Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For me, what made me think long and hard about my mortality was turning 60 last year. I started wondering how many more productive years I have left in me. By productive years, I mean being mentally sharp. My thinking as always been if there (by some miracle) is a choice between being mentally competent or physically competent, I would choose the former.
I think of Ronald Reagan. Doctors say the reason Alzheimer's didn't kill him quickly was that his physical body was in good shape. So he lived (I believe) 10 years with Alzheimer's and in the end was completely bedridden. To not have your mind is not my idea of good quality of life.
Alzheimer's concerns me because my mother had it. Now I worry when I have a brain hiccup---probably I worry too much. My lifestyle is better than my mother's---she smoked heavily for almost 50 years and quit 10 years before she died. Too little, too late as she also had lung cancer. She also was an alcoholic. The end came for her a few weeks before she turned 76.
My maternal grandmother had dementia in the end. In her case, I wonder if it was partially brought on due to a catastrophic health crisis she had in her late 20s. She was pregnant and got apppendicitis. They removed her appendix but ended up killing the fetus which rotted inside her causing her to spend months in the hospital. There were no antibiotics then. Finally, a doctor removed the fetus and infected tissue but family members said that she was never the same when it came to her memory. To me, mentally, she seemed like she wasn't all there at times. So, I wonder if this is why she ended up with dementia in her final days, dying at age 84.
On the other hand, my great-aunt (grandmother's older sister) lived to 98. She was in a nursing home and decided that she didn't want to live anymore so she refused to eat. My aunt (mother's sister) is 89. Her vision is going as well as her hearing but she stays active and is involved in activities that she enjoys---that's something that my mother refused to do.
So...I keep this all in mind as I age. I believe that there is something to the idea of keeping your mind active to keep sharp as well as excersizing, even moderately. I do what I can to control a positive outcome but there are no guarantees in life.
I've always said that I wouldn't mind making it to 100 as long as my mind was still sharp and can still take care of my physical needs with little or no help
I've always said that I wouldn't mind making it to 100 as long as my mind was still sharp and can still take care of my physical needs with little or no help
Many would say that. The prospect of this not happening is what makes the same folks say otherwise.
I've always said that I wouldn't mind making it to 100 as long as my mind was still sharp and can still take care of my physical needs with little or no help
Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl
Many would say that. The prospect of this not happening is what makes the same folks say otherwise.
That was my first thought. How many centenarians are ambulatory and continent?
My second thought was even if I could beat the odds, I still wouldn't want to live that long because in all likelihood it would mean I had lost all family and friends of my generation and many of the next.
^So true about living a long life and becoming the last of your generation among your family and friends. That was one of the reasons that at age 98, my great-aunt didn't want to live anymore. All her contemporaries had passed on. And, yes, many people who live that long sometimes, sadly, outlive their kids. My Dad, who is 89, outlived my half brother (half brother was schizophrenic and took his own life) and my brother who died of lung cancer last year.
Thus my mention of 83. At 85 you have a 50-50 chance of entering into dementia/Alzheimer's. I'll pass, thank you veddy much!
Not me, there are no cases of it in my family. My chance of getting dementia is probably 10%.
However, heart disease does run in my family. I can do something about it, so I hope nobody from the Office of Peaceful Transition does anything to stop me. If I happen to need a bypass operation in 10 or 20 years, I have some money saved and can spend it on a ticket to India if necessary.
Not me, there are no cases of it in my family. My chance of getting dementia is probably 10%.
However, heart disease does run in my family. I can do something about it, so I hope nobody from the Office of Peaceful Transition does anything to stop me. If I happen to need a bypass operation in 10 or 20 years, I have some money saved and can spend it on a ticket to India if necessary.
Dr. Emanuel can **** my ***.
Scary but so, so funny Larry S!
Yes, discussing what each of us feels, individually, about how long our lives should be is interesting. Watching a PR campaign unfold before our eyes, shaping people's views on what sort of lives are and aren't worth living is downright maddening!
Imagine the hold music for the Office of Peaceful Transition's toll-free customer service line...."Your call is very important to us..."
My dad was robust, then went quickly at 78. My mom is going strong at 79 but starting to have issues. My MIL probably won't make it to 75. My FIL will probably live to 100.
For me, what made me think long and hard about my mortality was turning 60 last year. I started wondering how many more productive years I have left in me. By productive years, I mean being mentally sharp. My thinking as always been if there (by some miracle) is a choice between being mentally competent or physically competent, I would choose the former.
....
So...I keep this all in mind as I age. I believe that there is something to the idea of keeping your mind active to keep sharp as well as excersizing, even moderately. I do what I can to control a positive outcome but there are no guarantees in life.
I've always said that I wouldn't mind making it to 100 as long as my mind was still sharp and can still take care of my physical needs with little or no help
I believe that one key to longevity is the ability to find new interests when the old ones are no longer possible, for physical or mental reasons.
If you can't mountain hike anymore, learn to enjoy something less strenuous, but don't just sit at home and miss mountain hiking, for example.
Yes, discussing what each of us feels, individually, about how long our lives should be is interesting. Watching a PR campaign unfold before our eyes, shaping people's views on what sort of lives are and aren't worth living is downright maddening!
Imagine the hold music for the Office of Peaceful Transition's toll-free customer service line...."Your call is very important to us..."
I believe it'll be Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony No. 6, Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony No. 6, and segments of Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite" Sol's Euthanasia [Soylent Green] - YouTube
I believe that one key to longevity is the ability to find new interests when the old ones are no longer possible, for physical or mental reasons.
If you can't mountain hike anymore, learn to enjoy something less strenuous, but don't just sit at home and miss mountain hiking, for example.
What a true and cogent thought and what a great example to illustrate the thought. Brief and to the point. Wonderful post.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
