Not old anymore – Does life begin after sixty?

There was a time, not long ago, when old age meant you are past sixty, suffering from illness, dependent on others, feeling useless and lonely in life and in need of special care. For, in those days, very few people made it past sixty. Now, thanks to the advanced medical facilities and better living standards, sixty is no longer old age. In fact, today, many people consider sixty as a new beginning and the right time to live the life to the fullest. In a way, they are right – sixty seems to be the right age to start living again. Confused? Well, don’t be. Read on to find out why becoming sixty could be the best thing that happened to you.

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Newfound freedom

A vast majority of people retire from their active professions by the age of 55 or 60. With this, they often face the dilemma of having enough time at their disposal. Perhaps after decades of doing so, now there is no need to hurry to the office or work every morning. The work pressures are gone forever. All the day and night are yours.

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Although retirement was often dreaded earlier, nowadays, people often take voluntary retirement to pursue their hobbies and interests. As a result, now more and more elderly people are taking up traveling, writing, learning new things or engaging themselves in a whole lot of activities. Most of these people are discovering life a new.


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There is no work pressure, little or no liabilities/responsibilities as the children have gone ahead and made their own lives. There is no dearth of money, thanks to the meticulous budgeting and financial planning. One begins to feel like a free bird once again and life seems to be calling…

Chasing the dreams

Elderly people are using their post-retirement time to have some fun. In their youth, they had struggled hard to keep the family well. They seldom had the time or chance to entertain themselves. Now, they have the time and resources to go ahead and chase their dreams. Whether it is traveling around the world, writing a book, growing a garden, raising a farm, learning new things, or any other dream they had to give up in their youth, they can pick up now. Many of them are taking wings and flying towards their dream.

Age is a number

Such people would tell us that age is just a number. When you live life to the fullest, there can be nothing that stops you from enjoying it. With the right attitude, one can see through difficult times and come out smiling. The moment you turn 60, you don’t cease to be the person you were yesterday. Instead, it has opened a new door to you – open it and explore what life holds for you.

Be active and happy

An idle mind is devil’s workshop. The key to happiness is to keep yourself active and healthy. Pursue what gives you joy and stay away from what drags you down. You have given almost an entire lifetime for others, now is the time to live for yourself. Yes, life begins at 60. Open the door of your heart and know life holds much more surprises for you. Don’t let it go just because you think you are past 60. Life is calling – heed it. 

Care for the parents in your absence

Very often, you would be living away from your parents. No matter how much you wish to provide them company and care personally, many a times, it would be impossible to attend to their needs in person. If you can’t be there to take care of things personally, the next best thing would be to arrange for some Specialized Elder Health Care Services for them. However, it might be stretching things a bit ahead as your parents are still independent and do not need any special care. All they might need at this stage could be some financial and medical assistance.

Under such circumstances, it would be wise to let your parents be. As long as they are physically fit and able to care for themselves, you don’t have to worry about them. However, it doesn’t mean that you can just forget about them.

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Here are few pointers that could help you keep them safe and healthy even when you are not staying close to them: 

Be in touch – No matter where you are, make it a point to keep the lines of communication open. You may not only talk to them as often as you can, but also chat or video conference with them if they are techno savvy. Make sure they know what is happening in your lives and you know what is happening in their lives. It would brighten up their days.

Arrange for medical care – Elderly people might not be keen to go for their annual/periodic check-ups. Make sure that you have an eye on their medical care and arrange for service providers to get them to their appointments on time. If they have trouble getting medicines, order them online and arrange for doorstep delivery.

Encourage social activities – It is always a good idea to be engaged with some work – especially something that one loves. It could be meeting friends, being part of some club, gardening, farming or any other activity that help them to pass time in happiness. Encourage them to visit relatives and to host them occasionally if they are up to it.

Regular visits – You should visit them regularly. If they are up to it, encourage them to come visit you. It would give them something to look forward to – a welcome change from the routine.  If you are unable to visit them, make sure you tell them the reason why it is not possible to visit them. Always encourage your kids to talk to them.

Have a local guardian – Although it might sound absurd to have a local guardian for grownups, it is always a good idea to ensure that you have someone nearby who can be relied upon in case of an emergency. It could be a friend or a relative, or even a professional agency. The important thing is to ensure that they will have him/her at their side if necessary. Make sure that your parents have the person’s contact number.

Caring for the parents is a duty that one cannot shy away from – most people are worried about caring for the parents in their absence. The above-mentioned pointers could help them in finding a workable solution.