As anyone who has impaired mobility will know, the need to retain independence and freedom is paramount. Whether you have had reduced mobility for some time or if you are just getting used to life with reduced mobility, it is worth exploring some of the assistance options that may be open to you to help keep mobile. This blog explores just three of the options available.

Mobility Allowance / Motability

Depending on the severity of your mobility restriction, you may be entitled to either the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance. The mobility component has two rates, lower and higher, which are awarded depending on meeting certain eligibility criteria. The lower rate will enable people with smaller impairments to meet additional costs such as taxi fares. The higher rate of mobility allowance can be used to lease a car on the Motability scheme. Part or all of the allowance can be exchanged for a car that you will keep for 3 years. At the end of the 3 year period the car is replaced with a new one. Most car dealerships are participants in the Motability scheme and some are able to provide adaptations to vehicles such as additional steering wheel controls.

Help For Non Drivers

If you have never driven, or your impairment means that you can no longer drive you may still be able to get a vehicle on the Motability scheme. Your partner or a nominated person can drive a Motability scheme car for you. Companies such as Gleneagles Conversions specialise in wheelchair accessible vehicles. These cars have been adapted to include ramps or lifts to get you into the car without having to leave your wheelchair.  If you do not qualify for the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA, companies such as Gleneagles also deal with second hand vehicles that may be perfectly suited to your needs.

Another option available under the Motability scheme is a mobility scooter. Electric mobility scooters can be used by anyone, without need for a driving license. In most cases you will not need to surrender your entire mobility allowance to get a mobility scooter.

In Home Adaptations

Making the home accessible is just as important as outdoor mobility. Installation of a stair lift can give mobility impaired people the freedom to enjoy their entire home. Dependent on your circumstances you may be able to get help with the cost of installation of stair lifts and other home adaptations in the form of a disabled facilities grant from the government.

If you or a loved one has sustained a head or brain injury that has affected the way you live, it’s important to get help and support during the process of recovery and rehabilitation. There are a number of ways you can do this; you don’t need to rely just on family and friends. Here are a few things to think about while adjusting to your life post-injury:

Finances: If you are no longer able to work as a result of your injury, there are a number of things you can do. Firstly, get in touch with your local benefits office and see if you are eligible for disability or carer’s allowance. All the information you need can be found on this website: https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability It’s important to take care of yourself financially, so it’s not an added stress to your life. If you are for whatever reason not eligible for these benefits, then depending on the nature of your injury and how it was dealt with, you could get in touch with a brain injury lawyer. Claiming some compensation for your injury will put your mind at ease, and not add to the already difficult task of adjusting to your injury.

Community resources: Depending on your injury and the extent of your needs, you could make use of some local facilities. Whether it is rehabilitation programmes, hired help or community outreach programmes, getting involved in your local community services will give you or your loved one a support network that takes the pressure off. It’s important to reach out to members of the community, and with the range of services and support in your neighbourhood, it’ll be worth your time.

Carers workshop: If you have become a carer for a loved one who is suffering from a brain injury, it’s worth taking some time to learn the best methods and techniques. Headway are an organisation that co-ordinate a regular carer’s workshop, led by a leading occupational therapist. They teach a carer how to deal with the practicalities of caring for someone with a brain injury, as well as dealing with difficult behaviour and, most importantly, getting any help they may need. Remember that life can be very difficult for full-time carers, and by going to a workshop or community group, you can get the support network that you may need.

So if you or a loved one has recently sustained a brain injury, remember that there is help at hand! Get involved with your community and remember there’s nothing wrong with asking for help – it’ll make life a lot easier, and you’ll make some lifelong friends in the process.

This is never an easy process; the last thing you want is to feel like the toy that got left at the bottom of the box. It’s not only a big transition for the OAP but also for the family, who may be used to having you closer by. It’s a familiar feeling to how you may have responded in going to school for the first time – you may (from the first impression) think your life is over as you know it, feel confusion and unfamiliarity, or see it as another stepping stone into a better place. I’d like to take the more optimistic approach and state that most people fall into the latter category. There are many benefits to being retired that you can look though here. However, there are some things to consider before moving into your new residence, such as what to do with your belongings.

When you’re young (at least in my case) you find that you need less, you can carry a backpack around with you and feel that you have everything you need. You don’t have that much to really call your own, nothing that you’ve worked too hard to earn, or that has stayed with you for the duration of your life. As you get older you may find yourself inevitably hoarding many of your possessions, after all, now that you have time to reflect they may act as a source of solace or comfort, embedded with memories. Furthermore, as your build up a family you begin to receive more possessions that you treasure, or more that can enhance how much you enjoy your life during your free time.

If you want to keep hold of your belongings as you move into a retirement home, perhaps the most viable option would be to get in contact with a modular building suppliers, they can give you regular access to a modular unit with many of your belongings inside. This way you won’t clutter up your new residence or have to ditch anything you might one day regret.

It may also help to visit the residence long before you move in, this way you can begin to get to know the people there, or become more at ease with the environment and judge rationally whether it is really for you. You may get to see how procedure works, what the food is like, ask what the staff expect of you and get a couple of honest testimonials regarding the place. If possible it would be highly motivating to get to see what your room would be like.

