Surviving the Senior Citizen Years

   At what age are you feeling old? Is it 55 because some restaurants and retailers give you a discount, and you see a lot of apartment complexes advertising 55-and-up residency? No, that’s not right; 55 is way too young. You are still a kid. How about 62 when you can get Social Security?   Of course, you will take a big hit on your benefits, but many folks do it anyway. My wife is turning 62 next month and has already applied for her Social Security benefits. No, 62 is still too young. A lot of people still work at that age. 65? Now, 65 is supposedly the sweet spot because you qualify for Medicare. Maybe that’s it. I don’t know; I’m over 65 and on full retirement benefits. So, the point is, do you feel old? I know my body feels old. I have Parkinson’s and Meniere’s, and I’m almost deaf. My body feels like it's worn out. But in my mind, I think the same way I felt when I was a teenager. I t’s hard to explain. I guess it’s a mindset where your body may be ...

  Eating right should be a requirement for anyone of any age, but it becomes more critical as one age. Are you eating right? Examine your present eating habits. The first place to start is by looking at what you typically eat over a week or month. Do you fry everything? Do you put salt on everything? What exactly do you eat? Weight problems in the elderly years You probably know you aren’t eating right if you are overweight. Some folks have always had eating disorders, and it's understandable. You probably picked up bad eating habits when you were young and continued them into your later years. It’s hard to break old habits, I know. Fad diets that promise quick weight loss never work. The consequences of being overweight Overall, your health can be poor or downright nasty if you are overweight. Heart problems can be one of the worst, along with diabetes. I’ll never lose the weight The first step is to talk to your doctor. He can connect you with a dietician who can ...

  I know if you have health and mobility problems, it is easy to feel like you should give up. Quality of life, or lack thereof, can be a sore spot for all of us. I am doing everything I can to improve my life. Healthy eating You are eating right, which is so important. But when you do eat all the right things, you might feel like you are missing out. I have a problem with snacks. I should not eat them, but putting them down is hard, so I’ll keep trying to cut back. What else can I do? Getting regular checkups is so important. Nobody likes going to the doctor. Especially if you have an ailment that bothers you. Taking another medication isn’t what you want either. You could always get another opinion, but they may tell you the same thing. Take the medication! Yearly physicals are essential as well. Bloodwork can show the doctor and you where you stand health-wise. Blood work can sometimes detect something early, and that is important. Exercise I need to walk more, t...

  Grieving personal loss In one’s life, there is always personal loss, like a grandparent or an older relative who succumbed to cancer or heart disease. And it's sad, but you still had friends and probably your parents. But when you get older, the loss seems to be frequent, and the loss of folks that you are closest to. Since my parents were older than most of my friend's parents, I seemed to spend more than my share of time in funeral homes. All my grandparents were deceased by the time I was thirteen, and I had lost many aunts and uncles from my mother’s family. I almost grew numb at all the funerals we attended. But I was a kid, young, and I knew that time somehow stood still when you were younger. Of course, it didn’t, but it seemed that way. As I moved on in my life and had a family of my own, death was sad but not devastating. My wife moved on after her father died of cancer at a young age. Then, her grandmother passed away. The emotional impact of loss gave my wife...

  I know you’ve heard folks talk about being young at heart for what seems to be forever. But things can get in the way of feeling young at heart, especially if you are a senior citizen. It’s never too late to change the way you’re feeling. Obstacles In my case, the main obstacle is health or lack of it. Being healthy is a lifetime job and eating right and exercising have much to do with it. Easier said than done, right? You need to keep your body in shape , but your mind and attitude are just as important. Things to change Change can be difficult after years of being down about life. Many times, the first best step is talking to your doctor and finding out where you stand health-wise, physically , and mentally . I know no one wants to take medication, but if it helps, why not? It can save you a lot of grief in the long run. Now, it might suggest that you seek counseling or a psychiatrist. Don’t be ashamed to do this. There has been a stigma about mental health for w...

  As you age, you may slow your pace and even drive slower. While these are issues, they don’t mean you can’t get around.   My walking is much slower and more deliberate than it used to be. My Meniere’s and Parkinson’s disease have much to do with it. I walk with a cane primarily for balance, especially if I’m out of the house and going somewhere. Even when I’m walking with my wife, I use a cane. I wouldn’t say I liked it initially, but I got used to mobility aids. Sometimes, you must do what you must do.   Going up and down steps can be tricky as well. We don’t have many steps in the house. We live on a split level, and it's only seven steps to get upstairs. I had fallen those seven steps and got bruised, but luckily, I didn’t break anything. The key is always to be alert and keep one hand on the railing. Not everyone gets as immobile as I do. My sister and her husband are regular Blue Ridge Mountain hikers older than me. I don’t think I’ll be hitching on any ...

