May is Older Americans Month. This is a time to acknowledge and pay tribute to our elders for all they have contributed to society. It’s also a reminder to everyone in the community of our responsibility to ensure every older adult has the opportunity to age gracefully.
This year’s theme, Champion Your Health, focuses on prevention, wellness and personal responsibility as cornerstones of healthy aging. We want to encourage and empower older adults to take an active role in managing their health, advocating for themselves to access preventive care, and making informed decisions that help them lead their healthiest lives and support their independence. Many older adults don’t know what questions to ask or for clarification from their physician when they don’t understand what they’re being told. They are too passive to ask for what they need or what other options might be available to them. They rely on others to make the decisions for them that may not be the best one or what they really want.
Actively participating in healthcare decisions is a very important part of self-care, particularly as one gets older. To be a champion of your health, one must be curious and inquisitive and eager to learn from others’ knowledge and experiences.
We owe it to ourselves to fight for what we need, and no one knows yourself better than you. Being emboldened with knowledge about your health situation allows one to advocate for personalized treatments, receive better care and strengthen your relationship with your healthcare provider.
Attention all Northsiders! Come to NewBridge for a FREE Sunday concert on April 19, 2–4 pm at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center, 1625 Northport Drive. Universal Sound, a perennial Madison favorite, will be performing. Sponsored by the Circle of Friends of the Warner Park Community Center.
