Changing With Your Community

Hometown happiness depends on your ability and willingness to adapt

Things aren’t like they used to be. Chances are your community is growing and changing, and you’re seeing increased traffic, higher prices and more reports of crime on the news.

Even if you pride yourself on being flexible, your ability to accept change is affected by age. “As we get older, we can become more set in our ways, making it more difficult to get around life’s obstacles, especially the new ones,” says geriatrician Anne Yawman, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.

That doesn’t mean you have to become a hermit or move out of town if you’re having trouble coping. What you do need is an open mind. “Your willingness to find ways to adapt to change has a direct effect on your emotional health,” says Yawman’s colleague, psychiatrist Susan Wiley, M.D.

Julie Testen, R.N., St. Thomas More parish nurse, and Val McKay, program supervisor for the Center for Humanistic Change, help people cope with adversity every day. Here are their tips on adjusting to change in your community:

If you’re afraid to drive because of too much traffic…

• Take a driver’s training course. (AARP’s Driver Safety Program is free to Vitality Plus GOLD members.)
• Use public transportation. Senior citizens can ride LANTA buses free anytime.

If you don’t feel safe walking the streets…

• Call your local police department and ask about joining or starting a neighborhood crime watch.
• Walk with a friend or join a walking club. You’ll feel safer in a group.

If negativity in the news makes you depressed…

• Remember that there are more good things happening in your community than bad.
• Volunteer with an agency where you can use your skills to make your community a better place.
• If you feel depressed more days than not, see your doctor.

If rising costs are becoming overwhelming…

• Talk to your utility companies about setting up a budget that allows you to pay a set fee each month.
• Make a seven-day menu before you go food shopping and only buy for that menu. You’ll cut down on impulsive purchases.
• Ask your doctor about generic medications.

If you have problems and don’t know where to turn…

• Talk to the leader of your faith congregation.
• Visit your local government offices and ask about resources in your community.

Remember that community change isn’t all negative. It can create a melting pot of culturally, economically, politically and generationally diverse people living with and learning from one another. A larger community also offers more choices for dining, shopping and entertainment. “By embracing change in your community,” Wiley says, “you help make it a better place to live.”

Want to Know More? To sign up for the Driver Safety Program or receive a community resource guide from the Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging, call 610-402-CARE.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, January-February 2008

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