep in contact with friends via email or social media.
• Join chat-groups to meet new people.
• Further your passion for a particular hobby or subject with an online club, and meet like-minded people at the same time.
• Find a wealth of information on any subject you are interested in.
• Take online courses.

The internet is especially valuable to seniors with a physical disability that makes it difficult to leave the house.

Suggestions on getting computer savvy include:

• If you’re not sure how to start, contact your local council or library for information on appropriate courses.
• Grandchildren are surprisingly adept with technology – ask for a lesson or two.
• If you don’t have a computer, use the ones at your local library (they’re free) or try an internet cafe. Alternatively, tell family and friends that you’re interested in owning a computer or mobile device (such as a tablet). You may inherit someone’s when they decide to upgrade.

Where to get help

• Your local council
• Centrelink
• Community groups
• Your local fitness centre
• Council of the Ageing (COTA) Victoria Tel. 1300 13 50 90 (Monday-Friday 9:30am to 4:00pm), Interpreter service Tel. 13 14 50 or email: askcota@cotavic.org.au
• Volunteering Victoria Tel. (03) 9642 5266
• Seniors Online to apply for concessions and discounts on public transport and various business services with the Victorian Seniors Card (60 years and over)