Older And Bolder with Mike & Louise

Falling over is often seen as vaguely amusing - until you're old enough to "have a fall", when it can have lasting and drastic effects.  We talk to a physiotherapist about the importance of balance in later life, and we look back on the first season of Older and Bolder.

Anger, exhaustion, relief, guilt, regret… the loss of a loved one is an emotional rollercoaster which we all ride in different ways.  Former BBC presenter, bereavement visitor and funeral celebrant Carol Bundock discusses death and how we react to it.  We also meet an octogenarian wing walker and advise on how to get tickets for TV shows.

"Sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing" - a fact that's quite enough to keep you awake at night. As we get older, many of us can only dream about an uninterrupted eight hours. So how much sleep do we really need?  And how can we get a really good night’s rest?  If you're struggling with insomnia, this episode might just do the trick...

Diet becomes ever more important as we get older, but can we change who we are - or at least how we feel - by altering what we eat?  In this episode, we chew the fat with nutritional therapist Alice Mackintosh. And “ageing Is compulsory, growing old is optional” - so says our second guest, Mike Cobb-Pernak, who has retired three times and still hasn’t given up work.  

We’ve been promised a "Doctor in our Pocket" - an all-new, supercharged NHS app designed to transform the way we interact with our local health services.  But will it be any more effective than the existing app?  Will it make it any easier to get help amd advice from an actual GP?  Plus, the particular challenges of retirement when you've been running your own business.  

Tony Jones' voice will be familiar to millions of football fans worldwide.  He's just hung up his microphone after 30 years as a commentator, and he joins us to look back over his action-packed career and forward to a somewhat quieter life on the coast.  Tony also talks candidly about his experience of prostate cancer and discusses the diagnosis and treatment of the disease with John Robertson, a nurse with Prostate Cancer UK.  

 It’s now almost impossible to live an ordered life - or indeed any life at all - without emails, websites and wifi.  You no longer eat Spam - you drag it into your bin.  Will artificial intelligence help or hinder people in later life?  Discuss. *This title was generated by ChatGPT

“Ageism hangs over older people’s lives like a dark cloud” - so says Paul Farmer, the Chief Executive of Age UK.  We sat down with Paul for an extended chat when he joined the 80th birthday celebrations of Age UK Norwich.  He says our society is in denial about ageing; for far too many people later life is a crisis; and the time has come to change how we age.  

It is arguably the UK’s biggest killer.  It will touch the lives of half of us, and it’s the illness that people over 65 fear the most.  It is of course dementia, a group of symptoms that damage the brain and get worse over time.  An early diagnosis is crucial - and devastating.  There is as yet no cure, but there is care, treatment and support.  We visit a dementia cafe in Norfolk and talk to people living with the condition.  

Let's get physical - psychotherapist and Agony Aunt Christine Webber discusses life beyond the bedroom door for those that are older (and bolder).  According to the NHS, any exercise - including sex - is generally good for people of all ages.  But later life loving can feel more like a challenge than a joy.  Christine - author of Too Young To Get Old - has frank and practical advice for anyone looking to invigorate their relationship.

They’re out to get us.  The callous callers, tricksy texters and rogue retailers with ever more convincing ways of relieving us of our cash. We get the latest advice on how to spot the scammers from a cyber security expert.And lonely no more - the heart-warming story of a couple who met at an Age UK social event and will be married 365 days later.

How to super-size your cashback - what are the options if you’d like to free up some capital? Plus the do's and don'ts of downsizing, new figures for required retirement income, and later life academia - the University of The Third Age.  

Who Do We Think We Are?  The do’s and don’ts for history detectives looking to trace their ancestors. Plus the value of haggling, Steve Coogan befriends a penguin and words of wisdom from Winston.

Whether it’s Bournemouth or Borneo, when you’re no longer a slave to the works holiday roster and you don't have to take time off - for many, it’s time to take off.  If travel is top of your retirement To Do list, we’ve got all the inside info in the Older and Bolder departure lounge.

 Muscle in on expert advice for keeping body and soul together in later life: osteopath Allan Mitchell explains it’s all about keeping your ears in line with your shoulders. Plus the fun, friendship and fitness of walking football and big screen cinema savings.

Retirement can be particularly challenging for people who have run their own business.  We get advice on how to rediscover your post-work zest for life; plus what to do if you need to take money from your pension as the markets yo-yo.

Sober coach Amanda Lindsay discusses our relationship with alcohol; plus tips on cost-cutting mobile phones, choosing the right kind of friends, and what to read and watch.

How much will I need?  The challenge of balancing the books in later life; plus advice for a long and happy retirement from a 92-year-old social media singing sensation.

First steps on the road to retirement - key questions you should answer; plus the value of volunteering, all the help on hand from Age UK Norwich, and books, films and money-saving tips..

And more to the point, what do you do? Mike and Louise discuss losing identity, finding time, losing colleagues, finding friends - and what else to discuss on a podcast about retirement.  Plus Mike On The Money's first cash-saving tip, and words of wisdom from the Priest In The Pulpit.