Retired Mother in Law watches TV 14 Hours a Day- 7 Days a week (move, diabetes)

[Missourimomo]

Thats alot!

[texdav]

I thnik taht they average kid spoends alost that much time in texting.watching TV and playing videos games.At least its not hurting your mother in laws grades.

[deckdoc]

Originally Posted by LindaC in OK

My tv is on 24/7 just because I want it on. I don't truly watch it all the time but it is on for noise. I am at my computer many hours a day now

LindaC in OK

My set is also on 24/7~ spend a lot of time on computer! I also walk at least 2 miles every day~ play {and monitor} bridge 3 days a week~ go to coffee at center in the morn~ play pool with freinds~ read ~ do sudukos~ jigsaw puzzles~ go to the pool~ lift weights!

But tv is on 24/7. Hopefully when one or both of us are gone anyone looking will thinks someone is home!

[kevxu]

Is this a change in her way of living...or was she always a voyeur, and it wasn't as obvious?

I had a relative who did exactly what you described when she retired. However, for the previous thirty or forty years she had used the lives of her co-workers as her TV...endlessly, obsessively talking about their doings - both real and imaginary. Babbling on and on about these people for years and years.

She never had been very connected to other people. TV was just more of the same. If its a lifetime of not connecting there is probably not much hope that it will change.

[TKramar]

It's basically the TV or computer when I'm at home. And I'm usually at home if I'm not at work. I don't get out much.

[yukiko11]

I have taken a 2 year break from working after 41 years on the job.
I have spent a lot of it going from my bed to the couch to watch TV.
I am not depressed or suffering from any other problems, just kicking back. I am watching a lot of reruns of shows I have missed in the past and enjoying them.
When I go back to work I will go back to my former routine which includes very little TV.

[wabanaki]

I have my tv on practically 24/7 just to have noises in the house. we build house in the wood surround by 100 plus acres of forest land, tall trees to be in a peace and quite place away from city life. I think it is we need TV (selected noises) to feel like we are still part of civilization.
I don't watch that much TV just have them on for the human voices.

[Bette]

I think she must be depressed. Try getting her out for a walk or play a game with her. This is my biggest worry - to be like this in retirement. Ugh - I would hate it.

[Tesaje]

Originally Posted by Bette

I think she must be depressed. Try getting her out for a walk or play a game with her. This is my biggest worry - to be like this in retirement. Ugh - I would hate it.

There needs to be considerably more symptoms for a diagnosis of depression. For some people, TV is most of their life and they like it. It isn't the way I want to live my life and so I choose other activities and interests. But I only have the right to choose my own life path, not someone else's - including my mother's.

Too many people seem to think they have the right to dictate to their parents how they live. If she is taking care of her living needs all right, then it is up to her to choose how she spends her free time.

[donsabi]

I have a friend who was terminated at age 59. He had enough money to retire early but had no plans. He was reasonably healthy for his age prior to losing his job. He bragged that he didn't have to go to work or even get out of bed if he didn't want to. For the following three years he did nothing but watch TV 24/7. He boasted he had seen every movie ever made at least twice. At the end of those three years he developed congestive heart failure and diabetes soon followed. He lost part of his foot due to diabetes complications. He is almost housebound now and has no energy for the simplest things. He depends on his children for most things. His TV is going stronger that ever.
If you want to meet your local undertaker a lot sooner just park your bottom in front of a TV.