Your advice to 40-year-olds: Bonus advice

In the 2025 National Seniors Social Survey we asked you what advice you’d give to people in their 40s to prepare for a possible time when they can no longer live independently. 

This series of Connect articles has showcased the top 8 pieces of advice from our 2,965 survey respondents. 

But among the survey responses were more unique bits of advice that didn’t correspond to any of the eight major themes.

Today’s article, the final of the series, will treat you to a bonus instalment highlighting some of those additional viewpoints.

Far fewer than 100 respondents touched on each of these advice topics. Sometimes it was only one respondent.

In total 120 comments were assigned to this ‘miscellaneous other’ pile, and any shared sentiments among the pile were only expressed by a fraction of these.

But that doesn’t matter. Why should popular opinions have all the fun?  

Sometimes the rare view is the thing we really need to hear because it’s not heard often enough.

So we’ve trawled the 120 comments in this bag of mixed lollies and identified 10 small themes among them.

Let’s count them down together. 

1. Stay happy, be positive, laugh lots

First up is the simple advice to keep being happy as you age. As one of you put it, “Stay happy”! A handful of respondents shared this sentiment in their comments in different ways.

If happy is too much to ask, around 20 people suggested pragmatic alternatives like, “have a positive attitude”, “appreciate the simple things”, and “don’t sweat the small stuff”.

And if they fail too, three people recommend finding “any excuse to laugh.” 

2. Be you

A stellar piece of advice from one respondent was, “Realise what you enjoy doing and don’t be intimidated if it’s different to work mates or friends.”

If Janis Joplin had lived long enough to do the NSSS-2025 at age 82, she’d likely have said more or less the same thing. Her oft-quoted version of this advice was, “Don't compromise yourself, you are all you've got."

Another NSSS respondent echoed its main thrust too, writing, “Learn to be thoughtfully aware of your own needs and desires.” 

3. Try

Having a go was recommended by one person, who wrote, “Don't talk about what you can't do – try to do it.”

This is, of course, the Aussie way. As the saying goes, give it a burl, Shirl.

Another respondent put it more like an inspirational poster slogan (in the best way!):

“Focus on one problem at a time. Dare to dream. Failure is what makes us successful.”

Take that, Yoda. Good to try, it is. 

4. Get help

Trying is important, but we don’t always succeed. Ageing can mean we need help, like it or not.

One of the most common sentiments in this miscellaneous other category, touched on by 22 of you, was, “there is no shame in accepting help.”

Other ways of saying it included, “Use what ever is available to you", “ask for it if you need it”, and “don’t wait until the need is urgent.” 

5. Enlist local talent

Following on from that is some practical advice for how we can get help.

Reliable tradies and handypersons are like gold at any life stage but especially when you can’t live independently, and a few people suggested compiling a list of great tradies for when they are needed.

However, some annoying little jobs around the home are too small for tradies or aged care workers or even the local handyperson. So one person suggested bribing your friendly neighbours to help you out, writing:

“Helpful neighbours or teens for small tasks, change globes, take out-bring in bins, hang out washing etc. Few dollars for kids or bottle of wine or beer for adults appreciated.”