Getting older comes with its share of challenges, but independence remains one of the clearest markers of aging well.
At 60-something myself, I’m paying closer attention to these things than I ever did before. I’ve watched friends my age and older navigate this stage of life, and the difference between those who maintain their autonomy and those who struggle is striking.
The abilities we often take for granted in our younger years become precious indicators of health and vitality as we cross 65. If you can still handle these seven things on your own, you’re doing better than you might realize.
1. Managing your own medications
Keeping track of multiple prescriptions requires more mental sharpness than most people think.
You need to remember which pills to take when, understand potential interactions, refill prescriptions before they run out, and recognize when something feels off.
This juggling act demands organization, memory, and attention to detail. The ability to manage your medication independently shows that your cognitive function remains strong.
You’re processing information, following complex schedules, and making decisions about your health. Many people start relying on pill organizers filled by family members or daily reminder calls, so if you’re still handling this yourself, your brain is firing on all cylinders.
The executive function required for medication management often declines before other abilities, making this a particularly good indicator of overall mental fitness.
2. Handling your personal finances
I remember sitting with my father a few years back, watching him navigate his online banking with the same confidence he’d always had.
Financial independence means you can balance your checkbook, pay bills on time, spot fraudulent charges, and make sound decisions about investments or major purchases.
This skill set draws on mathematical reasoning, planning abilities, and the judgment to avoid scams that increasingly target older adults.
When you can still review your bank statements and immediately notice something wrong, you’re demonstrating pattern recognition and analytical thinking.
The capacity to budget, save, and make financial projections requires you to think ahead and consider consequences. Some people gradually hand over their finances to children or advisors because they lose confidence in their abilities or start making questionable decisions.
If you’re still confidently managing your money, you’ve retained critical cognitive skills that many people your age have already lost.
3. Driving safely
Driving tests your physical and mental capacities in real time. Every trip requires you to navigate, follow traffic laws, anticipate other drivers’ actions, and react appropriately to unexpected situations.
Behind the wheel, you’re constantly making split-second judgments. You need sharp vision to read signs and spot hazards, quick reflexes to brake or swerve, spatial awareness to judge distances, and the cognitive ability to process multiple streams of information simultaneously.
The ability to drive safely means your reaction time hasn’t significantly slowed, your vision remains adequate, and your decision-making stays sound under pressure.
Many older adults voluntarily give up driving because they recognize their limitations, or family members intervene after near-misses.
If you’re still comfortable behind the wheel and your driving record remains clean, you’re maintaining abilities that directly translate to independence and quality of life.
4. Preparing your own meals
Can you stand in your kitchen for 30 minutes chopping vegetables without your back giving out?
Cooking from scratch engages multiple systems at once. You’ve got to have the physical stamina to stand, shop, and handle kitchen tools.
Fine motor skills let you chop, stir, and manipulate ingredients safely. Executive function helps you plan meals, maintain a grocery list, and execute recipes with multiple steps.
The motivation to cook nutritious food rather than relying on convenience options shows you’re still invested in your health and wellbeing.
Preparing meals requires memory for recipes, timing for when to add ingredients, and the sensory awareness to know when food is properly cooked.
If you’re still whipping up dinners regularly, you’re exercising your brain and body simultaneously while maintaining control over your nutrition.
5. Climbing stairs without difficulty
Stairs are a brutally honest assessment of physical fitness.
When you can go up and down without gripping the railing, stopping to catch your breath, or dreading the journey, your body is working remarkably well.
This simple action requires cardiovascular endurance to keep your heart and lungs functioning under exertion, leg strength to lift your body weight repeatedly, balance to coordinate your movements, and joint flexibility to handle the range of motion.
People often avoid stairs entirely as they age, choosing elevators or refusing to visit places that lack them. The fear of falling becomes very real, and rightfully so, since falls represent one of the biggest threats to independence in older adults.
But if you’re still tackling stairs confidently, you’ve maintained the muscle mass, bone density, and proprioception that keep you stable and strong. This single ability predicts your capacity to remain mobile and independent for years to come.
6. Maintaining your social connections
Do you still pick up the phone to call friends, or have you let those relationships fade into occasional awkward encounters?
Social engagement takes genuine effort as we age. You need to remember birthdays, follow up on conversations from weeks ago, initiate plans rather than waiting to be invited, and navigate the emotional complexity of relationships.
Strong social connections require memory, emotional intelligence, and the motivation to stay involved in other people’s lives.
When you actively maintain friendships, remember details about your grandchildren’s activities, and engage meaningfully in conversations, you’re exercising cognitive and emotional skills that protect against decline.
Social isolation accelerates both cognitive and physical deterioration, while staying connected keeps your mind sharp and your mood elevated. The effort you put into relationships today pays dividends in mental health and longevity.
7. Learning and adapting to new technology
Technology moves fast, and keeping up requires cognitive flexibility that many older adults lose.
When you can figure out a new app, troubleshoot your smartphone, or adapt to updated software, you’re demonstrating that your brain can still form new neural pathways.
Learning technology demands pattern recognition to understand interfaces, problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles, and the willingness to tolerate temporary confusion.
The fear of technology often comes from a deeper fear of cognitive decline, as people worry they’ve lost the ability to learn new things. But if you’re still downloading apps, video chatting with family, or managing your accounts online, you’ve maintained the growth mindset that keeps your brain young.
This adaptability extends beyond technology to all areas of life. People who can learn new skills in their later years tend to maintain better cognitive function overall.
Your willingness to embrace change rather than resist it shows remarkable mental flexibility that serves you in countless ways beyond just using your phone.
Conclusion
Independence in later years looks different for everyone, but these seven abilities offer a reliable benchmark for how well you’re aging.
If you can handle most or all of these tasks, you’re maintaining the physical strength, cognitive sharpness, and emotional resilience that define successful aging.
The goal here is to recognize what you’re doing right and continue prioritizing the habits that support these abilities. Every day you maintain your independence is worth celebrating.
