No matter what your age, being informed is always important because it ensures awareness of what is going on in the world around you. Thanks to modern technology, there are now more ways to remain informed than ever before. Knowing which are most applicable for older populations and how to utilize them correctly ensures that you will understand what sources to turn to, how to check facts and what sources to avoid.
Create a news schedule to remain informed without overindulging in the news of the day. For example, a good way to stay informed is to read through the news each morning, watch a program or two if you prefer and then do a check later in the day. This allows you to keep up with what's going on in the world without getting so deeply involved that it overtakes your day.
Moreover, because there are so many potential sources for news, it can be easy to spend hours looking through different options. A news schedule means you have a limited amount of time to look through your predetermined sources before you go on living your life.
One of the most important tenets of staying informed is reading information from multiple news sources. After all, being informed means ensuring you have access to a diverse perspective, which can be hard to do if you're living in a news echo chamber. If all the information you read and/or watch is a reflection of your own views, you may not be as informed as you like.
Being informed means knowing what is happening in the world from multiple viewpoints. This allows you to glean enough information to form a well-rounded perspective of your own. Read a couple of different newspapers, preferably with as balanced a slant as possible. Perhaps peruse a few informational websites or blogs and then move on with your day.
Unless there is a major event happening, there is no need to spend your entire day watching the news or reading updates. It is important to maintain a sense of balance, or you may find yourself more anxious than informed.
Current events discussions are one of the benefits of living in an assisted living community. Some communities hold structured current events discussions in which residents can discuss the news of the day, but you can also just gather and chat with friends and neighbors over coffee.
This is a good way to become informed and stay that way. Even if you don't have a penchant for reading or watching the news, current events discussions can give you an idea of what is happening in the world around you. Moreover, it contributes to the well-rounded perspective you should aim to cultivate.
By listening to different opinions and views on trending issues, you can better form your own opinion.
Being informed does not necessarily equate to agreeing with everything you see or hear. Part of being informed is cultivating a healthy degree of skepticism. Question what you read or see, fact check it and aim to learn more. Fact checking is one of the most important elements of being an informed individual. It ensures that your perspective is grounded in fact and not just assumptions or misinformation.
The most well-informed individuals are the ones that question what they learn and then cultivate critical thinking and analysis about it. Fact check information through reputable news outlets, by reading other sources on the matter or simply by asking yourself if the news seems to match what else you see going on around you. If someone has an obvious agenda and is reporting information as fact, check it for yourself and then form an opinion.
Social media is a good starting point for being informed, but it should not be the definitive source used for any factual information. Trending topics might lead you to learn more, but social media is a conundrum because people often post opinions as fact.
If you see something on social media that an individual is peddling as fact, check it for yourself. Being informed comes with a certain level of responsibility. So while you can use social media to learn more about issues, do so sparingly and never make it your primary means of being informed. There is too high a potential for misinformation when it comes to social media and there are people and even brands that may seek to skew facts to drive you to make certain decisions.
Staying informed is important for seniors because it ensures that you remain aware of what is going on around you. It is part of general mental and emotional wellness and helps you to feel more involved in your community and the world in general.
