Onorato Today

Some gestures can change your Tuesday: starting a new book, learning photography, sitting down for a card game. For an older person, learning something new is also a way of caring for yourself.

WHO estimates 842,000 deaths from falls worldwide in 2023, around 71% of them people aged 60 and over. Prevention works: balance exercise, a hazard-free home and small room-by-room changes.

Many things change at the table over the years. Eating well, at that age, is not about going on a diet: it is a way of caring every day. WHO and NIA advice, plus practical ideas for families.

Some nights feel long at any age, but with the years sleeping well gets harder. For an older person living alone, one bad night after another weighs double.

Some days feel long because they have no shape. For an older person living alone, a small routine is not one more obligation: it is what gives the day its skeleton.

Sometimes a song from years ago opens a conversation that direct questions could not. A photo, a melody or an object from home can be a good starting point for talking with an older relative.

There is no frequency that works for everyone. Ideas for agreeing on a time to talk, asking about their life and making room for other relationships, without making them feel watched.

There is a kind of loneliness nobody chooses: the WHO estimates that one in six people feel lonely, and around 12% of older people. Here are some signs to watch for and a few ideas to help families stay close.