Are You Aging Easy?

According to The National Institute on Aging, more than 10,000 people turn 65 every day in the United States and people are living longer, healthier lives.

Healthy lifestyles, planning for retirement, knowing your options for health care and long-term care are more important than ever.

Adopting healthy habits and behaviors, staying involved in your community, using preventive services, managing health conditions, and understanding all your medications can contribute to a productive and meaningful life.

Problems such as no appetite or difficulty chewing can keep older adults from eating healthy. Get problem-solving suggestions for common barriers.

Make Shopping Easier

A trip to the grocery store can be a chore for anyone, but you might have some new reasons for not going as you get older. For example, getting around a big food store might be difficult. What can you do?

• Some stores have motorized carts you can use.
• Ask if there is an employee who can help you reach things or push your cart.
• If your store has a pharmacy department, youmight find a seat there if you get tired.
• Plan to shop at a time of day when you are rested.
• If it’s a busy grocery store, try to pick a time when it might not be so crowded; that way, you won’t have to stand in a long check-out line.
• Check with your local Area Agency on Aging to see if there are volunteers in your area who can help.
• Use curbside pick up. I order online and pick up in the designated parking slot.

Shopping for healthy foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, might be hard where you live. People who live in rural areas or some city neighborhoods often have trouble finding larger supermarkets. Instead, they have to shop at convenience stores and small neighborhood markets. Sometimes smaller stores have a limited selection of fresh foods.

You can talk to the managers or owners. Let them know that you and others are interested in buying more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain products, and low-fat milk products.

Like most Americans, older people generally do not eat enough fruit. Yet, there are so many choices—citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits; different kinds of berries; fruits that grow on trees such as apricots, cherries, peaches, and mangoes; and others like figs, raisins, and pineapples.

I buy mostly frozen so no need to worry about it spoiling. It's also fresher since it is picked ripe and flash frozen. Many fresh are picked before they ripen and shipped longdistance. Some even gassed to help the ripening.

Use farmer's markets or roadside stands during growing seasons.

Check out these Aging Easy Posts:

Sexuality After Sixty

Easy Skin Care

Falling

Stop Falls at Home

National Institute on Aging

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