The Third Age and You ...

Perfect Place Ramkhamkhaeng 164 of the Third Age Self - Help Organisation for people no longer in Full - Time Employment providing Educational, Creative and Leisure Opportunities in a friendly environment

The Perfect of the Third Age (PF3A) movement is an unique and exciting organisation which provides, through its PF3As, life-enhancing and life-changing opportunities. Retired and semi-retired people come together and learn together, not for qualifications but for its own reward: the sheer joy of discovery!

Members share their skills and life experiences: the learners teach and the teachers learn, and there is no distinction between them.

The PF3A movement is supported by its national organisation, the Third Age Trust.

Mission Statement

The Aims of the Third Age :

1. To encourage and enable older people no longer in full-time paid employment to help each other to share their knowledge, skills, interests and experience

2. To demonstrate the benefits and enjoyment to be gained and the new horizons to be discovered in learning throughout life

3. To celebrate the capabilities and potential of older people and their value to society

4. To make Perfect of the Third Age (PF3As) accessible to all older people

5. To encourage the establishment of PF3As in every part of the residents where conditions are suitable and to support and collaborate with them

6. Keep the club's members informed of all club activities

7. Maintain good relations within the local community

8. Acknowledge the needs of the club members.

9. Strategies for increasing and Maintaining Membership

The Objectives of the Third Age are to:

1. Provide Community support to the Perfect of the Third Age in the Perfect Place Residents Ramkhamkhaeng 164 as members

2. Provide support and advice to potential new member PF3As and seek to start new groups in areas where the U3A movement is under represented

3. Each member is expected to perform specific roles and act with the club best interests at heart

4. Ensure that club is well represented within the Perfect Place Community

5. Maintain good relations within the Perfect Place Residents Community.

My Family stories that bring us together ..

Who Cares about my Family History Anyway? Why Do I need to know?

Family history is not something that has ever really been discussed in my family. We know who is alive and a little about those who aren't with us, but that's it. However, it's something that needs to be looked at. It's often overlooked and not thought about until it's too late. There are many reasons that it is important to know about your heritage.

1. There are many hereditary health problems that are passed from generation to generation. When studying genealogy any of these conditions that you may have or may be a carrier of will come to light. This will help when you are in need of medical care. You will be able to give your medical provider a more accurate picture of your family medical history. It will also help with family planning. There are some genetic conditions that are passed down from mother to child and knowing which conditions you have will help when planning your family.

2. Studying genealogy gives an individual an understanding of history. History isn't just world or state related events. History is anything that makes up and shapes a person's life and family. A person's family history shaped the people in their life which in turn shaped them and their life. Studying genealogy will give an individual a new appreciation and understanding for the events that shaped the lives of their relatives and ultimately them as well.

3. Studying genealogy is a perfect method to teach student how to research. Students would have to interview relatives, use public records, and other resources to determine their genealogy. It is a perfect method to teach home school children or even children in a classroom setting how to research.

4. When you know where you have come from you are tied to your relatives and are proud of your heritage.

5. Tracing your genealogy also gives you a way to know where you come from geographically. Geographic locations shape us just as much as anything else. Knowing where ancestors come from will help understand what traits you have from the location of your family heritage.

6. Tracing your genealogy creates an incredible legacy for future generations. It is an important record to be documented and handed down that your decedents will treasure.

7. Some religions and other organizations require that you have a record of your genealogy. Some religions even worship ancestors.

8. Studying genealogy is a hobby that teaches you about you. It is perhaps the only hobby around that can tell you about what makes you, you and why.

9. Studying genealogy can teach you about your last name and its origins which also shaped your family's heritage.

10. Studying genealogy will give you a look at history and the events of the past and how your ancestors were impacted or what role they played in the historical events. (Were they a Governor? Did they fight in the Confederate or Union army? Were they in the Revolutionary War? What role did they play in the Salem Witch Trials? Etc...)

There are so many reasons to study genealogy that this list could go on and on. Studying your history is very important and fun. It is such a fun hobby that it is not even really a task. Enjoy learning about your history and where you came from and use that information to power where you are going. Make your ancestors proud.

Living in Retirement ...

Living in retirement often means having to live on less Income than before

Having Regular Income

Going into retirement doesn't mean you stop earning .From the age 65 most residents , Income can also come from savings, paid work or business activity

Healthcare Costs

A Community Services Card can help you with the cost of healthcare. If you qualify, you’ll pay less on some health services and prescriptions.

If you are eligible for a Community Services Card, this will be indicated on the back of your SuperGold Card.

Budgeting

Everyone can benefit from having a budget – a plan of what money you expect to receive and how you expect to spend it. A budget is one of your best tools for managing your money, whatever your age.

Where to live when you get older

Later in retirement, you may have to rethink where you want to live. One option is to move to a retirement village, although there are other choices.

Living at home

You could choose to:

Stay home, modify your house with ramps and rails and get home-help – but take into consideration the costs of doing so.

Take in a boarder or move in with family or friends – that way you have some companionship and security, and possibly some help in the home as well.

