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A 2015 survey revealed that Americans fear to get broke during retirement. 55% of the 1000 respondents confessed they fear not having enough money for their needs. It is a fear many newly retired folks experience hence the need to adapt to a frugal lifestyle. Here are some tips how:

1. Do Away with Unnecessary Insurance Policies
While car and homeowner’s insurance policies remain vital for many retirees, other types may not be worth renewing after retirement. A life insurance policy is not as important, especially if you are debt-free.

2. Track Your Expenses
It is essential to keep track of all your expenses after retiring. A budget helps avoid dipping into your retirement savings more than you need to. You also get to control your spending habits in terms of choices. The more effort you put into tracking your spending, the easier it gets to determine areas you need to cut back on spending.

3. Identify Ways to Reduce Property Taxes
Retirees can keep their property taxes from increasing to grow their monthly disposable income. Some states offer property tax rebates for older residents. You should do your research so you can take advantage of these opportunities.

4. Shop Smart
Some hotels, drugstores and other services offer senior discounts. The qualifying age may vary from one company to another, but it’s worth a try.

5. Vacation Less
It’s natural to treat yourself to a vacation. Sadly, these costs add up pretty fast cutting into one’s retirement savings. Retirees receive discounts and special offers for travel and local outings, giving them more cash to spend without dipping into their savings excessively.

The tips discussed should help you formulate strategies for frugal living after retirement. According to Jane Byrne of FirstCare Kildare, always be realistic about whether your finances will allow you to maintain the same standard of living. Whether you have saved a reasonable amount, living on a fixed income requires you to reduce spending.

As we age our bodies begin to change sleeping patterns which result in abnormal sleep cycles. These changes impact our ability to fall asleep as well as increase the number of sleep disruptions we experience at night.

Sleep disorders such as insomnia and mental health issues can increase sleep deprivation as higher levels of stress and anxiety can cause fear and worry that are often associated with the inability to sleep.

To promote better sleep, it is important to create an environment conducive to sleep. This may include black out curtains, temperature regulation and a fan, light music or white noise machine. Additionally, one of the most beneficial ways to improve senior sleep is to consider a memory foam mattress.

Here are five reasons why seniors should consider a memory foam mattress.

Relieves joint pressure
As we age our joints begin to show wear from decades of activity. For some people this may mean replacement or alignment surgery. However, for most having a mattress that helps to provide support to your body’s joints. Without proper support, your joint pain can worsen. Memory foam mattresses align to your body’s shape and provide exceptional contoured alignment for your joints.

Helps to align the spine

Your spine helps provide support for the rest of your body. With poor spinal alignment you are prone to poor posture, less strength and overall protection, as well as a high potential for muscle and joint pain. With traditional mattresses as they age the mattress begins to form a pocket in the center of the mattress, essentially swallowing you as you sleep. This not only provides inconsistent support for your spine, but also makes it more difficult to get out of bed. A memory foam mattress won’t sag in the middle and forms to fit your body while also providing your spine natural support.

Provides edge support

Falls are one of the biggest risks for seniors. So, it is important that while you sleep you are not at risk of falling out of the bed. Edge support is how a mattress helps to prevent you from falling off the edge of your bed and onto the floor. Poor edge support makes it more difficult to get in and out of bed, while strong or stiff edge support will almost propel you from the bed if you get too close. Due to the form-fitting support of a memory foam mattress it applies the perfect edge support that allows seniors to get in and out of the bed without struggle, as well as keeps you well positioned to avoid falls.

Conducive to sleep

We all buy mattresses in hopes that it will help us improve our sleep. Memory foam mattresses are designed to provide the support and protection that aligns to the way you sleep. A traditional mattress that is too soft will sag and not provide adequate support while a hard mattress is too stiff for a lot of people to sleep without disruption. Memory foam mattresses work with your body to provide the perfect level of comfort which is conducive to promoting a quality night of sleep.

Memory foam mattresses are designed with support in mind to promote good sleep habits. For seniors, memory foam mattresses help to provide support for your joints while keeping the spine aligned and ensuring safe movement while asleep.

According to the Administration on Aging (AOA), simple home repairs, improvements, and modifications can help seniors move around their home more easily and avoid accidents such as slips and falls. Some of the easier home improvement projects that seniors can undertake with the help of home care aides to improve their lifestyle include:

Replace High Pile Rugs

Unlike low pile rugs, high pile rugs have longer threads that give them a luxuriant and aesthetically appealing look. However, high pile rugs tend to impede the movement of seniors who rely on walkers or walking canes and even worse, can increase the risk of trips and falls, which in turn increases the risk of injuries. In fact, data from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)( http://www.aaos.org/Research/ ) shows that 90% of hip fractures in seniors are caused by falling. Moreover, 50% of patients with hip fractures remain dependent on a walker or cane, whereas 20% die within one year of falling. With this in mind, seniors could enlist the help of their senior care aides to replace high pile rugs with low pile rugs.

Installing Handrails and Grab Bars

Seniors can easily trip and fall when using the stairs or even the bathroom. Fortunately, installing handrails and grab bars can reduce this risk significantly. Inside the bathroom, grab bars should be installed on the walls. On the other hand, appropriate handrails should be installed along walls or suitable surfaces that run parallel to staircases.

Improve Mobility inside the Bathroom

Seniors can enlist the help of home care aides to install slip-resistant rugs on slippery floors such as the bathroom floor. This is in addition to installing a curb less shower to reduce the risk of falling while attempting to get inside the shower area. Remember, the elderly may have difficulties accessing bathroom areas that are elevated even slightly.

Replace Doorknobs with Lever Handles

A common problem that seniors face, especially those suffering from diseases that affect body joints such as arthritis, is turning doorknobs. Luckily, this problem can be resolved by replacing doorknobs with lever handles. Doing so would also improve safety because an elderly person would easily be able to open doors and escape in the event of an emergency such as a fire outbreak.

Replace Traditional Light Switches with Touch or Rocker Switches

Another problem that some seniors face is turning on/off traditional light switches. Seniors generally experience vision and mobility problems, meaning it becomes increasingly difficult for them to locate and turn on/off toggle switches. Nevertheless, seniors can resolve this issue with the help of home care aides by replacing the problematic switches with touch or rocker switches.

Lighting

Poor lighting can cause accidents such as falls with injury. Additionally, elderly may also injure their arms and hands while reaching for items stored inside poorly lit kitchen cabinets and drawers. An effective way of resolving these issues is by installing recessed lighting to illuminate kitchen workspaces and cabinets. Furthermore, it is wise to install suitable lighting to illuminate corridors, verandas, and outdoor walkway. This will make it easier for the elderly to move around or access whatever they need with relative ease, especially at night.

Some of the easier home improvement projects that seniors can complete with the help of senior care aides include installing handrails and grab bars, replacing high pile rugs with low pile ones, installing recessed lighting, replacing door knobs with lever handles, as well as replacing traditional toggle switches with touch or rocker switches.  If you find yourself needing reliable in-home senior care, providers like Seniors Helping Seniors (http://www.seniorcarebrentwoodca.com/ ) are always there to help.