Active Living for the Older Person

Active Living for the Older Person Annmarie Leonard Introduction I am required to compile a report on active living in retirement for the older person. I have to include answers to the following four questions: The role of the carer/organisations in promoting positive attitudes to ageing and retirement. Ethnic and cultural influences on the older person in relation to retirement. How health promotion and therapeutic interventions can enhance quality of life for person after retirement. Discuss how family members can be included as partners in care for the older person. The methodology I will be using throughout is the internet, books, library, work experience, personal experience and my own local facilities. I will be referencing throughout and I will have a bibliography at the end. Who is an older person? Who has the right to put an age on it? NOBODY. Each of us are individuals and our daily living is completely different so therefore our level of energy, fitness and so on are also different. We are all un ique in our own ways. Society today has different views on age, some think 40 is old and others say 50 is old, when in actual fact age is only a number. People preparing for retirement should never be made to feel like there life is ending. They need to be supported by their families and friends in order to make the transition from working 5 days a week for the last 40 odd years to having a lot more free time on their hands. A positive attitude towards retirement is a must also and you will find that the fear for these people is quiet strong and may cause them a lot of stress and anguish if they are not supported emotionally and reassured about everything including the bright future that lies ahead for them. The services and activities available in their local area will show them that there life is still well and truly for living. My own area of Edenderry supplies a wide range of activities for not only retiring people but also stuff that there family may want to become involved wit h. My local nursing home Ofalia House runs a day care centre in their premises which supply numerous activities for the older people in the community. These include daily games of bingo which all generations enjoy. I pop along with my nanny every now and then. Arts and Crafts, Pottery and Exercise classes are also available. Some services include a hairdressers at reduced rates so it won’t break the bank. (Ofalia House 2015) Along with what I believe to be an amazing service called â€Å"Meals On Wheels†. (Meals on Wheels 2014) They supply dinners to locals who for whatever reason may not wish to attend the day care facility. This service is very convenient for people and reasonably priced saving them time and money. My local library also runs a chess class for all ages on a Wednesday evening from 7pm-8pm. Arts and Crafts is also on here on a Wednesday morning from 11am-1pm. (Offaly County Council 2014) My local GAA club also runs bingo every Sunday night. This c ould be suitable for people who like to go out of an evening as opposed to playing at the day care centre. Again all the family can join in. (Edenderry GAA 2014) There are also a number of organisations which aid with retirement and other needs for the older person, some of which include Age Action, Bluebird Care, Active Retirement Ireland and Age & Opportunity. These are amazing sites with loads of information for the retiring person their family and also their possible healthcare assistants. It is also the carer’s duty along with the families in order to show encouragement and to be positive about everything. I would also be offering my hand of friendship which in turn will lead to their trust in me and I would take the time to sit and talk about their life experiences through which I have no doubt that I would gain loads of knowledge from and I would value every second that I was in their company. Sometimes all that is needed is a good chat and a cup of tea. They need to be felt valued and that their voice is been heard.