How do you feel about getting old(er)?

[[deleted user]]

I'm nearly 54. There are days when I'm jealous of a stiff breeze.

[Rebecca]

Now one thing I think about, I have no kids. So while that doesn't assure that you'll have somebody to take care of you, it increases the odds. Having a community, such as a church, also can be supportive, but I'm not a Christian, so to speak. I'm a more-or-less Buddhist who really doesn't like going to meetings, but I may have to get over that. I do have a great group of friends and a niece I'm really close to. I'm hoping for the best there!

[~Geektastic~]

I was never one of those kids who wanted to grow up, and I still don't. I've watched my grandparents age, and most of them pass away, and it scares the bejeezus out of me.

[Kevin]

i won't feel old til i'm almost 54. then i'm putting velco zippers on my pants and buying the Matlock box set DVD's

[Pat]

I hate it.

Unfortunately it is already too late for me to die young, so I'm hoping for a massive heart attack. Soon.

Its not just the physical deterioration, its also the boredom. It's crystal clear to me that I will never do anything brilliant or lasting or whatever. At this point I am just marking time.

[[deleted user]]

Kevin "El Liso Grande" wrote: "i won't feel old til i'm almost 54. then i'm putting velco zippers on my pants and buying the Matlock box set DVD's"

You're lucky you're a few states away.

[Félix]

54? Jeeeeez. *looks back at the years gone by*

[ms.petra]

wow, Pat. We are about the same age and I feel completely different. If you are bored, why don't you join a group, volunteer, exercise. I feel that life is what you make it and you don't get what you deserve, you get what you settle for. I have a really long bucket list and I hope I have time to do at least half of it. Boredom is not an issue for me.

[[deleted user]]

Larry wrote: "54? Jeeeeez. *looks back at the years gone by*"

Cut yourself some slack. I only have a few years on you.

[ms.petra]

@Clark, your new avatar should say "I'm a hot mess!" :)

[[deleted user]]

ms.petra wrote: "@Clark, your new avatar should say "I'm a hot mess!" :)"

Should I take that as a compliment?

[Félix]

Whenever I go to a nursing home to visit someone, I get overwhelmed by the despair -- the wheelchairs parked randomly here and there with the shells of once vibrant people, now slack, and drooping and so sad. I know I don't want that for myself.

I'm not looking to die young (well, relatively young). I just don't want to get old that way, just hanging out and waiting. Yeck. No, thank you.

[Rebecca]

Yeah, if I'm in a nursing home and they wheel me out to watch game shows and that's it, I won't be a happy camper.

[Michael]

Same here only not beaten, but left to sit in a diaper full of shit because that healthcare aide with a 10th grade education thinks I'm too demanding or something. I hope I never have to live in a nursing home and if I do, I hope I don't know it.

[Mary]

Lobstergirl wrote: "It frightens me."

Me too

[Lila]

You're only as old as you feel and well...I've turned 27 ten times now ;)

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Scout wrote: "Lobstergirl wrote: "I'm afraid of being beaten to death by a healthcare aide with a 10th grade education."

Education discrimination!"

What?! It happens all the time.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Kevin "El Liso Grande" wrote: "Lobstergirl wrote: "I'm afraid of being beaten to death by a healthcare aide with a 10th grade education."

^^LG LG LG"

Yes?

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Take in foster children. If you don't want to deal with troubled teens, take foster babies. My aunt did that in her 60s. (And Pat, you're not old....)

[[deleted user]]

Pat wrote: "I hate it.

Unfortunately it is already too late for me to die young, so I'm hoping for a massive heart attack. Soon.

Its not just the physical deterioration, its also the boredom. It's crystal cl..."

Shit Pat, you have a few years on me. It's not really that bleak, is it? There has to be family somewhere that cares deeply for you, right?

