3 Sources of Stress for Seniors

Are you stressed out about getting older? You’re not alone. The sources of senior stress center around questions. Many older adults have questions and concerns about the future.

But you have to find ways to mitigate the stress and prevent them from interfering with your ability to enjoy life. To help you out, here are some common questions seniors worry about and answers that can ease your mind.

Questions as Sources of Stress for Seniors

Will I Need Long-Term Care in the Future?

As seniors grow older, they may find it more difficult to carry out tasks that seemed trivial before. When this happens, fears about assisted living can quickly bubble to the surface, but it’s important for older adults to understand that a need for long-term care doesn’t equate to a loss of independence.

The truth is, most seniors will need some type of care in their lifetime, but that doesn’t mean that every senior will spend decades in a nursing home. Some may need to move to assisted living communities while others may simply need in-home care and help. Either way, though, the need for long-term care may also bring up worries about how to pay for that care.

While there are ways to plan and pay for senior care, aging adults need to understand that their health insurance plans may not be one of them. Most providers, and especially Medicare, do not cover retirement home or assisted living costs, although Medicaid does provide some financial assistance for eligible seniors who need long-term care. Instead, it’s important to source funds from places like retirement savings, a reverse mortgage, or other types of insurance policies. Think through how you’ll manage the expense, and establish a plan so those worries disappear.

Will I Continue to Have Issues With Sleep and Pain?

It’s normal to have a few more aches and pains as you age, but if those feelings of pain are keeping you up at night, it may be time to make some changes. For back pain sufferers, starting with a new mattress can be an effective solution to resolving insomnia and other sleep disturbances.

Another way that seniors can reduce chronic pain is with a gentle yoga practice. Yoga is an effective way to stretch out stiff muscles and improve flexibility. Plus, practicing yoga can also help relieve feelings of stress. Since chronic stress feelings can have a negative impact on sleep and pain, using yoga and mindfulness practices to relieve it can provide seniors with an enhanced quality of life.

Will I Be Able to Live Comfortably During Retirement?

Sleep, pain, and long-term care needs can impact the answer to this question. Still, seniors often tend to stress about saving enough for retirement, and many seniors do not have enough in their savings to live comfortably during their golden years.

It can be worth seeking professional help and working through what worries you with the Counseling Associates of Sarasota. Also, if you are right on the cusp of your senior years and are still working, you may be able to tweak your efforts in order to put away enough savings for your retirement.

You can increase contributions to your 401k or change your investments so that you accumulate wealth more aggressively. CNBC says investing in rentals is a viable option, as well. Whether short-term or residential, rentals can provide seniors with a steady stream of income to fuel their retirement savings and keep building wealth well into their golden years.

Aging can bring questions that are sources of stress for seniors but you don’t have to let that stress take away from your quality of life. Use those concerns to create a plan that will help you avoid stress and then let those anxieties go. By controlling what you can and releasing what you can’t, you can focus on enjoying the years ahead of you.

This is a guest article authored by Kent Elliot of AtHomeAging.info. 

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