Adjusting to living alone in later life

2 minute read

Living alone in later life can be a big adjustment. Many elderly people who find themselves in this situation may need support building a different way of life after decades of living with a partner.

Making proactive changes in your day-to-day life can help prevent issues from creeping up, such as loneliness, financial hardship, and neglecting your well-being. In this article, we’ll explore ways to adjust to living alone later in life.

How to adjust to living alone in later life

Learning how to live alone involves considering several factors, including assessing one's changing needs. Many elderly people are accustomed to sharing responsibilities with a partner, which can mean that some tasks will be new to them.

It can be challenging to learn how to manage new things later in life, so it’s important to be realistic about the things you can or can’t do. Sometimes, a little support can help you live a meaningful and independent life. On other occasions, there may be tasks you may find hard to cope with, so it’s crucial to identify the difference between the two.

Guide to living alone for the first time

The three main areas you need to consider when determining how to live independently are practical, physical, and emotional considerations. Each of these areas is as important as the others, and while many people often think about two out of the three, it’s vital that none of them are overlooked.

Checklist for the elderly living alone

Here’s a checklist of things you should consider, not just to survive, but also how to thrive:

Practical

Having enough money to live alone
Understanding pension and benefit entitlements
Making sure the home is safe and secure
Being mindful of scammers
Keeping important information with a guardian

Physical

Taking care of your health
Managing any medications
Getting enough exercise
Assessing which tasks are appropriate to complete themselves

Emotional

Making new friend connections
Establishing home as a sanctuary
Doing what you enjoy without any guilt
Finding their purpose and reason

Healthy meals for elderly people who live alone

One of the challenges elderly people living alone often face is preparing balanced meals for themselves. This can be because they weren’t the person in the relationship who cooked, or it could be that cooking for one feels alien to them.

Age UK has put together some recipes created by elderly people to help show what’s possible. All of these dishes are quick and relatively easy to cook, relying on simple and healthy ingredients that are likely to appeal to older people.

Tapping into nostalgia and familiar flavours is a good way to look forward to cooking. This can be a particularly effective way if you’re lacking the motivation to prepare proper meals just for yourself.

Additional tips:

Halve the recipe
Plan simple meals in advance
Freeze any extras
Utilise the microwave to speed up cooking

Ideas for healthy meals for one include:

Soup, which can be prepared in batches and frozen
Eggs, which are quick to make and a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals
Things on toast, as the bread is a reliable place to start
Pasta bake, which can be served for a number of meals and be reheated easily

Asking for help when living alone

There’s a lot of support for the elderly living alone, but it can sometimes be difficult for you to figure out what you need or what help is available. Reach out to your support network or communities that can provide advice or support to help you lead the life you want. Make sure you're open and honest so you can get the best possible outcome when asking for help.

We’ve provided some resources below which can help support you whilst living alone:

Age UK’s Silver Line Helpline can be reached on 0800 4708090
There are a number of befriending services for the elderly
Meals on wheels
NHS care and support guide