"Brilliant," "lasting"... What the hell does that mean, anyway? I'm the last person to be holding myself up as some sort of beacon of saintliness, but through our church I help feed the homeless at St. Christine's in Detroit on a regular basis and while it breaks my heart to see some of those people, I at least feel like I've made a dent in easing their misery, even for a quick minute. In your world, do you feel something along those lines might qualify as "lasting"? If so, someone out there needs you.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Yay, Clark! Good advice. ::claps::

[Janice]

At this ripe old age, I can sit back and watch the nonsense around me and say, "Drama! Drama! Drama!" The only thing that is a drawback for me is the arthritis. I've had one knee replaced and the other needs to be. The pain sucks. But, I still do my quilting. I figure I have enough books and enough fabric in my stash that I can retire now and keep busy.

I want to be like my mother-in-law. She's 92, lives alone, does her own housework, gardening, and cooking. She's very bright mentally. But she told me that she's ready to go any time now. She just wonders what cross she still has left to ber, good Catholic woman that she is. :)

[Nuri]

Lobstergirl wrote: "I'm afraid of being beaten to death by a healthcare aide with a 10th grade education."

Along those lines: I'm afraid of the inevitable bodily deterioration that comes with the aging because I live in a world like this:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...

Recently visited a hospice to apply for volunteer stuff. Rather hoped to find something at least meaningful in it since a hopeful/uplifting sort of interaction was not likely. It was totally alienating. I didn't wince or cry or look away. I could smile at the withered and wasting and say nice things, but I felt like we were totally different species or something -- I felt totally disconnected from them. I'm still trying to accept the fact that I'll be one of those frail, dying elderly folks some day -- and that's if I'm "lucky".

[ms.petra]

Clark wrote: "ms.petra wrote: "@Clark, your new avatar should say "I'm a hot mess!" :)"

Should I take that as a compliment?"

yes.

[Kevin]

geesh, now clark is gonna be dressing like travolta in SNF now and doing the hustle moves

[ms.petra]

I think he still has the white suit.

[Cara]

It is horrible! I look in the mirror and I see my mother's face. I absolutely hate getting older!!

[Cynthia]

Nools wrote: "Lobstergirl wrote: "I'm afraid of being beaten to death by a healthcare aide with a 10th grade education."

Along those lines: I'm afraid of the inevitable bodily deterioration that comes with the ..."

Nools, I've been a Hospice volunteer for 13 years--I love it. Not all of my clients are elderly, I have visited several women younger than 50 (my age) and spent several months visiting a 17-year-old boy.

Let us know how it goes!

[[deleted user]]

Kevin "El Liso Grande" wrote: "geesh, now clark is gonna be dressing like travolta in SNF now and doing the hustle moves"

Get down, boogie oogie oogie.

[Angela~twistedmind~]

Larry wrote: "Whenever I go to a nursing home to visit someone, I get overwhelmed by the despair -- the wheelchairs parked randomly here and there with the shells of once vibrant people, now slack, and drooping ..."

i was a cna years ago, but was forced to retire due to the damage done to my body from all the physical labor. lg, we are not all uncaring monsters.......although, i will admit, i did work with a few. i cared deeply for all my residents. depending on their individual mental and physical state, they were like beloved grandparents or my children.
i am actually shocked that i will be turning 40 this year. what the hell?!?! the life i have led, i should have been dead many times over. (and was knock, knock, knocking on death's door twice, but that's another thread). i can only guess i still have something to do.
i'm sure, unless i (please God, let me) die quietly in my bed, i'll end my life living in a nursing home. after everything i have seen, i pray i'm one of the ones who is wondering around suffering severe dementia, but childlike in my happiness rather than suffering great physical pain and being unable to do anything for myself while my mind is perfectly sharp. THEY are the ones who suffer.
the hardest thing to deal with when you work in a nursing home is watching the depression and despair suffered by residents whose family never come to see them or cannot even be bothered to pick up the damn phone. and more times than not? that thankless family lives right fricking here in this small town!!! how can people do that?!?!?! oh, fuck, don't even get me started.
*walks off grumbling*

