Senior Living

Being healthy and keeping your mind active are fundamental to the wellbeing of us all, especially as we age. Here you will find tips and educational links that help you live a healthy and active lifestyle. This includes information on health and fitness, good nutrition, feeding your mind through education, and other links to aged care legislation, guardianship laws and advanced care. We hope you find this area of our website very helpful.

Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is important for your health and wellbeing. It provides both physical and mental health benefits that can greatly improve your quality of life. Statistics on the Better Health Channel Website state:

• Only 1 in 10 Australians over 50 exercise enough to gain cardiovascular benefit;
• About half of the physical decline associated with old age may be due to lack of physical activity;
• People over 65 years, require adequate fitness levels to help them maintain independence, recover from illness and reduce their risk of disease.

Encouraged activities that are social and a great benefit to your health are: walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, and weight training. For further health and fitness ideas click here

Education for Seniors

Education opportunities hold fantastic opportunities for people of all ages, often proving a rewarding and valuable experience. Recent scientific studies clearly show that senior citizens who stay mentally active can enjoy a vast improvement in their cognitive abilities, rejuvenate their memory, and have fun all at the same time. There are a broad range of education and training services, programs, courses and online resources that are relevant to Australians over 50.

Broadband for Seniors

Broadband for Seniors is funded by the Australian Government to provide senior Australians, aged 50 years and over, with free access to computers, Internet and basic training to help build their confidence in using new technology. For more information please click here.

Nutrition

Eating a healthy and balanced diet goes a long way to ensuring optimum health for seniors.

Many common health conditions can be prevented and controlled through healthy eating and regular exercise.

According to Nutrition Australia findings, studies on Australian’s nutrition indicate many older people have poor diets, do not eat enough fibre, or enough of the right vitamins and minerals.

When your diet does not provide the body with the nutrients it needs, your health can suffer.

Guardianship

A guardian is a legally appointed substitute decision maker who, subject to the powers granted, may be able to make lifestyle decisions, such as where a person should live, consent to medical and dental services and health care generally.

A family member or friend can be appointed as a guardian. In some circumstances, where it is not appropriate to appoint a private guardian, the board or tribunal has the option of appointing the Public Guardian, who is usually a statutory official.

Advanced Care Planning

Advanced care planning allows you to plan for the future discussing the type of medical care you receive should you become seriously ill or injured.

This usually involves talking with family, friends and Doctors about the type of medical intervention you would be happy to receive should it become necessary.

Planning incorporates the following features:

• Talking about your health condition early helps your loved ones and your doctor to understand what treatments you might receive in the future;
• You are able to guide your loved ones and your doctor in making medical treatment decisions for you when you are unable to make these decisions for yourself;
• Discussing your medical treatment wishes before you become ill gives you and your loved ones the opportunity to talk about your values, experiences, fears and preferences for end of life care.

Advanced Care planning can simply be a way of planning for the future.

For more information on Advanced Care click here.
For information on Palliative Care please click here.