    Ageism in society has been around forever, although it seems to be worse now. Most folks used to equate age with wisdom. Of course, that’s not always the case. Just because someone is retired doesn’t mean they know everything. But it also doesn’t mean their brains are shrunk and useless. Well, let’s think about this. Ageism in the workplace exists, but companies don't admit it. Why don’t they like folks over sixty? It could be that they are making more money than someone who was just recently hired. Ageism in healthcare  Another myth is that older folks have more health problems than younger people. I don’t think there is any evidence to back that up. Now, some companies cherish older workers because of the knowledge they have acquired over the years. Those are the companies you want to stick with. It isn’t just a problem at work; being in public can also have its challenges for senior citizens. Being slower can make some folks roll their eyes while waiting for ...

  Your body is older and certainly isn’t as strong as when you were young. Things sag and sometimes ache. You get out the salve and lay it on the muscles thick, knowing that you’ll have to continue to care for your body more and more through the years. You knew this time was coming, but what can you do? Do you dream of the old days? Most do, but it doesn’t help, does it? Life is a process of stages, and if you are older, you are in a stage that takes a lot out of you.   “I used to be able to run faster, lift more weights, and do activities where I didn’t strain myself, requiring days of recovery.” It's true but remember that things are different. Life can still be enjoyable even though you can’t go full out anymore. And everyone fortunate enough to get older is in the same boat. While it's okay to enjoy memories of days gone by, the life you lead now can be just as sweet. It’s a matter of having the right mindset and knowing that limitations affect us all. Diet and e...

    Everyone gets sad and melancholy at some point in their lives. Maybe it’s a parent who has passed away. Or perhaps a relationship ending happens to everybody. Most folks usually move on and recover. Depression is a little different. It’s a feeling that can come out of nowhere and stay with you. This often happens to older folks who find it challenging to deal with the senior citizen years, isolation, and then deal with depression.   Depression is a disorder that isn’t always accepted by people who don’t understand what it means to be depressed. Today, the public is more understanding than in years past. They considered that depression was just a bad attitude or a weakness.   In years past, some tried to self-medicate by drinking, which made it worse. Alcohol is a depressant.   In my own case, I felt something was not quite right in high school. I came from a typical family. I had friends, and most of the time, things appeared all right...

  Eye problems and cataract surgery I’ve worn glasses since I was in the third grade. I had to go to a specialist in Pittsburgh every year for a checkup with an eye doctor. I grew up in a small town on the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, so it was about an hour’s ride to Pittsburgh, and I didn’t mind that I got to miss a day of school. What I did mind was having my eye dilated. But I still missed a day of school, and that was nice. It seems my pupils were not shaped right, so I have vision problems. There wasn’t much to do about it except to have them annually checked out. I let my vision exams go for quite a while when I became an adult. Of course, when I went back, the doctor told me about a procedure I needed to do to prevent having cataract surgery. A laser was used on my eyes to release pressure. Well, this lasted a few years until the doctor told me I was going to have to have cataract surgery—one eye at a time, which makes sense. I was hesitant and worried...

  I can remember a time when I didn’t take any pills daily. It was quite a while ago. I felt physically fit; I ran a few miles daily and lifted weights. That was a long time ago.   Fast forward forty years, and I’m now on a bucket of pills every day—pills for this and pills for that. The last few years of my father’s life, he took what seemed like quite a bit of medication. He had heart disease and died in 1977 at the age of 61. I guess without the meds, he would have died sooner. Of course, in 1977, there weren’t many options for someone who had severe artery blockage.   My problems aren’t heart problems. I still take blood pressure and cholesterol medicine, just the same. The thing that always bothers me when a doctor suggests a new drug is the interaction with the numerous pills that I already take. Even though they assure me there shouldn’t be a problem, sometimes there is. With the advent of the internet age and Google, you can check up on any medication. It’...

  Try a little Gratitude   At times it’s hard to be grateful for anything. Your body aches, your memory isn’t so great and things that used to be easy aren’t anymore. I know. But reaching the senior citizen years is a gift for most people.   I miss being able to drive. The last four years have been difficult because I feel uncomfortable behind the wheel. In the past, I’ve had vertigo attacks while I was driving, and it’s very frightening. The worst attack came about a mile away from my home. I was driving with no problem, and then my vision turned upside down. Luckily, there was a firehouse station close by. Unfortunately, the firehouse was empty; I think they were out on an emergency. Someone did pull over and call 911. After that episode, I was very hesitant to get behind the wheel.   But you know what? I didn’t get hurt, and someone stopped and helped me out. I will be forever grateful to that lady. And I have my wife of 38 years who supports me a...

