When you think of the atmosphere in a retirement residence, words like ‘musky’, ‘quiet’, ‘boring’ and ‘slow’ spring to mind. That’s just a misconception though, and anyone who’s been to a high quality retirement home will know this. It can be a very busy environment with lots of exciting things on the go, but as modern medicine improves, people live longer, and they stay active or longer too.

If you have a relatively fit mother, father, grandmother or granddad, the best way to keep their energy levels up is by making sure they’re busy. Some people tend to slip into comfort zone when they reach retirement, not wanting to try new things, but that’s not what retirement should be about. If you want to keep your older family members busy make sure you’re doing all you can to support them. You can take them out on walks, help them with the gardening or drive them to a town or village they’ve never been to before. Keeping busy is the key to living longer, and it’s the number one rule of caring for the elderly.