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5 Things You Must Do to Prepare for Old Age

5 Things You Must Do to Prepare for Old Age

As we grow older, we encounter an increasing number of life changes, including children leaving home, the loss of loved ones, career transition, physical and health challenges, and retirement. Another life change that many people experience is a loss of independence. The key to healthy aging is how we handle and grow from these changes.

However, this isn’t the only key to healthy aging. Another tip that can help you age well is preparing for old age. You can do many simple things to make your senior years more enjoyable. Why not try out some of the ideas listed below:

1. Create an Estate Plan

Perhaps the most important thing you should do to prepare for old age is to create an estate plan. An estate plan is similar to a will but is a more complex document. It includes several documents covering your property and family should you pass away. There are many benefits of having an estate plan instead of a will, including sparing heirs from a hefty tax bill.

2. Set Up a Pension

Although most people don’t like the idea of paying into a pension scheme as they think it’s wrong to pay in for 40 years before seeing any benefit, setting up a pension for your retirement is essential. Most financial experts believe that you will need a minimum of 70% of your pre-retirement salary to live comfortably in old age, a figure which increases to 90% for those on lower incomes. With this in mind, setting up a private pension as early as possible is essential.

3. Choose Your Home Carefully

Very few people think about getting older when buying a property; however, thinking about old age is crucial if you want to remain in the same home for the rest of your life. When choosing a property, try and find one that can be easily adapted should your needs change. For example, choose one that doesn’t have a lot of steps leading up to the front door.

4. Plan for Your Needs

Another great tip is to plan for your needs before they become necessary. Try envisioning your needs in the future and putting plans in place to deal with them before it’s too hard to do so. For example, you could consider moving to a smaller home with a smaller garden that you can manage.

5. Take Care of Your Health When You Are Younger

Most of us know that aging causes grey hair and wrinkles, but these aren’t the only things that occur. With age, bones shrink in density and size, making them more susceptible to fracture. As well as this, most people start suffering from some form of health issue. But there are reasons to be optimistic. It sounds obvious, but taking care of your health when you are younger can improve your life when you get older. A person who takes care of their health is much less likely to get certain health conditions such as diabetes. These conditions can reduce your quality of life considerably.

Old age doesn’t have to be as bad as it sounds; it can be a great deal of fun as long as you prepare for it.

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