Downsize to a smaller home that’s closer to facilities. Apartments and townhouses often provide security and maintenance although they also charge body corporate fees to cover these things. Make sure you know what the fees will be and how often they’re charged.

When making your decision, take your time. You need to think about what you need to live a good life. If you’re moving house, make sure you consider the costs of moving – legal fees, real estate agent fees, and the move itself.

Retirement village

Moving into a retirement village is different from buying a house. The financial arrangements are more complex and villages vary in their accommodation and facilities, services, support and care, legal and financial structures, philosophy and management.

A decision to move into a village is important as it has long-term personal and financial consequences.

The most common form of legal title with retirement villages is a ‘licence to occupy’. This gives residents the right to live in the unit but they don’t own the actual unit – often this means it’s not possible to borrow against the unit. In many cases, residents do not share in any capital gain when they leave or transfer within the village.

Your body changes as you get older, but a balanced diet will help you stay healthy. Here's what to eat and how to keep healthy as you get older.

What to eat A healthy, balanced diet

Whatever your age, it's important to eat a healthy, balanced diet. This means you should try to eat:

plenty of fruit and vegetables – aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg a day plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods – choose wholegrain varieties if you can

some milk and dairy foods

some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein – try to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish

just a small amount of foods and drinks that are high in fat or sugar

Look at the eatwell plate for more information on how to have a healthy, balanced diet.

Plenty of foods rich in starch and fibre

Fibre-rich foods include wholegrain or brown types of starchy foods such as bread, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Other good sources of fibre are potatoes, oats, beans, peas, lentils, fruit and vegetables.

Iron-rich foods

Iron is important for our general health. A lack of iron can make us feel as though we have no energy, so include some iron-rich foods in your diet.

Calcium-rich foods

Osteoporosis is a major health issue for older people, particularly women. It happens when your bone density decreases, which raises your risk of fractures. It's important to have calcium in your diet to keep your bones healthy.

Vitamin A

Having too much vitamin A (more than 1.5mg of vitamin A a day from food and supplements) might increase your risk of bone fracture

Keeping healthy

As well as making sure you eat enough of the right types of food, try to follow these food and diet tips to stay healthy:

Stay a healthy weight

Try to keep your weight at a healthy level. It’s not good to be either overweight or underweight.

As you grow older, if you're overweight, you’ll become less mobile. This can affect your health and quality of life. Being overweight also increases your risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Being underweight isn’t healthy either and may be a sign that you're not eating enough or that you're unwell. Being underweight also increases your risk of osteoporosis.

Recreate Your Reality.. I'll show your how!

Positive thinking people are HAPPIER

Pessimists are more inwardly focused and have more depression, anxiety and other mental health problems in general. Positive people have a greater capacity for love, joy and warmth that brings happiness into their lives, and also into the lives of their families and everyone else around them. This increased capacity for love means that they are loved more in return because they are more outwardly focused, kinder and more considerate to others.

Positive thinking people are HEALTHIER

It’s still somewhat unclear to researchers why people who practice positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. Hello, who wants less stress?

Positive thinking people are MORE SUCCESSFUL

To put it another way, successful people tend to think positively. Optimists are happier and more productive in their jobs, get promoted quicker and earn more than pessimists. These people set higher goals, persist at them longer, and achieve more of them.

Turning negative thinking into positive thinking

Self-talk has a huge influence on the overall direction of our thoughts. Negative self-talk is an easy habit to slip into, especially if you are surrounded by negative people. So, the first step toward a more positive mindset is to change the tone of our self-talk.

Like any other bad habit, before we can change it we need to become more consciously aware that we are doing it. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate the tone of your thinking and self-talk. If you find that they have been negative, work on finding ways to put a positive spin on them. Make a game out of it.

Start by following one simple rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else. If it’s not worth saying out loud, it’s probably not worthy of saying to yourself.

Here are some examples of typical negative self-talk and how you might put a more positive spin on these internal (or external) conversations.

Hi Jonathan,

I’m all for positive thinking!!! Healthier, happier, more successful!! I’ll take that….and….well, it just feels good! (hmm…maybe that’s the happier part!)

I noticed the other day, as I was out driving, and thinking I was going to be late to wherever – that I was starting to get irritated at how “slow” everyone was going. What I’ve done recently, though – is when I notice this – I consciously make an effort to focus on the positive of the moment (and the truth is – sometimes I miss these moments altogether). When I do that – and see the good (like going slower means I can notice more of my surroundings, or I can take a different road and different scenery) – I become almost instantly happier on the inside. And that is a pretty great feeling!!

I’m guessing you are a pretty positive guy, aren’t you Jonathan!!

Jonathan - Advanced Life Skills

Hey Lance, your little story really illustrates how much control we have over any situation in life. Focus is so very powerful, but we need to direct it in a positive way or it’s not doing us any good.

Ever notice how some peoples conversations are centered on what’s wrong with their life? Then there are those in similar situations whose focus is positive and upbeat. The difference in not in the situation, it’s in the interpretation, attitude, midset, and perception.

A positive life is the result of a positive attitude, not ideal circumstances. We decide the meaning of our experiences.

Am I a positive guy? Well, maybe just a little (ha ha). Thank you my friend.