[Michele]

with cuts to or the elimination of medicare benefits look for age expectations to drop. Life expectancy rose immediately following the passage of medicare. without healthcare, those of us disabled and the elderly will die sooner and in greater numbers than in years previously. That is how the politicians plan on saving social security: kill us off sooner: fewer benefits paid out for lesser amounts of time. How do I feel about getting older? I hate the aches and pains and debillitating conditions that go with it. I spend every day in pain. I don't take pain killers because I have enough health problems now without kidney or liver trouble. Between the migraines, osteoarthritis, bursitis, osteoporosis, ruptured lumbar discs and chronic infections, allergies I am thankful if I can get out of bed and function: dress myself, bathe myself, walk about the house, drive (on good days), read, cook, converse with friends and go online. Beats death although death I see as a friend at this point. At least I'll stop hurting.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Bummer, Michele. Good health is something to be enormously grateful for.

[Kendra]

The key to getting older is to think of the positives and not the age. I am working on this and thanking God for the good health.

[Helena]

There are some things I like about getting older. For one, I like who I am. I like being comfortable in my skin, confident and knowing things that only living can teach you.

I don’t like my sore knee & sciatica (that’s from pregnancy) but I do like my grey streaks in my hair. Not all bad I guess, but I’d like to stop now.

[[deleted user]]

I am turning the big 4-0 this year.
But, I figure that as long as I still feel like I am in my
20's , its no big deal.

[Félix]

It's no big deal.

[AB]

I just turned 18, and all of a sudden I'm starting to realize that time is inevitable and one day I'm going to be just like my grandparents: with health problems, bad eyesight or hearing, memory problems, less energy, etc. And I'm going to miss my youthful looks eventually, even though I bemoan the fact that I look like I'm 13 right now.
And that freaks me out, because I'm way too young to be worried about being old.

added: having said that, I do want to be mentally sharp but look old one day so I can get away with a lot of stuff. I'll be the old lady pretending to be crazy with cats and no one will question it. Also, I'd love to be 100.

[Michael]

Annie wrote: "because I'm way too young to be worried"

One is never too young to take up active worrying!

[[deleted user]]

As long as I still feel in my 20's it's no big deal. After that who knows. My gran was pretty spry into her 80's, lived on her own and taught dance class up until the week before she died! She insisted on being wheeled into the dancing room with her cannula on an extra long tether (oxygen). Strong lady!!

I hope to have time to travel with Honey once I retire, but you never know. I've got a bad ticker, so how old will I really live to be? It's one of those things that I don't spend much time speculating about, because you can't know therefore you just deal with it as it comes.

I see myself in one of those 30ft trailers with the pop-outs (and a/c) driving around the country with Larry and having a laugh, seeing the sights and meeting lots of people.

[[deleted user]]

Michael wrote: "Annie wrote: "because I'm way too young to be worried"

One is never too young to take up active worrying!"

(Love this comment!)

[Scout]

I saw a t-shirt the other day that read "I Plan to Live Forever (So Far, So Good)."

I've always liked hanging out with older people, and one of them told me years ago that he was still young in his mind and that the image in the mirror didn't fit with the way he thought of himself. I've come to have that same experience.

[Shannon]

Either you get older or you get dead. I prefer to get older. lol

[Amy]

Take care of yourself and physical age is less of an issue. I'm often mistaken for being much younger than I am. People get "old" when they stop taking care of themselves and stop growing emotionally.

[Angela~twistedmind~]

Shannon wrote: "Either you get older or you get dead. I prefer to get older. lol"

amen to that!

[Mary]

Shannon wrote: "Either you get older or you get dead. I prefer to get older. lol"

My Mom used to say to me-Mary, never get old.
And I would reply-Gee Mom whats the alternative?!!
And we would laugh...