THE CHALLENGES OF BEING OLD

The old rusty Nail

AN E-JOURNAL FOR OLD PEOPLE

Russell Burton, an Old Person

I fell again the other day.  During my walk through a city park with asphalt covered walk paths.  Of course in order to break the fall and protect my face I threw my hands forward which suffered the most damage.  My left hand was most hurt with numerous small cuts from the surface rocks of the asphalt.  I also have a deep gash in the tip of my fourth finger which is particularly bothersome as the tips of fingers are particularly sensitive to touch and therefore pain.  My right shoulder aches some.

Of course we old people are prone to falling as we trip more easily as we walk and our balance is not what it use to be.  My tripping problem is because my right leg suffers from a mild ‘drop foot’.  I should have had surgery to correct it immediately but I did not know what my problem was so I delayed any medical help until it was too late.

I did find some exercises on the web which are supposed to help ‘drop foot’.  I looked these up the other day in hopes of improving some of the mobility of this foot and leg.  They are simple to perform so I started the most promising one yesterday.

Now, I started with this little story because it is only one of the many challenges we face when we get old.  I emphasize the word ‘CHALLENGES’ for I think it describes well the problems we face and must overcome each and every day as we grow older. 

As we slip into the ‘old age’ stage of life, it sneaks up on us for it is something different from anything we have experienced before.  Certainly the physical aspects of being old are particularly difficult and for me surprising.  I write surprising because for 80 years I had been physically active without any serious chronic problems.  Oh sure I would hurt myself on occasion but within a few days I would be back to my normal self. 

Well in my old age getting back to my normal self is not what it use to be but of course it is better than the situation I am now in after my fall.

I wish I had been better prepared for these challenges of old age because even though I witnessed my folks growing old, the thought that I would do and be the same just didn’t enter my mind for some unknown reasons.  I think another reason we are unprepared is because of our misunderstanding of old age.  You know such wonderful things as we are retired so we don’t have to work anymore, the kids are gone so we don’t have to put up with their problems, we get up in the morning when we feel like it, and we do what we want to do all day and night.

You know what is called ‘The Golden Years’.  So, we get caught up in this wonderful motto and sometimes we can’t wait to get to those good old Golden Years.  I have never heard anyone talk about the challenges of the Golden Years and that is why we get blind sided.  Yes, no one talks about the challenges of being old.  Yet, suddenly we are there without any preparation for entering into this new and final stage of life.

Somehow this does not seem right for all of our other stages of life we learn about them before we get involved.  When we are young we go to school for our education to prepare us to become adults.  Once we reach adulthood we learn a trade or go to college to prepare for our life work.  As adolescence we learn about sex, love, and social rules to prepare us for living a ‘normal’ adult life.

So where are the classes to prepare us for the challenges of being old?  Where are the rules we should follow in order to live a full life when we are old?  I guess what I am seeking is what things should I be doing or should have done to prepare for my final stage of life. 

The one thing that is emphasized is do you have enough money for retirement?  Of course we are bombarded with this ‘help’ because those interested are trying to get your money to ‘help’ you.  Yes, enough money is important for in some respects it will guide your future activities and even thoughts in old age. 

But, there is much more to living as an old person than having money.  Yes there is information out there in magazines such as AARP Magazine, on the web, on TV and even some classes for retired people offered by local education systems. But, all of this information is piece meal without any instructions of how or where to get it.

How about a one or two semester 3-unit college classes with the primary goal of teaching people in their seventies how to prepare and live in their soon approaching 80s and 90s.  Perhaps even into their 100s.  I read the other day that those born now, half will live to be 100 years or age.  Shouldn’t we have some understanding and education about the challenges we will face during our last one or two decades of life which can be argued are our most challenging?

Another reason for this type of education before we get there is because some of the preparation will require time to perform.  And, we should be warned about the consequences of life without proper preparations.

A good example is getting physically fit for old age and then remaining so as we get even older.  I think a good example of the rewards for staying physically fit is the minor injuries I suffered when I took that unprotected fall on my face on asphalt.  Certainly I could have easily broken an arm or leg if I had not been in good physical shape from my gym workouts every week.  I could even have had some brain injury if I had not been strong enough to break the fall and protect my head from sustaining a devastating blow.

I was fortunate that I began physical training shortly after I retired and I have kept it up.  No where were there courses which taught about being old where I would have learned about the benefits of physical conditioning.  Does anyone reading this article know that after age 30 we lose 1% of our muscle mass each year without proper physical exercises?

Of course there are many other challenges of being old which can be addressed by knowing about them and their proper remedies; i.e., balance, mental recall, nutrition, hydration, even types of physical entertainment, and driving a car just to name a few.  Certainly, knowledge of common old age pathologies their prevention and remedies would be most useful.  This would have been of great value to me because when I got ‘drop foot’ I would have known what to do.

Now we have loads of ads informing us of having a thing around our neck to call for help after we have fallen.  I am not discounting their value but shouldn’t we be in good enough physical condition with old age to be able to get up after we fall? 

So I conclude with the idea that at age 70 we all should be required, yes required to take a free two semester 3 unit college course on the challenges of being old.  

P.S.

The night after the day I fell, I did not sleep well as a rib hurt when I laid down in bed.  There was a position which I was able to move to which lessened the pain but it still did hurt and I did not sleep well that night.  The rib pain was not changed with breathing so I assume it was only the rib that was bruised.

The second day after the fall I awoke with both shoulders aching I am sure they absorbed much of the impact as I attempted to brace my body from the fall. But of course it could have been much worse.

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