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Curriculum · Stage 7 of 7 · Ages 65+

Life skills for later life, 65 and over

Later life has its own skills: preventing falls, keeping a sleep rhythm as sleep changes, cooking small meals well, staying safely in your own home, accepting help without giving up control, and putting decisions about money and health in writing. These eight units set out what they are. Lessons for this stage are still being written; the outcomes below set out what they will teach.

8
units
24
outcomes
1
lessons

What to be able to do

By area

Body

Sleep in later life

  • Can keep a regular rhythm as sleep gets lighter and earlier
  • Can nap briefly without ruining the night
  • Can tell normal change from a problem worth treating, such as sleep apnea or insomnia

Mind

Memory in later life

  • Can use lists, notes and a calendar without embarrassment
  • Can tell ordinary forgetting from warning signs worth a doctor's visit
  • Can notice you have told the story before and ask whether to finish it

People

Accepting help

  • Can accept help without giving up say over your own life
  • Can ask for exactly the help you need
  • Can cry in company and let people stay

End of life

  • Can say what needs saying while there is time
  • Can put your wishes for the end in writing
  • Can let people say goodbye
3.15 How to write an obituary

Money

Estate planning

  • Can name a power of attorney for money and one for health
  • Can leave a list of accounts and wishes where someone can find it
  • Can talk to your family about the estate before they need to

Safety

Fall prevention

  • Can do balance exercises a few times a week
  • Can get up from a fall safely, or summon help when you can't
  • Can have medicines and eyesight checked for fall risk

Kitchen

Cooking in later life

  • Can cook small portions without living on toast
  • Can get enough protein as appetite drops
  • Can rearrange a kitchen so the heavy things are low

Home

Aging in place

  • Can remove trip hazards: loose rugs, cords, things on the stairs
  • Can fit grab bars and night lights
  • Can decide what to keep, what to give away and what to write down

Looking for a checklist? The adult checklist lists every skill in the curriculum, each with its lesson.

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