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However, they will all likely die young. There are no obese 80 year olds. My mother was obese and died at 68. It was quick, thank goodness.
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This is simply not true anymore. 30% of all Medicare recipients are obese. Medical advances (like surgeries and medications) have prolonged the lives of these obese people well into their 70's and 80's. I know this because both my mother and mother-in-law were obese and required full care. Both died at 80. Caregivers had to use Hoya lifts (made for 250 lb+) as well as wider wheelchairs to accommodate their needs. This is why you are seeing the number of people who need full care skyrocket. In the past if an obese person had heart problems they'd die younger. Now? They can have surgery (or a less invasive stent) and are good to go for another 20 years. If they have Type 2 diabetes they can manage it with lots of medications where in the past that would have led to an early grave. Obesity-related sleep apnea also used to mean an earlier death but look at how sleep clinics and C-pap machines are everywhere. As long as Medicare pays for everything most obese seniors will spend the majority of their time at doctors managing their care. They will live longer but will also not be able to take care of themselves. This is why care services are expanding everywhere.
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Sorry, but it is true that OBESE people die younger.
Medicare recipients are 65+.
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Those with a body mass index, or BMI, above 40 are robbed of at least 6 1/2 years, on average, of expected life span, a study has found. And the toll in years lost rises with the degree of obesity, reaching nearly 14 years for the most obese -- those with a BMI above 55, researchers said.
It is similar to being a smoker. As a person's obesity rises, his life expectancy falls below that of smokers. We all know anecdotes of those who have defied the odds. But we're talking about the statistics.
I know that a smoker can live a long life, and an obese person can. But that's the exception.
I am not sure what living to 85 says about eating healthy. Nor do I believe we ate all that healthy in a few generations back. Lots of people had high cholesterol or diabetes and did not modify their diets accordingly. As to the food itself, I am not so sure that was healthier than we eat today. Fresh fruits and vegetables are now available year round. Not so a few generations ago. Lots of people cooked with lard. Now hardly anyone uses it since we know it is a very harmful fat. Remember the good old aluminum Wearever pots and pans? Those were used for almost all cooking and people injested a lot of aluminum. Forget about pesticides. I know since my grandfather and uncles were farmers. They used DDT and other nasty pesticides on their crops on a regular basis. How about those canned goods with lead solder in the cans? And if the farm was anywhere near a highway, the crops were blanketed with clouds of lead soot from the cars and trucks. Don't forget about the water, both the water for crops and the water people drank. There was plenty of pollution and lots of chemicals dumped into the waterways. No one knew any better and the water was not tested except for maybe bacterial counts. Shall I continue? Do you want to hear about the rates of food poisoning, the unsanitary conditions in slaughterhouses, or trichinosis-infected pork? Probably not.
OK, then, what is your theory why my obese grandmother lived longer than anyone else in the family while all the slender, active blood family members who did not eat fresh produce died around the age of 70?
I guess my grandmother and grandfather were more conscientious farmers than yours, plus they lived in California, where we care a lot about our environment and she kept no livestock whatsoever, and none was nearby. She didn't live on a farm. Her land was nowhere near a major highway and there was seldom any traffic whatsoever. There were no fumes from cars or farm machinery. She bought two large plots of residential land, with her house on one lot and her garden on the other and the community had a park on the other side of her house (which no one used, so she started planting every sort of melon there). No one else had any farming nearby except for one great beekeeper next door to her. (Delicious, healthy honey was given to her/us and she gave the beekeeper produce in exchange.)
I said she was OBESE AND LIVED to a very ripe old age for her generation, and I absolutely believe the food she ate had a lot to do with it. As she got older she became fairly sedentary, while her husband was trim from doing literally all the yard work once her knees started bothering her. Also, although he was 3 years younger than her, had lots of exercise and was slender, she outlived him by a few years.
I think you are very mistaken about whether the quality of what we eat is as important as the amount we eat. Of course their food was much healthier than what you can buy in the stores now, since it was organically grown and not genetically modified. It was picked at the peak of its season, i.e. it was perfectly ripe and it was not transported anywhere other than within their own property.
We import a lot of produce way out of season now and it is not picked when it is ripe, but before its time and that's not healthy. (By the way, the story today is that food [in addition to other things] imported from Mexico may get taxed 20%, courtesy of you-know-who.)
My grandmother did not ever use DDT on her produce. She had two things delivered to her home: manure for her crops and worms to put further away on her property for me and my grandfather to dig up and use as bait for fishing. My grandmother did not can anything in metal, rather she used Mason jars sealed with paraffin or wax. Most of what she prepared was frozen. She used butcher paper. She bought meat when it was on sale (every few weeks or a month) and froze it in small batches. My Mom used Crisco, so my grandmother may have for some things, too. She did not use leftover stuff like bacon grease or meat drippings. Mostly I remember butter and then later vegetable margarine when her doctor told her to use that. I don't think she ever bought anything in cans, with the exception of coffee, which she drank rarely.
