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Interestingly, some posters have looked at this in a more existential way than I had in mind. I was just trying to be practical. I remember learning, when I was around 15, that the sun damages your skin permanently. I remember wishing we had sunscreen at home, because I am fair-skinned, love to be outdoors, and was always getting sunburns. As soon as I had my own money, I bought sunscreen (back then, it was rather expensive and my parents refused to buy it because they thought getting plenty of sunlight was good for you).
So what I had in mind could be as simple as including the following information Aging: What to expect - Mayo Clinic in high school biology class. Put the information in the context of "people are living longer these days," and ask the young folks what they think it might mean for them. Sure, most will laugh and blow it off because it's impossible to really believe you will even be 40 one day - let alone 90 - but the more thoughtful ones might just take a clue about planning ahead.
Oh, and I agree 100% with those who wished they had been taught to plan for retirement. In my day, we learned about compound interest, and my parents gave out dire warnings about people who run up bills they cannot pay. That was about the extent of it.
Summary of the link: Effects of "normal" aging process, and ways to stay healthy as you age:
Cardiovascular system
Bones, joints, and muscles
Digestive system [this will make the kids laugh]
Bladder and urinary tract [they'll laugh louder]
Memory
Eyes and Ears
Teeth
Skin
Weight
Sexuality
Interestingly, some posters have looked at this in a more existential way than I had in mind. I was just trying to be practical. I remember learning, when I was around 15, that the sun damages your skin permanently. I remember wishing we had sunscreen at home, because I am fair-skinned, love to be outdoors, and was always getting sunburns. As soon as I had my own money, I bought sunscreen (back then, it was rather expensive and my parents refused to buy it because they thought getting plenty of sunlight was good for you).
So what I had in mind could be as simple as including the following information Aging: What to expect - Mayo Clinic in high school biology class. Put the information in the context of "people are living longer these days," and ask the young folks what they think it might mean for them. Sure, most will laugh and blow it off because it's impossible to really believe you will even be 40 one day - let alone 90 - but the more thoughtful ones might just take a clue about planning ahead.
Oh, and I agree 100% with those who wished they had been taught to plan for retirement. In my day, we learned about compound interest, and my parents gave out dire warnings about people who run up bills they cannot pay. That was about the extent of it.
Summary of the link: Effects of "normal" aging process, and ways to stay healthy as you age:
Cardiovascular system
Bones, joints, and muscles
Digestive system [this will make the kids laugh]
Bladder and urinary tract [they'll laugh louder]
Memory
Eyes and Ears
Teeth
Skin
Weight
Sexuality
Fine. Which class? New one? What do you cut? Health is already required to graduate most places.
It already is covered in good Psychology classes (Developmental Psych unit).
No wishing for me. I go out there and do everything I can every day. Never know what could happen....be dead tomorrow....be a vegetable.....only be able move my head....be broke...might as well live every day like it's your last.
I don't think it's possible or practical to live each day as if it might be your last. It's a catchy, feel-good thing to say, but it's not possible. If I knew this was going to be my last day or night on earth, I would give in to all types of excess, satisfy all my cravings, desires, wants, etc. I couldn't do that every day.
I don't think it's possible or practical to live each day as if it might be your last. It's a catchy, feel-good thing to say, but it's not possible. If I knew this was going to be my last day or night on earth, I would give in to all types of excess, satisfy all my cravings, desires, wants, etc. I couldn't do that every day.
There are certain ways you can, particularly in eschewing procrastination. Try to get done today all you can do today, especially anything others are dependent upon. I've known a couple of young men--both of whom died suddenly--who it turned out lived exactly like that. One I've spoken of in this thread. This is another man I knew:
Of this second man, an Army captain, a few weeks before his death I overheard his colonel talking about him, with the colonel saying, "Ron never goes home until his in-basket is empty."
Fine. Which class? New one? What do you cut? Health is already required to graduate most places.
I'm sorry - were you asking me questions? Or saying that the bit of material I quoted is already taught routinely in today's Health classes (it wasn't in mine, back in the day)? If so, then you have answered my post.
It already is covered in good Psychology classes (Developmental Psych unit).[/quote]
Again, I don't recall anything being said in my Psychology classes about the normal effects of aging, except that memory tends to decline with age. Then again, it has been quite a while since my college days, and I threw my notes away a few years ago :-( So it would be useful to hear from a current instructor or student whether aging is, in fact, being addressed in schools.
I for one would have liked a bit more information about some things being a by product of aging, and why and how and when other things might be expected.
cataracts- I was just told I have the beginning signs of them. I don't really have a great understanding of what they are, how they will affect me, is this common at my age or not
hearing loss- how common is it in the elderly, does it get progressively worse as a person ages
alzheimers- how prevalent is it, is there a typical age range for onset, do my chances of having it increase as I get older?
thinning skin- does it happen to everyone as they age, what causes it and does it cause serious problems?
arthritis- I used to think everyone got it as the got older, now I see that it's not necessarily true so I wish I knew more about what causes it and why some people have it and some don't
minor things like hair suddenly appearing in odd place ( I didn't realize for the longest time that those old men with hairy ears probably didn't look like that when they were young) or flatulence (you mean granny didn't always sit around pooting all the time?), age spots, what's up with that, and the fact that hair texture can change with age, who knew? When I hit my late forties my hair started going gray it turned into a mop of frizz that takes a lot more effort to keep up with than it did when I was younger, and that came as a total surprise to me.
Oh, and the funky toenails so many old people seem to be plagued with, is that a part of the aging process too, like gray hair? So many mysteries about getting older....
You summed it up so well! Especially those funky toenails. My mother is 91 and they go all over the place. She does get them looked at by a podiatrist every month. I've started taking care of mine because I don't want to be like that.
You can see how some older and middle aged women's feet are formed into a V from wearing pointy shoes. I have a niece who has that and still won't change her style. Her big toes are at a 45 degree angle. She is only 10 years younger than me.
My mom's hair went from very curly to stick straight.
I'm sorry - were you asking me questions? Or saying that the bit of material I quoted is already taught routinely in today's Health classes (it wasn't in mine, back in the day)? If so, then you have answered my post.
It already is covered in good Psychology classes (Developmental Psych unit).
Again, I don't recall anything being said in my Psychology classes about the normal effects of aging, except that memory tends to decline with age. Then again, it has been quite a while since my college days, and I threw my notes away a few years ago :-( So it would be useful to hear from a current instructor or student whether aging is, in fact, being addressed in schools.
I just did a quick search on "psychology of adulthood and aging" and found many college courses covering the subject.
Browsing the content of one such courses, it does seem to cover many of the topics which you had raised.
It would be a good idea to have simplified versions of this type of courses in HS's biology or health classes.
I think most of them think they are invinceable and will live forever.
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