Keeping Independence

A common topic of research revolving around aging involves autonomy, or independence. More than most individuals not only want to age at home, but want to keep their independence involved as well. Being able to dress oneself, bath, cook, clean, drive, and enjoy leisure activities is a common independence want among individuals. Needing to depend on someone else for everyday living and such activities can cause a loss of autonomy, but there are ways to delay the loss of autonomy. The answer to extending the longevity of independence is the answer to a lot of health issues, take care of yourself and body. Continue to exercise, eat right, take care of your mental health and stress, stay social and engaged, and attend your annual doctor appointments. Not only should you take care of your body, but you should start now at any age. Beginning a healthy lifestyle at a younger age has a correlation to having a more positive effect later on in life, if the habit is continuous throughout your life. Check out the link below to find an interesting research article revolving around "thriving" with age. This article is interesting because of the 10 year length of the study. http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/63/10/1097.full.pdf+html