Happy New Year! 2024 is here, and we’ve all been busy making those all-important New Year’s Resolutions. Each year, most of the population come up with one or two resolutions and try to stick to them for as long as possible.
Commonly, people choose New Year’s Resolutions that will help to improve their life in one way shape or form. Usually it will involve eating healthier or going to the gym in order to look after your health, or going out of your comfort zone a little bit in order to achieve something new.
Here are our top five New Year’s Resolutions for older people in 2024:
1. Join a Community Group
Loneliness is a huge problem amongst over-50s. It’s too easy for older people to lose touch with their loved ones and find themselves locked inside their homes, alone, all day. That’s why it’s important to keep a strong social network. Number one in our list of New Year’s Resolutions is to join a community group.
Joining a group in your area is a great way to get out of your home. There is usually something for everyone, with activities such as cooking and gardening, to dancing and playing board games. Of course, attending a community group isn’t just about the taking part – it’s also about the socialising. You’ll be able to make new friends who have the same interests as you, and may learn some new things in the process. It might be that you can arrange to meet outside of the community group, perhaps at the pub or local café for some lunch.
Contact the Elderly is a charity group which organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for people over the age of 75. This is a nationwide scheme and they hope to help combat loneliness and isolation by bringing older people together. You may also be able to find other local activities to take part in, or apply for an allotment to get involved in some gardening.
Five Community Groups that can combat loneliness
2. Give Up Smoking
One of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions that people make every year and try their best to keep – despite it seemingly being the hardest to do – is to quit smoking.
Smoking has a negative impact on the body and is one of the most common causes of cancer. Approximately 78,000 people die here in the UK every year from diseases caused by smoking – with an astonishing six million people dying around the world from the use of tobacco. Smoking doesn’t just harm your own body either. Second hand smoke causes an estimated 11,000+ deaths in the UK each year. So, by quitting you’re not only potentially saving your own life, but also your loved ones’.
We know that quitting can be one of the hardest things to do, but there are groups out there who can help you every step of the way. Your friends and family will also be there to help you finally quit smoking.
10 Reasons Why you Should Stop Smoking
3. Eat Healthier
Perhaps the most common of all New Year’s Resolutions is to eat healthier and lose a little bit of weight. Admittedly, this is easier said than done but with enough motivation and support from friends we believe it is possible.
An easy way to learn about healthier eating is to read about the Eatwell Guide. This government-backed guide breaks down all the food groups and shows you how much of each you need to be eating. Following this guide is a great way of changing your diet for the better. A healthy diet will lower the risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Of course, there are also specific diet plans that you can follow. Some of the most popular diet plans include the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH Diet.
If you don’t want to be as strict with what you eat, perhaps you can be strict on what you don’t eat. Cut down or completely remove sweets and chocolate from your diet, or maybe reduce your diet from a takeaway a week to a takeaway every three months. Eating less ready meals could also help you cut down on processed food and salt, improving your health.
Read our Guide to Healthy Living
4. Create a Bucket List
Make 2024 the year that you do the things you really want to do. The best way of ensuring that you get everything you want out of life is to create a bucket list. If you didn’t already know, a bucket list is a list of all the goals you wish to achieve or dreams you wish to fulfil in your life before you die.
Getting all of your dreams and aspirations down in front of you is a good way of making sure you do them, placing a lovely little tick next to each entry when you’ve completed it. Common entries on bucket lists include:
- Holidays to exotic locations such as Australia or Africa.
- Attending events such as a Formula One race or an England match.
- Getting a tattoo or piercing.
- Doing something unexpected, such as a skydive or mountain climbing.
Take a look at our Top 50 Bucket List Ideas for Over 50s
5. Take up a New Hobby
A good way of keeping yourself busy and active in 2024 is to take up a new hobby, so why not make it one of your New Year’s Resolutions. Having a hobby or two is a great way of meeting new people, keeping your body and/or brain fit and active, and feeling proud of yourself.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to having a hobby. There is just so many activities to choose from. If you’re a fan of sports, perhaps you could start playing Squash or the unique game of walking football. You could take up gardening or bird watching if you’re a fan of the outdoors.
If you’re looking to impress the grandchildren and give technology a try, you could start playing video games or becoming active on social media. We’re sure that your loved ones would be delighted to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter.
Here are our Top 15 Hobby Ideas for Older People
New Year’s Resolutions Bonus – Personal Alarm
An extra idea when considering New Year’s Resolutions would be to purchase a personal alarm, either for yourself or a loved one. Our life-saving service is an affordable, easy-to-use system that will help to keep you living comfortably in your own home. Not only that, it will provide you and your family with peace of mind.
The premise is simple: You wear a pendant button around your wrist or neck, which connects to an alarm base unit in your home. In an emergency, such as a fall or medical problem, you simply push the red button on your pendant.
An alarm call is made to our 24-Hour Response Team, who will respond within seconds. They’ll assess the situation over the loudspeaker on the base unit and arrange for help to come to you. They will call your emergency contacts (family, friends or neighbours) and ask them to attend urgently. If required, the emergency services will also be contacted on your behalf.
For more information about purchasing one of our life-saving personal alarms please speak to one of our friendly advisers on 0800 030 8999. Alternatively, complete our contact us form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
We hope a personal alarm will provide you with extra peace of mind this year.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 3rd January 2024 to reflect current information.
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