Being Proactive

The average life expectancy for men who live until 60 is 84 and for women it is 87. So we still have a long time to go! Inevitably, we will have things wrong with us as we get older but there are things that we can do to minimise them.

We have already looked at taking some exercise, on earlier pages of this Guide, and they are, of course, examples of how to be proactive. What we look at on this page is how we can take advantage of some of the things that are on offer to us to maintain our health and fitness.

Getting Health Checks

Try not to become a hypochondriac in retirement but do indulge in preventive medicine and be proactive. So go to the doctor when you are well for a check up, do not leave it until you are ill. You can have cholesterol checks, blood pressure checks, heart checks, flu jabs and so on. Take advantage of these things without becoming a pest to the doctor.

If you want to give yourself a quick on-line check, to see how you're shaping up under various headings, go to www.surgerydoor.co.uk. There are some very interesting and enlightening aspects of your health and lifestyle that you can check.

Health Insurance

Many people have private health insurance to pay for operations and so on as they get older. It is a sensible thing to do but it can also be very expensive. Organisations such as BUPA and AXA offer a very good service but they can cost a lot. So what are the alternatives?

If you want standard health insurance go to www.moneysupermarket.com or www.healthinsurance.co.uk to get price comparisons. There are some cheaper options available but you need to be very careful about the level of cover you are actually paying for and whether it gives you peace of mind.

If you want cover for things such as eyes, teeth and physiotherapy as well as for overnight stays in hospital, take a look at HSA, which provides affordable cover for these more everyday requirements.

A lot of people these days self-insure. They open a new and separate notice account, for example, (one that will give a decent rate of interest) and start it off with a lump sum. They then add to it month by month by as much as feel they can afford so that the fund builds. Then, if they do need money for health issues it's there and if they don't it's still there! Do bear in mind, however, that some major treatments can be very expensive indeed and that your 'fighting fund' may not be large enough to cover the entire cost. So think carefully about how much you can afford, what you think you might want/need to use it for and if, based on those factors, self-insurance is the right thing for you.

One other option, if you do want private health insurance BUPA-style, is to go for the highest excess that you can, which will keep the premiums down. You can get an excess of up to £1000 which means, effectively, that you pay for the minor things but are covered for major surgery and so on.

If you would like to consider all the options in a little more detail, go to our Health Insurance section, which will help you to make the right decisions.

Health Initiatives

There are a number of initiatives concerning health and fitness that you might want to find out more about and then take advantage of.

Ageing Well

This is Age Concern’s national programme for promoting better health in later life. There are over 100 projects throughout the UK. Older volunteers are recruited as senior Health Mentors who work within their communities to give advice on healthy living and accident prevention to older people. A range of activities is organised, which may include exercise and walking groups, art projects, line dancing and opportunities to develop IT skills. If you click on your area, having clicked on the Age Concern link, you'll discover how to contact your local project co-ordinator

Healthy Living Centres

These have been set up in some communities with the help of government and lottery funding. Each local community is asked what would help them to live a healthier lifestyle. As a result, activities that will encourage people to keep physically active, and healthy eating initiatives such as cookery classes and food co-ops are being developed. They now come under the umbrella of the Healthy Living Alliance, so click on this link to find out more.

Walking the Way to Health Initiative

This was a five-year project supported by the Countryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation. It is now overseen by Natural England. The project has now been completed and the scheme is now run by various agencies, depending on the area of the country. Mostly, it is run through local councils. Led walks and independent walking are included in ‘Walking for Health’ schemes. There are currently around 400 schemes throughout the country and over 27000 volunteer walk leaders have been trained. The walks cater for people of all ages and abilities. Regular walks take place in town, city and rural locations at various times of the day and usually last for up to an hour. To find out more, ring 01242 533258, or look on the website: www.whi.org.uk This website tells you where your local walks are with days and times, gives you tips on taking exercise in general and provides details of specific events.

EXTEND

This is an education charity that specialises in movement to music classes for people over 60 and less able people of all ages. Click here to find out if there is a class in your area. There are over 400 throughout the country, so there should be.

There is a lot that we can do to help with our own health and fitness by being proactive. There's also a lot of help out there if we wish to take advantage of it. By being proactive and taking a positive role in our own health and fitness, we can increase our chances of staying healthy and fit.

Now read the other pages of the Guide by clicking on the links in the box.