What did you say?  This must be one of the most exacerbating things that have happened to me over the last few years. Due to my Meniere’s disease problems, I have lost about 80 percent of my hearing. I can no longer talk on the phone or have a normal conversation without asking someone to repeat what they said.   I went to my ENT about five years ago when things started to get bad, and he told me there wasn’t much he could do. We tried a bombardment of steroids. It didn’t work. The next step was a hearing aid. I was stunned when I learned my wife’s insurance paid for it. The only one they paid for was the cheapest one, and it didn’t work. It was more of an amplifier than a hearing aid.   It's discouraging because I can’t listen to music and watching TV or movies with closed captions doesn’t always work.   My son suggested that I learn sign language. But who would I communicate with since no one in my family knows sign language either?   ...

  Water under the bridge for senior citizens I’m sure many of us wish there was a time machine to take us back to a place where we made decisions that affected our future lives. We can’t do it. Dwelling on the past can be debilitating and emotionally draining. Things would have been great if we had just done this or that. I’m guilty of this as well. I wasted time in college pursuing an economics degree. Why economics? It was easy and didn’t have a heavy class requirement. That was my thinking: to get through college the easiest way possible, and like magic, I would have a job waiting for me. Of course, it didn’t happen. Jobs were hard to come by when I graduated in 1980, and a vague degree like economics wasn’t helpful. I wish I had investigated other career paths, but I didn’t think of that then. So, I ended up at a shoe store for a year. After another year of wasted time, I moved from Pennsylvania to Georgia, which was a good move. It took a while to find a good job, but on...

  Not everyone has a large family or many friends to share time with. Isolation is a problem for senior citizens. I have many relatives, but they live far away from me. I see some of them on Facebook, but that’s it.   I’ve always been a bit of a loner, so I don’t have friends in the Atlanta area. (I know this is sounding a little whiny) It’s a problem because isolation ties into developing dementia . I’m not sure how I can change this. I am lucky that my wife and son are supportive of me. So that is a positive. Human interaction is powerful in the fight against health issues for senior citizens. Many places have activity centers for senior citizens. You should investigate that or even go to church if you’re comfortable with religion. It’s always good to talk to someone about anything, really. As I might have mentioned, I’m also hearing impaired. But that’s enough complaining. Here is an excellent link from the National Institute of Aging. Loneliness and Social Isolat...

  While physical exercise is essential, exercising your brain is just as important. Dementia is a scary prospect when you get older. Everyone knows someone or has a family member in those dire straits. It’s sad to see and frightening to think it could happen to you. There is no absolute cure for dementia, but there are things you can do to reduce your chances of having it. Can I Prevent Dementia? (alzheimers.gov) It is a great site and very informative. I worry about dementia quite a bit because of my Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and my isolation. I have been writing for many years, and I believe it has helped me. I also read a lot as well. You can also do other things like crossword puzzles, problem-solving games, jigsaw puzzles, and more. Proper diet and exercise combined with critical thinking are a great combination. Comments are always welcome David  

What’s holding me back from improving things in my life? Well, me, I guess. I can blame the health issues till I’m blue in the face, which makes matters worse.   I’ve found that being negative about everything in life is easier than trying to find happiness and contentment somewhere. Change can be difficult. It’s difficult for me as well. I’m attempting to change my diet to include more fiber. Reece’s cups do not have fiber. Never do chocolate ice cream or potato chips. I’ve never loved fruit , but I add an apple or an orange daily.   As well as low-fat yogurt. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a start. I’m also walking a little with my wife. It's not much, maybe 15 minutes, but it helps. I’ll increase the distance as I feel more comfortable with it. I have found some stretching exercises that seem helpful. You must start somewhere. Just don’t overdo it. If you do, you might injure yourself or get frustrated and quit entirely. You don’t want to do that. I’ll ...

  Starting out... I am in the dreaded Elderly category. I’m almost 67, and I feel it. But then again, it might be the assorted ailments that I deal with, like Parkinson’s disease, Meniere’s disease, and depression. I’m trying to deal with all this the best I can.  Maybe this blog thing will work out. Although my physical ability has decreased, I don’t think my cognitive skills have dropped much. My short-term memory is a little shaky, though. For example, why am I in the kitchen, and what would I look up on Google? Everybody gets those moments, I think. What will I do about all these problems (should have said challenges)? I read, write, and try to push myself. I hope that works. Over the past few years, I've self-published fiction books , which helped shape my cognitive skills. I never made much money from them; I probably broke even, but I enjoyed writing them anyway. I’m now writing short stories and submitting them to online magazines. Writing, for me, has alw...