Meaningful Ageing - April Newsletter

In aged care we talk a lot about ‘meaningful ageing’ and what it means to maintain a sense of purpose and fulfilment as we age. It’s become particularly evident to me living with my 92-year-old Grandma (she reads this, so hi Nezi!) and watching the many ways she meaningfully contributes to our household.

For this reason, the theme I’ve chosen for April is

‘Meaningful Ageing’.

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I’ve never been as aware of meaningful ageing until living with my Grandma. I now truly understand how easily your world can shrink as you accept more help, give up your driver’s license and/or move into a new environment. It’s common to spend more and more time focused on yourself, your ailments and the things you can no longer do.

We’ve lived together for almost 2 years now and Grandma has always contributed around the house. This has mostly consisted of domestic tasks like folding up the laundry or washing the dishes which has lightened the load of the day-to-day running of our household. There are some tasks I have taken on as they’ve become more challenging for her, but for every one of those there is one I don’t have to think about because I know she’s got it.

This support and participation in the household has been amplified since the arrival of my son, Sammy. Over the past 10 weeks Grandma has significantly eased my load (physically & emotionally!). I suffered with post-natal depression after the birth of my first, Cece. I was a first time Mum, primarily alone in a house with a challenging baby and way too high expectations of myself. The first year of Cece’s life was transformative for me and whilst I felt much more confident coming into baby number two, I wasn’t sure how I would be.

Having Grandma in the house has felt like a constant warm hug and the support is even better than I ever imagined. Not only is she there for me to debrief with when I’m having a tough morning, she watches him in the bouncer while I have a shower, holds him while I help Cece get dressed or reads books to the kids when I make dinner. Her help has been invaluable and greatly contributed to a much more positive postpartum.

So do I suggest that everyone should move their Grandparents in with them and have a baby…? No. I know this is far from most people’s reality. However, what I want to unpack today is small ways you can integrate meaningful tasks into your loved ones week.

So, what is meaningful ageing?

Having a sense of purpose, understanding and significance are integral to what it means to be human - it’s the reason we get out of bed each day. Meaning is one of the greatest sources of fulfilment. Research has repeatedly shown links between a higher sense of purpose with feelings of love, happiness, and vibrancy. Conversely, without meaning and purpose can come a raft of negative emotions including fear, anger, embarrassment, and sorrow.

If you’ve ever said or heard a loved one say ‘I’m useless’, ‘what’s the point in getting out of bed?’ or ‘I’m just a burden to you all’ - there’s a chance they’re not feeling a strong sense of meaning.

One of the incredible things about meaningful ageing is the link between meaning and better physical health, lower mortality, slower cognitive decline, higher subjective wellbeing, fewer depressive symptoms and better psychological adjustment to new environments or situations. It’s so much more than just feeling happier!

What’s my sense of meaning?

Meaningful Ageing Australia developed a resource called ‘Map of Meaning’ which helps older adults work through their own sense of purpose.

The workbook starts with one simple question:

‘What was meaningful in the last week for you?’

Reflecting on this enables the individual to start to piece together what brings them joy, meaning and purpose. Even without purchasing the workbook, you can open up this discussion with your loved ones. Understanding how someone feels meaningful and amplifying that throughout their week is a great way to help someone feel valued.

These tasks will vary greatly depending on your/your loved ones abilities, but the great thing about meaningful engagement is that we can always find ways to integrate it into peoples lives.

If they are still living independently at home, it could be tasks like:

• Cooking a meal for a neighbour or family member

• Folding paperwork for the local hospital or aged care home

• Knitting baby beanies or dog blankets

• Volunteering at the local community centre

• Proof-reading grandchildren’s school or uni assignments

• Reading books to kids at the local kindergarten or school

If they’re living in a residential aged care facility with higher care needs they might be able to:

• Set the tables for meal times

• Hand out monthly newsletter to residents

• Maintain a small herb garden for the kitchen to use

• Help sort out craft supplies for the Lifestyle team

Last thing to note…

The important thing with any activities or tasks that aim to provide meaning is that they need to be exactly that… meaningful. Meaningful to the individual and meaningful to the community. If the individual has no interest in folding laundry and you ask them to help do your washing each week, that’s not going to bring them much joy. Likewise, if you’re creating tasks for the sake of it that don’t actually help the community, it’s lacking genuine meaning.

This is why it’s so important that we use resources like the Map of Meaning or have discussions with our loved ones about valuable ways they can contribute to their community. I would be lost without Grandma’s support and am forever grateful that we get to spend these years raising my young family together.

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As always, please feel free to pass this newsletter on to friends or family. If they want to subscribe, they can do so via my website.

I’ve again recorded a ‘The Truth About Ageing’ episode which coincides with the newsletter topic, so if you want to hear more about this please head to your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) or you can stream it at

www.navigateagedcare.com.au/podcast.

Occasionally I also post updates on socials, which you can find at:

Facebook - @navigateagedcareau

Instagram - @thetruthaboutageing

Thank you again for being part of the Navigate gang.

Big love, Kate.