Many older adults are unprepared for their retired years.  They are unable to embrace retirement with open arms but rather confront this time of life with resistance and anxiety.  On the other hand, those who have thought this through ahead of time, enjoy the free time and are proactive in finding ways to enjoy the extra time on their hands.

Reading books is a great pastime and can also be incorporated into a social activity.  Retired adults have the same need for involvement as the young, and it is important to find ways to stay connected to others.

Organize a local book club!  Talk to fellow book lovers and regular readers.  Start generating some interest among your fellow contacts.  Don’t underestimate the power of “word of mouth” – you may be shocked with the number of people who are interested.

Decide on a local meeting spot.  If the group is fairly small, you could meet at a member’s house.  Meeting places can be rotated each time, to spread the responsibility.  A local coffee shop or library would also work well.

See where your members’ reading interests lie.  Will your club read fiction or non-fiction books?  Is there a particular author you’re all interested in?  What subject matter will you cover?  Perhaps you’d like to keep it general and cover a wide variety of books.  You can cater your book club to suit the members involved.

Book clubs provide retired adults and seniors with a great way to spend some time that is social and enriching.  Seniors can be connected with other seniors.  It allows members to spend time with friends and make new friends too.

For all you book lovers out there – this may the activity you’ve been waiting for!

Forget about your body for a moment, and think about fitness for your brain!  Researchers have begun to take notice of the fact that baby boomers and even younger people in their thirties are beginning to worry about the health state of their brains!  Memory loss and a general slowing down of brain function have become legitimate concerns.

But don’t fret, there is good news!  According to research, there are initiatives you can take to maintain a strong mental edge and solid memory retention.  Although these strategies cannot necessarily prevent such diseases as Alzheimer’s or dementia, they can serve to preserve memory longer, and lessen confusion of the mind.

Many researches think it is not far fetched to assume that one day we will be hiring cognitive trainers for our minds – not just fitness trainers for our bodies.

In the meantime, we can follow these three simple steps below to maintain a healthy mind and keep it as sharp as possible, for as long as possible.

Unplanned Physical Activity

Keeping physically active through planned and premeditated activity is one thing, but apparently spontaneous-style physical activity proves to relate to brain fitness.  For example, engage in gardening, dancing, or cleaning to keep a mentally healthy brain.

Regular Brain Challenges

Challenge your mind on a regular basis.  Do crossword puzzles, photo hunts and word searches.  Visit your local museum or science centre.  Go to concerts, seminars and tradeshows.  New material for your brain is always beneficial to preserve effective cognitive functioning.

Keep up Social Activities

It has been said that those who are highly involved in social activities, keep sharp, mentally fit and of sound mind for longer than those who tend to drift from their social settings and withdraw from society.  Try to stay involved in active communities, social settings and various activities.

Although none of the recommendations above can guarantee that you will not experience memory loss, in combination with lifestyle changes and possible medication, the process can be slowed and the likelihood greatly reduced.  Plus, you never know, you may just have some fun in the meantime!

I’m sure this term is familiar to most, but to those of you who haven’t yet come across it, this is a term coined by Dr. David J. Demko, gerontologist, in 1998 and refers to a baby boomer (born between the years of 1946 and 1964) who leads an active and adventurous lifestyle.

Most older adults love the term Zoomer.  Our baby boom generation is characterized by a general disposition towards staying young, vibrant, alive and well.  Baby boomers don’t like being referred to as “old”, and for most, the term “senior” is out of the question.  The popular name “Zoomer” is one they like, meaning baby boomers with “zip”.

Dr. Demko was definitely onto something and the term itself promotes and glorifies a more exciting, involved, and active lifestyle – which is imperative to boomers’ overall health and well being.

There is a direct correlation between one’s overall level of happiness and his or her level of connectedness to the outside world.  Because of our innate desire to belong, it is rare for us to derive great pleasure from being alone and spending all of our time disconnected from the society around us.  On the contrary, those who are involved in different activities, groups, social gatherings, recreational sports leagues, fitness classes and the like, generally tend to be happier, livelier and most importantly, healthier.

As we grow older, our bodies and minds need to be stimulated and exercised on a regular basis to maintain their sharpness.  By finding ways to interact with others, to connect with your community surroundings, and to learn new things of great interest, you will be living the Zoomer way – the healthier, happier way for older adults.