Good advice for older people

There are many ways today to facilitate the various tasks of daily life. Technology is advancing and it is important that those who get older make an effort to keep up.

Housework

• You can take household laundry, for example, the large pieces and get laundered in at laundry services. Some offer to pick up and send.

• Vacuum Robots – floor cleaning is difficult for many, so it's ideal to explore this option. You can get them in multiple price ranges.

• Shopping – many stores and service providers offer online food purchases via home delivery. Most of these providers also distribute outside the capital area.

• Prepared food – most fast food restaurants offer home delivery. Then there are several parties that offer ingredients prepared and weight along with recipes.

• You can buy small items that make it easier, for example, to open jars and bottles that tired hands can no longer handle.

• Various dangers lurk in homes, especially for those who have begun to lose skills. We recommend spam hobs that turn themselves off if it is forgotten or if a pot is taken off the stove without turning off.

Hygiene

• Automatic toiletseats make it easier to clean after toilet breaks. The sediments are connected to water and many droughts aswell by blowing.

• A variety of assistive devices can be obtained from service providers, either purchased or rented. These include:

  • Shower chairs

  • Bathtub or shower handles

  • Toilet elevation

  • Support rods e.g. to beds to make it easier to stand up

  • Electric shuttles

Health

• On Heilsuvera you can take a test that assesses the health status of individuals.

• The importance of sleep is not overestimated. Here is a chart showing the need for sleep by age.

• Here you can find good advice for those who want to improve their sleep.

• It can be difficult to take the steps to change old habits, e.g. when you plan on improving exercise and eating. Here are some good advice on this.

• Loneliness among older people is too common. Here are some tips worth checking out.

• Electronic authorization in Heilsuvera, for the delivery of medicines in a pharmacy. You can have electronic authorities to your relatives or other to pick up medicine for you. An authorization is registered in Heilsuvera (in icelandic) under the section of medicine. Once it has been registered in Heilsuvera, it is valid in all pharmacies in the country.

More

• Violence should never be tolerated. The situation can often be vulnerable, especially for older people who may have lived together for a long time. Here you can see a review for those who are worried about a friend in such a situation.

• ID card: It may be a good idea to get an ID card, to have identification if and when your driver's license and passport are no longer valid. Here is a link to the application for an ID card.

• Audiobooks, vision usually deteriorates with age. It's a good idea to listen to audiobooks. They are widely available both in public libraries, publishing houses and the Icelandic Audio Library. There are also simple audiobook players for those who have difficulty using a mobile phone or tablet. Example of a simple audiobook player from the Vision Center.

• Cyber fraud: Online fraud is much more common than people suspect, and new methods are constantly emerging. Caution is encouraged on the web, and more information is available in the National Association of senior citizens' brochure (in Icelandic)