Give yourself a little bounce….! When the family was younger we had a trampoline – complete with a safety net that made it look like an old fashioned gas tower. For many years it gave immense enjoyment, for bouncing on, camping under and even as a playground for the cats. As our young children grew […]
After an enforced break of over three years due to Covid, I find myself, once again, gearing up to deliver talks on EML’s research into living longer. The starting point is my earlier presentation, which is in need of updating as the data I have been using has moved on. Much of what was projected […]
One simple tool for maintaining relationships is your address book. In addition to contact information I try to include a birthday (if known) or better a date of birth (the latter containing a year – useful for those special birthdays). Birthdays show in my calendar and, for a few quid annually, I subscribe to an […]
In researching the impact of global longevity EML identified six key areas of life that together, differentiated those who were successful in negotiating later life from those who were less so. There was no silver bullet, no ‘one thing’ that will make all the difference, instead those who were seen by their peers as ‘doing […]
This morning I woke up to a world full of promise. For the last three years I have held public office – a demanding role that kept me busy 24/7 – and I loved it! Yesterday I handed the reigns to my successor, sent out my final emails and closed a chapter. Today new adventures […]
Optimising health is one of EML’s six corner stones for making the most of living longer. Having identified the importance of knowing your personal health data, I started taking reading roughly twice a month and have been doing so for the last three years. Recently colleagues helped analyse the findings and I was surprised by […]
At any age changing your behaviour can be a challenge. We become accustom to comfortable routines which perpetuate long past their intended purpose. Sometimes its what you do and sometimes its what you don’t. Talk to many octogenarians about taking a taxi and they look at you as if you are mad. One was seriously […]
Talking about death can be a catalyst for unusual discussions – and occasionally inspirational revelations. Some people are great planners putting considerable thought into their own demise while others, like one relative, a top class hoarder, simply shrugged and said ‘well, it won’t be my problem’. There are some that seek to exercise ‘intrusive control’ […]
When it comes to applying the research EML conducts, I like to be the guinea pig. When recommending anything to others there is little more powerful than saying you’ve done it yourself. Multiple visits to A&E with elderly relatives highlighted the need to know, and ideally be able to demonstrate, what was ‘normal’. Looking beyond […]
As a family we are at that ‘transitional’ stage where the older generation are in the process of ‘departing’ (either to long term care or something more permanent) while our adult children are thinking seriously about their first home. As a result, we are looking at unwanted possessions (from all generations) and saying – could […]