Simple steps to a healthy and happy retirement

Posted on August 29, 2009

(ARA) - Retired 80-year-olds can often have double the social interaction of their 50-year-old counterparts. This supports research that happiness increases with age because social interaction stimulates your brain to release "feel good" chemicals like norepinephrine, which leads to contentment.

Informative nuggets like this, in addition to assessments and anecdotes from people who have chosen continuing care retirement community living, are packed into the book Old is the New Young: Erickson's Secrets to Healthy Living. The book empowers people over 50 to live happier, healthier, more active lives through a series of simple tips backed by the latest research.

"Society dictates what we do for the first 60 or so years of our lives: we go to school, we join the workforce, we raise a family, but people are living longer and healthier than ever before, and the later years are, for many people, a big question mark," says Mark Erickson, co-author, chief operating officer, and son of John Erickson, founder of Erickson, a network of retirement communities around the country. "There's a real opportunity right now to help people see all the possibilities that are out there and realize how they can make the most of this valuable time in their lives."

As one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities for 25 years with 19 locations, Erickson is at the forefront of senior living, aging issues, health care, and innovation. The book's four co-authors, Dr. Matt Narrett, Mark Erickson, Jacquelyn Kung and Lisa Davila, have broad backgrounds in aging and wellness.

Assess yourself

Take a few minutes to test your social health using one of several self-assessments featured in the book. Adapted from research conducted by British gerontologist Kevin Morgan and his colleagues, the following measures levels of social engagement.

Answer yes or no to the questions below:

1. Do you read a newspaper or magazine on a regular basis?
2. Did you vote in the last election (local or national)?
3. Do you attend religious services or events?
4. Have you had a personal telephone conversation in the past week or so?
5. Do you browse or read books or materials from a library or bookstore?
6. Have you read or written a personal note (letter or e-mail) in the past week or so?
7. Have you attended a meeting or event of a club, group, or society in the past month?
8. Do you have a reliable mode of transportation to go shopping?
9. Do you have a full-time, part-time, or volunteer job?
10. Have you been away for vacation in the past year or so?
11. Are you planning to go on a vacation in the next year or so?
12. Do you interact with friends/family as much as you would like?
13. Do you have at least one friend or family member living within easy driving distance?
14. Can you leave your home and walk independently outside (with or without a cane or walker)?
15. Do you get out and do things as much as you would like?
16. Do you have at least one friend or neighbor who you could ask for urgent help if needed?

How did you do? Give yourself one point for each "yes" answer:

• 14 to 16 points means your social health is excellent
• 12 to 13 points means your social health is fair
• 12 or fewer points means you need to work on improving your social network

For more information about Erickson or Old is the New Young: Erickson's Secrets to Healthy Living, visit www.erickson.com or call (800) 920-0856.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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