The ultimate guide to enjoy independent living
As the Area Agency on Aging for West Central Missouri, Care Connection has many resources to help you enjoy independent living for as long as possible. Many older adults now live independently well into their 80s and 90s, enjoying good health, solid finances, and a sound mind.
Life planning is the skill of mapping out the kind of life you want to live. Developing an action plan to achieve independent aging at home or in an independent living community is a great idea.
If you aren’t quite sure how to begin this kind of life planning, we encourage you to tap into the experts at Care Connection. If you wish to age at your home, it’s important to remember that aging in place works best with a PLAN in place.
Start by asking yourself questions to define what kind of future you want for yourself:
- Where do I want to live and with whom?
- What activities are important to me?
- How much money will be required? What opportunities are there to earn more money?
- What do I want to do for my family and community?
- How will I get help if I need it?
- Are there in-home support services near me?
- How can I make it easier for my loved ones to celebrate all the stages of my life?
- Whom do I trust to manage my estate?
Contact the Care Connection Support Services team to learn more >
Care Connection offers support programs for seniors
Care Connection is here to help with funding that comes from federal and state dollars, as well as the generosity of people like you raised during our fundraising efforts. This money is designed for you to use as you age into an older American!
If you want to choose to stay in your own home, you’ll want to start to “put your own house in order” early. Join us for our Aging Mastery program to live better and thrive as you grow older.
Aging Mastery program at Care Connection
What does it mean to age successfully? With Aging Mastery, you’ll gain the effective skills to improve health, strengthen your economic security, enhance your well-being, and increase your participation in the community.
The benchmark of success is defined as staying happy and healthy enough to contribute to society in your golden years. Let’s face it: This world needs guidance from mature voices who know how to work together and solve problems!
Volunteer opportunities at Care Connection >
Make time for exercise! It really does help you achieve healthy aging
With America’s population getting older, there is a renewed interest in making great fitness choices. Exercising regularly is important to prevent or control medical concerns and give you a feeling of well-being.
Golf, gardening, and tennis are great ways to get exercise! We encourage you to also make time for Care Connection wellness and exercise classes for seniors.
We have already done the work of finding evidence-based wellness programs that are proven to work. Reap the rewards of our exercise classes:
- Reduce pain
- Regain muscle mass and strength
- Gain confidence
- Improve mobility
Living a Healthy Life with chronic pain self-management program
Attend our Living a Healthy Life sessions to learn how to manage chronic conditions like high blood pressure, painful arthritis symptoms or diabetes. Pain brings its own set of challenges, but don’t let it stop you from living your best life.
It’s best to put on your sweats and workout shoes to exercise at least 30 minutes each week and elevate your heart rate. During the classes, you’ll learn how to modify your routine as needed.
Why choose Care Connection for exercise classes for seniors?
Join with us on a fitness journey in-person at our regional network of senior centers. We dare you to keep up with our wellness staff!
Take the steps you need to stay active, engaged and vibrant at any age with Walk with Ease, an evidence-based walking challenge. Don’t forget, you can always sit, stand, and modify our programs such as EnhanceFitness or Chair Yoga as you need.
Meet us in person or join an online class. Event schedule.
Nutritious senior meals home-delivered or in person
Our Diabetes Self-Management Program is a program that helps you make great food choices. Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less Online is a comprehensive program that gives you more insight into healthy living.
Boost your mental health with fun at your vibrant local senior center. Our heart-healthy senior meals served at Care Connection senior centers provide one-third of your recommended daily allowance of nutrients.
Home-delivered senior meals can be set up for qualified individuals, but only after an evaluation is completed. Call your local Care Connection senior citizen center and ask to speak to the Center Coordinator >
Stay flexible to manage around life’s ups and downs
Planning for successful aging includes knowing when you need some help. Let Care Connection connect you to community services, in addition to an array of care management programs.
We connect people to community services, in additional to an array of care management programs. Care Connection offers information, assistance and care coordination:
- Stay in your home with recommended modifications, or learn what to look for as you downsize.
- Our Benefits Enrollment Center can help you understand several money-saving programs offered by the state and federal governments to help you pay for food, medicine, health insurance, phone service, and energy.
- Play Medicare 101 and other games to understand a lot more about these important programs.
- Care Connection has options for temporary in-home support services in qualified circumstances.
- If you do wind up needing a family caregiver, we’ll even help take care of his or her emotional needs with caregiving support groups.
Celebrate an independent living aging plan where everything is taken care of
Ultimately, the idea of living life on your own terms includes estate and funeral planning. Care Connection comes through again with programs designed to help you plan the end of your life with compassion and understanding.
It’s a blessing to take the burden off your family and friends during their time of grief. Please consider going through our Five Wishes advanced health care directive class or the Gift of Peace of Mind classes to create a very thoughtful legacy for your loved ones.