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Are you tending to your ever-growing spring cleaning checklist? If you don’t have “clean out the medicine cabinet” as one of your ToDos, add it today and don’t forget these important reminders:

Dispose of Old Medicine
Unused prescriptions, expired over-the-counter drugs, empty boxes, and bottles . . . it’s easy for a medicine cabinet to become cluttered over the year with superfluous items. Take some time this spring to clear it out and safely dispose of the medicine you no longer use.

• Check expiration dates and recycle old medicine boxes and bottles (remove prescription labels before you toss them or mark out private information)Follow instructions for disposing of medicine or check with your local pharmacy or law enforcement agency about upcoming drug take-back events
  Simplify your daily medicine schedule by sorting pills into color-coded pill organizers with day of the week and time of day compartments

Upgrade Home Health Items
As you get older, is your doctor recommending you check health metrics at home more regularly like blood pressure, temperature, or blood sugar? Having handy, reliable home health tools to gather and record important health data could play a significant role in helping you manage a chronic illness, prevent infection, and be alerted when something seems off. Don’t forget to check that these tools are in working order:

• An accurate thermometer to check one’s temperature regularly
  A reliable blood pressure monitor with memory for recording readings
  A blood sugar monitor with strips (especially if you are one of the 25% of adults over 65 with diabetes)
  A pulse oximeter (if you have frequent respiratory infections or heart disease)

Update Medical ID
Did you know that most smartphones offer you the ability to store important medical ID information in the event of an emergency? Simply find the Health app or Medical ID feature in the settings on your phone and input important information like birth date, known medical conditions, allergies, blood type, and emergency contact numbers.

If first responders are unable to get this information from you at the scene of an accident, they are now trained to check your smartphone. Medical ID information can be accessed from the lock screen of most smartphones without having to enter a passcode.

Don’t forget to check the stock on your first aid kit – refilling items like band-aids, wound solution, NSAIDs, cold compresses, antibiotic cream, sterile gauze, and elastic bandages could come in handy during your summer adventures.

Most of us have New Year’s resolutions. One of my new goals for 2020 is to age better. Andrew Weil, MD, in his bestseller Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being (2005) said, “to age gracefully requires that we stop denying the fact of aging and learn and practice what we have to do to keep our bodies and minds in good working order through all the phases of life” (p. 7). You may well ask, “how does one do that”? For me, it means actually practicing what I preach. We are fortunate today to have so much research and information on aging that we can pinpoint some specific areas that are common to successful aging. I have taught these to numerous students and groups of older adults, but it wasn’t until I joined the over 50 age group that this knowledge seemed more personally applicable. So, let me share with you five keys that both scientists and the oldest old persons in our society have found contribute to healthy aging.

Have a positive attitude towards life. This includes having good coping skills and being able to deal with grief and loss appropriately.  Most centenarians will say that you should always having something to look forward to. Make a list of places you want to travel this year, vacations to take, people you need to visit, or things that need to be fixed around the house. Then start to cross them out as you do them, and bask in your accomplishments.

Maintain key relationships. These include having a stable marriage and/or being involved in a religious or social community. In George Vaillant’s book Aging Well (2002), he reported the results of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. Generativity, or selfless investment in others (including the next generation), was found to be the best predictor of a long and happy marriage. Likewise, studies show that older persons who affiliate with a religious organization, such as attending church regularly, report better health and better social support systems, and tend to remain independent longer.

Maintain a healthy weight through proper nutrition. Eat a diet with plenty of fiber, fruits, vegetables and water. Limit saturated fats, salt, processed foods, and less useful calories from alcohol or sugary drinks.

Stay active. Physically, do some moderate exercise on most days of the week. For persons who are older and unable to do strenuous activity, remember that regular daily chores that include continuous motion such as doing laundry, gardening, or cleaning house can count as exercise and can also be spread throughout the day to accumulate the recommended 30 minutes of activity. If able, brisk walking is highly recommended. Keep your mind active as well. Resolve to take up a new hobby such as a craft, learning to play an instrument, or studying a foreign language. Working puzzles, playing cards, and reading are also good ways to stimulate your brain function and keep your memory sharp.

Avoid negative behaviors such as overeating or drinking too much alcohol.  Adopt an attitude of “everything in moderation”. Don’t smoke, and if you do smoke, stop. Sadie Delany (1994) at over 100 years of age wrote in her book Having Our Say, “so you want to live to be 100. Well, start with this: No smoking, no drinking, no chewing” (p. 11).

Resolve with me to age more gracefully during 2020 and let’s see how we do. Do you have any secrets of healthy aging that have worked for you or your parents/grandparents? Please share them with us.