How Does It Feel To Be Old? (fracture, infect, health issues)
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I am truly curious. How does it feel to be old? Better yet, when does the mind catch up with the body? I am 67 and though people do not think me near that age, my body disagrees. I do not feel mentally any older now than when I was in my 30"s or 40's. Yet, my body feels it. With Cervical and Lumbar fusions, I'm not as fast as I was before. Things that took me 15 - 20 mins to do now take several hours because I have to take breaks to rest my spine.
When I see older people shuffling in Walmart I wonder how their minds feel. Without dementia or alzheimers, does the mind fade like the body?
I can't imagine anything more frightening than to be that frail and have a mind that does not feel old.
Does anyone have parents like that and if so, do you know how they feel?
Thanks,
DeLoris
I am truly curious. How does it feel to be old? Better yet, when does the mind catch up with the body? I am 67 and though people do not think me near that age, my body disagrees. I do not feel mentally any older now than when I was in my 30"s or 40's. Yet, my body feels it. With Cervical and Lumbar fusions, I'm not as fast as I was before. Things that took me 15 - 20 mins to do now take several hours because I have to take breaks to rest my spine.
When I see older people shuffling in Walmart I wonder how their minds feel. Without dementia or alzheimers, does the mind fade like the body?
I can't imagine anything more frightening than to be that frail and have a mind that does not feel old.
Does anyone have parents like that and if so, do you know how they feel?
Thanks,
DeLoris
At 79, I have fond memories of being 30,40 etc...but birthdays keep coming. My mind is good and I'm into a lot of prevention for my health. I could write a book on it all, but I have a lot of info posted around these groups.
And I don't live in regret for all the dancing and exercising I did when my body was young and flexible and and and. Now I'm at a different place and have to live accordingly.
I'm in my late 60s and don't feel old at all. I think it's because I don't have arthritis or joint issues, so no pain, and still active. My husband has arthritis and has been complaining for years that he's old. I can't imagine what having mental issues is like.
What I'm wondering is when or if the mind feels old, like the body. I am 67, but I don't "feel" old inside. But, what does a person in their 90's feel like? When you are old and shuffeling or need a walker to get around because you are to old and frail. Is the mind still young? Do we always "not" feel old no matter our condition?
When I was in a rehab for my knee infection, a very old woman was wheeled into my room and she was 101..she was living alone all this time, but her grandkids and daughter were always checking in on her. She fell at her apt or home I forget what it was..
She was in the rehab for the fracture and the surgery that was done. I think the poor woman was miserable and MAYBE wished she wasn't around. I watched her progress with PT work etc and grandkids were always there wheeling her around. She NEVER smiled, always had a sour face. She made her 102 birthday at that rehab.
My parents both lived into 90's mom didn't want to go, so kept holding on, but finally went. Dad was mid 90's and so ready to go, he never smiled. Was very unhappy still living, everyone was gone and there he was. I stayed with him 3 months and helped him "let go".
Now a neighbor is 91 soon and she's all alone and a lot of health issues but always UP in spirits. Another friend died last year at 95 and she was full of "pi$$ and vinegar". Her heart gave out. She laughed a lot.
So we don't know until we get there, if we get there. My friends and I laugh a lot.
I was the driver for someone in a parade, she was 105 at the time and the oldest voter in the state. There was a float with brightly colored dancers on it ahead of us and I asked her what she thought of it. She mentioned that she couldn't see that far anymore, which was kinda reasonable although it wasn't really that far away. I asked if it was just colored blurs and her reply was that she didn't see colors much anymore. At that point, I didn't want to find out what other senses she wasn't able to use anymore. Several years after that I saw a newspaper article about her passing on.
She either lived with or very near to her daughter (who was only eighty and was walking in the parade behind us) and visited with her each day. I think it was the daughter's care which was one of the primary agents for the mom's long life.
It was somewhat remote talking with her, kinda like she was disassociating herself from the world or not quite in the world anymore. Might have been from not being able to see well or perhaps just from being in a parade and not being able to see very well around her. She did like riding in the convertible, though. Had we been in a quieter spot and had more time to chat, we may have been able to have a more in depth conversation. She did seem to have her wits about her, they just weren't integrated into the world around her since she wasn't able to see it very well. Although, again, that may have been because it was a confusing venue.
My dad is 93 and although I don’t think he is depressed, he is, and has been “ready to go” for a couple of years. He is in assisted living after having a stroke 5 years ago. His wife has been dead 20 years, all of his close friends are gone. He still gets regular visits from his kids and grandkids but, sitting in a wheelchair day after day, reading, watching TV and doing little else, I feel bad for him. He tells everyone that he is ready to go but, nature takes it’s good old time. Does he “feel old?” Probably not so much; his personality, sense of humor, are the same as ever. My guess is that he feels trapped in an old body. People always say it beats the alternative. I’m not so sure.
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