The festive season and New Year is a wonderful time for generations to gather and celebrate, however, it should also be a time for people to check in with family and see how they are doing and what help or assistance they might need.

As the family takes some time out from their busy schedules it’s also good to check in with one another and encourage people to tackle some important topics about health, lifestyle and their future.

Ingenia’s General Manager Care Development, Janene Eagleton, has urged Australian families to make the most of their time together.

“It’s important to create an open and honest dialogue as it can be easy to dance around topics like how well someone is managing in their own home, especially when your senior family members insist they are doing fine.

“In my experience leading the Ingenia Lifestyle care and wellbeing programs and working with hundreds of senior Australians, there are a number of common concerns in our community,” Janene explains.

Finances

Learning to live on a budget can be a huge challenge for anyone. Despite owning your own home, and possibly receiving pension and superannuation payments, it’s very possible that seniors don’t have sufficient cash flow to live the lifestyle they would prefer.

Maintenance

Home maintenance is a chore at any age, but having a huge yard and empty bedrooms to maintain can be an unnecessary burden with mowing, gardening and vacuuming large spaces.

Lifestyle

After more than 40 or 50 years in the workforce and raising a family, retirement should be a time for putting yourself first and doing what you love, whether that’s travelling, staying fit or keeping social, try and consider some ways to make it happen.

Health

Poor health can be an unfortunate consequence of ageing, and having easy access to medical facilities and programs is more important than ever. Ingenia Lifestyle’s care and wellbeing programs connects residents to service providers so they can live an independent and active lifestyle.