She ate that way for the taste and to save money. My husband and I try to emulate her diet by buying organic meat and produce, non-GMO, etc. We don't ever buy canned food. We're fortunate that we can afford it, but many Americans cannot and if the FDA doesn't ensure we have a healthy food supply (which they probably won't, now), then more people will die younger.
The problem isn't the area, it's your family's inability to handle their past and current finances and to plan for the future.
I'm only a few years younger than your parents, my mortgage is nearly identical, and my salary half of what they bring home. It's tight but it's doable.
If you and your parents can't seem to get a handle on the money drain maybe it's time to get a professional to help you figure it out
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Just curious, but other than museums/major sports what sort of events do you think your family would be doing in a larger metro that they can't do here? Are they taking advantage of the things that are available here?
I really don't want this thread to devolve into a debate about seniors with vices vs. those without.
We can all point to one-off examples of a drunk, drug addict, obese person, whatever, seemingly outliving what we'd expect, but it's pretty clear that certain behaviors are healthy, and others aren't. What the exact impact those behaviors are on an individual level, we don't know until we see it in action.
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Originally Posted by DubbleT
The problem isn't the area, it's your family's inability to handle their past and current finances and to plan for the future.
I'm only a few years younger than your parents, my mortgage is nearly identical, and my salary half of what they bring home. It's tight but it's doable.
If you and your parents can't seem to get a handle on the money drain maybe it's time to get a professional to help you figure it out
.
Just curious, but other than museums/major sports what sort of events do you think your family would be doing in a larger metro that they can't do here? Are they taking advantage of the things that are available here?
There are a lot of issues with the economy around here. If you want to think this area is "fine," that's your opinion, but it isn't. I think I've posted ample evidence on the local forums to prove my point, but that's really neither here nor there in the context of this thread. Fortunately, I've been able to pay off a lot of my financial errors moving back here.
Does the family really take advantage of what's on offer around culturally? No, not really. Ultimately, it's hard to get them to leave Kingsport. We went to two Bucs game this year - today and two Saturdays ago. That's about the extent of their cultural engagement.
Last edited by Serious Conversation; 01-28-2017 at 10:44 PM..
how can someone get 12 dui's?..he needs to be locked up.
as for you op, if your job situation forces you to move, it sounds like it would be a blessing. your parents are young enough to fend for themselves. tell them sell and move to FLAT florida like most older folks do. I did.
I live in a small town and have pretty much my whole life-5 yrs in Binghamton NY for college, then back to small towns or, preferably outside in the country. That would still be my preference but in deference to my age and the fact that I don't want to move again, I now live in town-poputaltion approx 2,000.
I know there's a lot of culture I don't see but the local creativity, to me, counter-acts that. Within 15 miles, there are 2 art museums, college with a good music dept, plays, historical sites, etc. One of the things I looked at when deciding where to retire is the amount of creativity in the area.
Also, available parks and hiking trails. Don't know how long I'll be able to enjoy those but I can now.
Those are more important to me that lots of grocery stores, big hospital, bridge clubs.
It's a trade off-no place has every thing. You just have to set your priorities.
75 grand/year in a low COL area with a cheap mortgage actually doesn't sound that bad off to me.
The OP has really given me a lot to think about recenrtly as we are considering a retirement move to his area. We have discussed health care and general costs of everyday items in the area bit I had not really put a lot of thought into other services seniors need. I do iknow Uber is starting to gain traction in the area area and that could be a possible solution to short rides to the doctor.
OK, then, what is your theory why my obese grandmother lived longer than anyone else in the family while all the slender, active blood family members who did not eat fresh produce died around the age of 70?
I guess my grandmother and grandfather were more conscientious farmers than yours, plus they lived in California, where we care a lot about our environment and she kept no livestock whatsoever, and none was nearby. She didn't live on a farm. Her land was nowhere near a major highway and there was seldom any traffic whatsoever. There were no fumes from cars or farm machinery. She bought two large plots of residential land, with her house on one lot and her garden on the other and the community had a park on the other side of her house (which no one used, so she started planting every sort of melon there). No one else had any farming nearby except for one great beekeeper next door to her. (Delicious, healthy honey was given to her/us and she gave the beekeeper produce in exchange.)
I said she was OBESE AND LIVED to a very ripe old age for her generation, and I absolutely believe the food she ate had a lot to do with it. As she got older she became fairly sedentary, while her husband was trim from doing literally all the yard work once her knees started bothering her. Also, although he was 3 years younger than her, had lots of exercise and was slender, she outlived him by a few years.