All in all, it is important to approach the situation with optimism – there is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy retirement just as much, if not more, than working life. Stats say that the retired folk are often the happiest, yes that’s right, the elderly are not resigned to being as grumpy as they are often portrayed.

Often I am apprehensive to list off statistics that I am not entirely confident in the importance of, nonetheless, a recent study by the office of national statistics claimed that people are significantly happier during retirement. For a while this left me thinking, why? At a youthful 68 and having had my retirement validated by a Notary Services in London – I (like many) often find myself feeling listless, aimless and downright bored.  It was not a surprise for me to learn that the number of pensioners working during retirement is up 85% on 20 years ago. However, whilst I was verging on finding some form of work again – I had an epiphany, I should make the most of this opportunity. Since I realised that I was in a situation that many would envy I threw myself into other activities – so here are my top 5 things to keep you busy during retirement:

1. Travel – people say travel broadens the mind, and they are not wrong. As someone that worked full time I never really got the opportunity to travel. Holidays during school or university would also be spent working to gain some money – so now is the perfect time to grab the opportunity. As a senior citizen you can get some really great discounts for transport! It may even be worth living in a foreign country for a while! I invested in a motor home and have explored more of Britain in 2 months than I think I have in my entire lifetime.
2. Go back into education: this is the perfect opportunity to scrub up on what you’re interested in, it keeps you busy and definitely lays waste to the old saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. It doesn’t have to be intense or stressful; nowadays you can take courses from home or just go to lessons once or twice a week.
3. Write a list: Write down everything that you feel like doing at any given time (even if you cannot do it at that very moment). Of course I am not saying you should undergo anything as cheesy as a bucket list, it’s just that sometimes when you feel like you have nothing to do you can refer to this list and tick off some boxes!
4. Spend time with your family: no matter how mundane you may feel your life is, you will no doubt get some stories from your family. I myself often find myself living through my grand-children. The last thing you want to do is hide yourself away like many others. Even if you don’t have much family, join a society or club even get on social networking sites like Facebook and twitter to catch up with old friends.
5. Blog: The internet can be a daunting place for some, but I have found that nothing puts me into a state of calm like having a rant on a blog, it’s also a means of interacting with like-minded others. There is so much in the world that I wish to discuss and more happening every day that you will never be out of something to write.

Now you have a variety of things to do during your retirement, there is no need to sit in silence – get yourself motivated and out there!

As we begin to age, it is more than likely that we will experience some sort of debilitating health problem. Whether this is life-threatening or non, our natural progression would seem to dictate that we will need the help of drugs, walking aids and so on in order to help us go about our everyday lives. But what about alternative therapy? Doctors and other, less conventional healers have been arguing for years about the benefits of holistic and alternative healing and there is much controversy surrounding the areas. Is it really possible that by wearing an amber teething necklace we can help us with our joint problems? That by wearing a crystal around our throats we can cleanse our chakras and purify our bodies?

Much debate still remains to this day, although there are a number of alternative therapies that have received medical approval and are generally considered to be powerful means of healing without having to resort to mountains of painkillers. This is helpful, particularly for those who would prefer a form of healing and pain relief which is less dependent on chemicals and artifice.

Depression

Although depression is obviously an extremely debilitating disease in any part of life, depression amongst the elderly can be a much more serious problem than we would at first assume. As social and family networks begin to break down and the individual experiences more and more bereavement, it can be much more difficult to overcome depressive episodes. Moreover, it has been shown that elderly patients are much less susceptible to medication such as anti-depressants and as such, there is an alarmingly high suicide rate amongst elderly depressives.

Because of this, many people have advocated the use of alternative therapy as a means to alleviate feelings of depression and despondency. Colour therapy, aromatherapy and a change in diet have all been seen as beneficial in some circles, as has acupuncture. Although traditionally seen as a form of pain relief, practitioners of acupuncture have long argued that acupuncture can stimulate the nervous system and help to release “neurochemical messenger molecules” which in turn promote a feeling of well-being in the individual. This is backed up by the World Health Organisation and is based on studies undertaken mainly in China using traditional western medicines as a comparison. Studies have shown that patients treated with acupuncture for depression showed significant improvements in mood, and it can also be used safely alongside these traditional methods.

Hypertension

Around 65% of men and 77% of women over 75 are believed to suffer from hypertension, or high blood pressure. The most commonly prescribed drug for sufferers of high blood pressure is water tablets, followed by Beta Blockers intended to slow the heart rate. Research has shown however, that changes in diet and lifestyle as well as relaxation therapies can help to reduce the problem. Relaxation therapies such as meditation can help the patient to relax their muscles and help to regulate the heart rate. Hypertension can also be caused by anxiety which can be aided by cognitive and “talk” therapies which negate the adverse affects of stress on the body.

Chronic Pain

The most obviously debilitating problem that the elderly face is that of chronic pain. Problems caused by poor circulation, tension and joint mobility are often cited as some of the most common problems that an elderly person will face; but rather than rely on strong painkillers which can become addictive and lose their effects over time, many people advocate the use of acupuncture, massage and reflexology as a means of alleviating some of the pain they face. As we age, our bodies are in need of more support to remove harmful toxins which proper massage can help to eradicate. Not only this, but it can also have a positive effect on mental health and promote general well being.