Seasoned Mind
There's a lot to be said for experience.
Getting older doesn’t suddenly change who you are. But it can change some of the things life asks you to deal with.
Retirement. Relationships. Family. Health. Caring for someone. Losing someone. Money. Independence. A world that increasingly expects everyone to be online.
Some changes are welcome. Some take getting used to. Others can affect how we feel.
Seasoned Mind is Mental Health 360’s mental health, wellbeing and practical information platform for people aged 60 and over.
Helping People and Organisations Thrive
Start where it makes sense for you.
Mental health doesn’t become different because you’ve turned 60.
If anxiety, stress, low mood, grief, loneliness, poor sleep or something else is affecting how you feel, our Knowledge Library is a good place to start. If you’d rather talk to someone, you can find out about our counselling services.
And if your circumstances have changed, it may also be worth checking whether there is financial support you’re entitled to.
10,000 Hours of Connection
Give an hour to someone, somewhere.
Discover the campaignLife changes. You don't stop being you.
Some of the circumstances affecting our wellbeing can change as we get older.
Retirement can mean losing a routine that has existed for decades. Bereavement can change relationships, finances and everyday life. Caring for somebody else can gradually leave less time for yourself. Changes in health or mobility can affect confidence and independence.
And sometimes the challenge isn’t you changing at all.
When the world assumes you're online.
When banking, appointments, information and everyday services move online, being offline can affect more than convenience.
Having to ask for help with things you previously managed yourself can affect confidence and independence. Worry about making a mistake, being scammed or simply not understanding what you’re being asked to do can create genuine anxiety.
Life shouldn’t become harder simply because everything else went online.
When everyday contact starts to change.
Living alone doesn’t mean being lonely.
But retirement, bereavement, mobility, family living further away or giving up driving can gradually reduce everyday contact and make someone’s world smaller.
Connection matters to our wellbeing, whatever our age.
When you're looking after someone else.
Caring can be rewarding and deeply important. It can also bring responsibility, tiredness, worry and isolation, particularly when your own needs keep moving further down the list.
Looking after somebody else doesn’t make your own wellbeing less important.
You've spent a lifetime paying in. Are you receiving everything you're entitled to?
Up to 910,000 eligible families were estimated to be missing out on Pension Credit, with as much as £2.5 billion going unclaimed.
Checking what you’re entitled to doesn’t mean you’re struggling financially.
Changes in income, housing, health or caring responsibilities can affect what support may be available.
Don’t assume. Check.
When those changes start affecting how you feel.
Sometimes you know exactly what’s causing the pressure. Sometimes you don’t.
You might be adjusting to retirement, grieving, worrying about someone you care for or feeling less confident after a change in your health.
Or you might simply be experiencing anxiety, stress, low mood, poor sleep or loneliness.
You don’t need an “older person’s version” of mental health support simply because you’re over 60.
Mental Health 360 has been supporting people and communities with their mental health since 2003.
Our Knowledge Library can help you understand what you’re experiencing and what might help.
And if information isn’t enough, you can find out about our counselling services and talk to someone.
Help someone else have somewhere to talk.
Mental health support should remain accessible throughout life.
Not everyone who could benefit from counselling will be in a position to fund it themselves.
Donations to Mental Health 360 help us provide free-to-access counselling for people who otherwise may not be able to afford it.
If you’re able to help, your donation can help someone access professional support when they need it.
But Seasoned Mind isn't only about finding support.
Getting older also means having something younger versions of ourselves didn’t have.
Experience.
People aged 65 to 74 are the age group most likely to volunteer regularly.
There are decades of skills, knowledge, stories and lessons within the community Seasoned Mind represents.
We want to make something of that.
The Seasoned Hub
What keeps life interesting?
The Seasoned Hub brings together useful information, ideas and experiences about life after 60.
Retirement, relationships, money, travel, family, technology, wellbeing, interests, volunteering, caring, and the things people discover as life changes.
But we don’t want all of it to come from us.
What surprised you about retirement? What keeps you occupied? What have you learnt? What would you tell somebody approaching a change you’ve already been through?
You don’t need to be a writer. Send us an idea, an article or an experience worth sharing.
10,000 Hours of Connection
Give an hour to someone, somewhere.
Your time. Your company. Your knowledge. Your experience.
It doesn’t have to be for Mental Health 360. You don’t have to be over 60. And the person receiving your hour doesn’t have to be either.
We want to see how much connection we can create when people simply decide to give some of their time to someone else.
10,000 hours. One hour at a time.
What will you do with yours?
Bring people with you.
The same idea can work through places and groups you’re already part of.
Your workplace, club or community can pledge hours together, contribute to the Hub, share Seasoned Mind or support our work.
You can also dedicate an event to Seasoned Mind, fundraise or make a donation.
Give some time. Share some experience. Bring people together.
Experience doesn't have a retirement age.
Seasoned Mind is for people aged 60 and over because there are experiences and changes that can become more relevant at this stage of life.
But it isn’t about treating ageing as a problem.
It’s about understanding what can affect our mental wellbeing, making useful information easier to find, being there when someone wants support and recognising how much people still have to contribute.
Seasoned Mind. For the years that come with experience.