I think you are very mistaken about whether the quality of what we eat is as important as the amount we eat. Of course their food was much healthier than what you can buy in the stores now, since it was organically grown and not genetically modified. It was picked at the peak of its season, i.e. it was perfectly ripe and it was not transported anywhere other than within their own property.
We import a lot of produce way out of season now and it is not picked when it is ripe, but before its time and that's not healthy. (By the way, the story today is that food [in addition to other things] imported from Mexico may get taxed 20%, courtesy of you-know-who.)
My grandmother did not ever use DDT on her produce. She had two things delivered to her home: manure for her crops and worms to put further away on her property for me and my grandfather to dig up and use as bait for fishing. My grandmother did not can anything in metal, rather she used Mason jars sealed with paraffin or wax. Most of what she prepared was frozen. She used butcher paper. She bought meat when it was on sale (every few weeks or a month) and froze it in small batches. My Mom used Crisco, so my grandmother may have for some things, too. She did not use leftover stuff like bacon grease or meat drippings. Mostly I remember butter and then later vegetable margarine when her doctor told her to use that. I don't think she ever bought anything in cans, with the exception of coffee, which she drank rarely.
She ate that way for the taste and to save money. My husband and I try to emulate her diet by buying organic meat and produce, non-GMO, etc. We don't ever buy canned food. We're fortunate that we can afford it, but many Americans cannot and if the FDA doesn't ensure we have a healthy food supply (which they probably won't, now), then more people will die younger.
Eating healthy is very important.
Citing an example of one person doesn't mean anything. I've seen people cite examples of "My grandpa lived to 95, and he was a chain smoker!"
Even if true, we cannot know all that the person did, or didn't do, to live so long. But one thing is true: Those are exceptions; STATISTICS show that obese people don't live to a normal life expectancy. That is such a TRUE statistic that insurance companies denied coverage to obese people, make their business plans for the future based on it.
You have some feeling regarding obesity that wants to make it all right to be obese and not damaging to one's health. But your feelings don't make it so. It is true that an obese person's heart is encapsulated by fat and struggles with every pulse. Before a person's fat get visible to others, the fat builds up on internal organs first. That's bad. Really bad. And it kills people.
Also there's the metabolic syndrome that a lot, if not most, obese people get: high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. With diabetes comes a host of medical conditions, and with high blood pressure, makes the person a HIGH RISK of stroke.
These are simply facts. Statistics. Occasionally someone can defy the odds, but usually not. That's why they're called statistics.
My morbidly obese older sister had a massive stroke at age 55, and died of several things but mainly respiratory failure at 63. So she died early, for an obese person. That does not make her case the norm. She went against statistics and had a stroke early. There is ALWAYS the occasional case that is outside the norm. That does not affect the statistic, which is what USUALLY happens.
This is a very educational string for those people considering retirement to any smaller place.
Kudos to SC for being so open and transparent.
For most retirees, the primary consideration is that as we get older, we're more and more likely to need quick access to medical care resources.
That will be found mostly in larger urban areas. Why? Because the professionals need to be able to make the high incomes that allow them to pay off student loans and enjoy the standard of living to which they aspire.
As time goes on, more of these smaller places will likely see medical care resources dry up. My mother in law moved to a small town in Arizona and then discovered that there was only one doctor who would accept a new Medicare patient. That is the primary reason we've decided to remain here.
My advice to anybody considering a move is to first assess the medical facilities and senior services available in that area. You don't want to get stranded and then try to move again at age 85.
This is a very educational string for those people considering retirement to any smaller place.
Kudos to SC for being so open and transparent.
For most retirees, the primary consideration is that as we get older, we're more and more likely to need quick access to medical care resources.
That will be found mostly in larger urban areas. Why? Because the professionals need to be able to make the high incomes that allow them to pay off student loans and enjoy the standard of living to which they aspire.
As time goes on, more of these smaller places will likely see medical care resources dry up. My mother in law moved to a small town in Arizona and then discovered that there was only one doctor who would accept a new Medicare patient. That is the primary reason we've decided to remain here.
My advice to anybody considering a move is to first assess the medical facilities and senior services available in that area. You don't want to get stranded and then try to move again at age 85.
This is a very critical point that few realize is getting worse. Seniors have the freedom with Medicare to move anywhere but you will be limited to doctors who will accept new patients. My father is transitioning to moving to Colorado and we decided to get him established with a doctor. Even though we live close to a number of hospitals and tons of doctors (really top care) it was almost impossible to find one that accepted new patients with Medicare because Obamacare has already flooded the market with new people. We ended up calling 20 doctors and one finally took him after we moved to the practice as well. It's something to consider when planning your place of retirement.
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