Health Info

“Get A Life”

By Nicole A. Morgan, OTR First Texas Home Health

We are all aging, no matter what stage of life we are in–our teens, or late adulthood–we are aging daily. How well we age often times depends on how well we live. Aging well seems to be the greatest focus in most of the literature aimed at our senior population. There is no secret to aging well, it’s very simple and really this concept has been around forever. What most of us have trouble with is following a lifestyle that will help us live life longer. Aging is 30% based on genetics and 70% on your lifestyle. The word LIFE gives us four basic ways of living that will help all of us to age well.

“L”: Living Smart – There are two ways to live smart. First, live smart in the choices you make in life. Choose to surround yourself with positive relationships and people. Be Smart with good food choices and good lifestyle habits. It matters what you put inside your body and how well you live. Second, live smart in your home. Home modifications such as installing grab bars, ramps, hand rails, a higher commode or furniture lifts, can greatly extend the “length of stay” in your home (Aging in Place). As we age, the fear of falling is on our minds and home modifications can help us live preventively in our homes to reduce safety risks early in the aging process.

“I”: Image – What is your image of Aging? Do you see yourself active at 100 years old? Why not? “Old” is a mental image. Remember when you were about 6 years young and your parents were in their early thirties and how “old” you thought they were? Being an Occupational Therapist, I treat the mature adult and often hear, “I’m too old to do that or, I’m not as young as I used to be.” I am learning that the saying, “you are as old as you think you are” is pretty accurate. I’ve treated patients in their mid – late 80s who deal with various diagnosis, who have as much motivation to be active as me. Others dwell on their various diagnoses and literally appear to age by the hour. What type of mindset do you have? Are you living with an ageless state of mind?

F: Functional Fitness – Keeping your body strong is another essential key to aging well. This simply means staying physically active by performing some form of daily exercise. Benefits of daily exercise can include having an improved sense of well being, feeling strong, improved cardiac endurance, and better performance in daily or leisure activities. Functional Fitness is one of the latest trends in aging well and you have a better chance of living long if you stay strong.

E: Engage in Activity – A couple of my dear friends in their mid 70s recently told me, “We exercise three times a week and we stay busy socially. Some of our retired friends are at the point where they can’t get around much, because they just don’t do anything. We’re not old; we have just been around for a while.” If you rest, you will rust in retirement. In my profession, this is so very true. I have seen people who view their retirement as the opportunity to really live and “Get a Life.” I’ve seen others view it as getting older; believing their aches and pains are inevitable as they age. Engaging yourself in as much activity as possible while keeping a positive outlook to aging will help slow the aging process to a graceful speed.

These four concepts of LIFE apply to First Texas Home Health through the F.I.R.S.T. (Functional Independence Related to Safety Training) program. FIRST is a holistic approach to home health enabling us to help our patients “Get a Life” or “Get Back to Life”. We help our patients stay positive regarding the aging process, rehab them to improved strength, suggest home modifications to live smart, and help them get engaged with activity allowing them to live a meaningful and purposeful life. As a team of therapists and nurses, we work together as problem solvers to help our patients understand the changes in life and find safer, more preventive ways to live. We are able to use “out of the box” methods and thinking to help our patients engage in activities that are purposeful and meaningful to them while and providing the tools to “Get Back to Life”. Our approach to home health is performance and outcome based, meaning that we expect to see our patients out in the community living healthy, productive lives and aging well. Let First Texas Home Health help you “Get Back to Life.”

Nicole A. Morgan, OTR