Pages 57-62 in the full Wise
Guide book
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You've heard about taking exercise and eating
sensibly but did you know a good social life is also important for
mental and physical wellbeing? Aim for some human contact every
day, even if it's just chatting to the postman or phoning a
friend.
At the doctor
Make a list of what you want to ask and if it
helps, take someone with you. If you speak and move slowly or are
hard of hearing, book a double appointment and ask the doctor to
print out any instructions. If you're not clear what a tablet does,
and what its side effects are, ask your GP or pharmacist. Review
your regime regularly, mentioning any supplements and complementary
medicines.
Help with health
costs
Prescriptions are free for over-60s. If you're on Guarantee
Pension Credit, take your benefit letter to health appointments. If
you don't get Guarantee Pension Credit and struggle to pay for the
dentist, glasses and travel to hospital, you may qualify for
partial help. You and/or your partner must be on Savings Pension
Credit, a low income or have savings of under £16,000.
To apply for help with health costs, you'll need an
NHS form HC1 - available at NHS
hospitals, chemists and surgeries. Or order direct by calling the
NHS helpline 0845 605 0707.
Don't be put off by all the pages - many won't apply to you and
can be left blank. Get help to fill it out if necessary. They
should send you an HC2 or
HC3 certificate or an
explanation of why you don't qualify.
Extra money for things you need
If you have difficulty washing, feeding and
dressing yourself, need family to help with certain tasks or need
supervision, you could qualify for extra money in the form
of Attendance Allowance - more in
chapter
1 and chapter
10. If you're on dialysis or terminally ill, you qualify
automatically. Ask your GP to sign a DS1500 form for you and your
application will be processed fast.
Eyes, ears and
teeth
National Health Service (NHS) eye tests are free if you're over
60. Check it's an NHS test and covers glaucoma, diabetic
screening and eye pressure. Have a test every two years, every year
if you're over 70. If you can no longer visit an optician
unaccompanied, ask for a free NHS sight test at home by calling
0800 85 44 77.
You don't have to buy your glasses at the
optician's where you were tested; you can ask for your prescription
and go elsewhere. You can get optical vouchers towards the costs of
glasses or contact lenses if you are on Guarantee Pension Credit.
Take along your benefit letter. If you qualify for partial help
with health costs, take your form
HC1, certificates HC2 or HC3 (see Help
with Health Costs, above).
If you are over 60 and cannot get to
the doctor's without help, you are entitled to a free NHS hearing
test at home. Ask your GP for details.
To find an NHS dentist, call NHS Direct (0845 4647,
nhsdirect.nhs.uk). In Scotland,
contact NHS 24 (0845 424 2424, nhs24.com). You don't have to pay if
you get Guarantee Pension Credit.
You've heard it all before, but to keep healthy it
helps to
Exercise. It protects your joints by
keeping muscles strong, and improves balance, confidence and mood.
If you use a wheelchair, investigate pool-therapy programmes
designed for older wheelchair users as well as exercises you can do
in your chair. Your GP will advise.
Eat little and often, and drink plenty of
fluids. It's cheaper than you think to get 'five fruit
and veg a day'. Breakfast - Weetabix and banana, lunch -
baked beans on wholemeal toast, tinned peaches, dinner - sardines
in tomato sauce on spaghetti, carrot salad.
Arthritis Care's free booklet, Healthy Eating, has great advice,
0808 800 4050 or visit arthritiscare.org.uk.
Stop smoking. You're twice as likely to
give up for good if you use nicotine replacement therapy like
patches or tablets, and four times as likely if you use NHS support
with stop-smoking medicine. Speak to your GP. Quit is a charity
which supports would-be non-smokers, (0800 00 22 00, quit.org.uk). Or visit smokefree.nhs.uk, helpline 0800
022 4332.
Did you
know…smokers are at increased risk of age-related macular
degeneration (eye disease).
Keep your weight within the normal
range. If you are overweight, your health will benefit
if you lose just ten per cent of your weight. If you're less mobile
and have a computer, can you join an online slimming club?
Socialise. One study found that
loneliness and isolation are as great a threat to health as smoking
and a bigger threat than obesity! Sharing your troubles with a good
listener reduces stress. Could you develop a telephone friendship
with someone you call regularly, listening to and supporting each
other?
If you're over 75 and would love more company, ring
the charity Contact the Elderly. They may be able to take you to a
privately-hosted tea party one Sunday a month. (0800 716 543, contact-the-elderly.org.uk).
Are you
depressed?
If you often feel unusually anxious, tired or
unable to concentrate, or have uncharacteristic bursts of being
irritable and upset, you may be depressed. Tell your GP that
depression may be the problem; it is common in older people and
drugs aren't the only treatment.
Frightened to go out
in case you lose control of your bowels or bladder?
Ask your GP to refer you to a specialist continence
nurse. If you feel embarrassed, call the Bladder and Bowel
Foundation in confidence on 0845 345 0165 or call 01536 533 255
for details of your nearest NHS continence advisory service. It's
worth attending to this problem because many older people fall when
rushing for the loo!
Severe pain can also curb your desire to go out and
socialise. If you can't cope, ask your GP to review
your tablets or refer you to a pain clinic. Or ask the British Pain
Society, (020 7269 7840, britishpainsociety.org)
for information on pain clinics. If your pain is from arthritis,
the charity Arthritis Care can offer helpful advice (0808 800 4050,
arthritiscare.org.uk).
The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society's details are 0800 298
7650, nras.org.uk.
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