Understanding ageing

For a brief time in my late teenage years I worked a second job as a weekend kitchen hand in a retirement home.  The facility had wards for those who required full time care, and self-contained accommodation units for those who were more able bodied.  One lovely lady in the self-contained units baked every weekend for the residents in the full time care wards.  She amazed me with her determination because her hands were incredibly deformed from osteoarthritis, yet this was a weekly labour of love that she was determined to continue doing until she too had to move into a full time care ward.

At the age I was then, I had absolutely no mindfulness of the ravages of old age on the body.  I could sympathise but I couldn’t understand.   Now, in my 50s, I am only just starting to understand how older people feel when they start to lose the mobility we all take for granted when we are younger.

As I approach my own senior years, my body is starting to undergo degenerative changes that are related to age.  I quite probably assisted the early onset of my approaching atrophy with a life less than ideal in my younger years.  We treat our bodies for the most part with contempt.  Is it any wonder they get back at us as we age?  It’s not a process I am looking forward to, but I won’t let it wear me down.  

   

I have osteoarthritis in my thumbs, and sometimes I lie awake at night with the pain and stretch and twiddle my thumbs and fingers, determined that the loss of cartilage which causes the deformity is not going to win in my hands.  I’m probably too late, and I’m probably kidding myself that my stretching and twiddling will have any beneficial effect, but I’m still way too young to concede defeat to this insidious disease which has already caused me to stop riding, and sell my beloved V-Star 1100.

I have macular degeneration in both eyes, but predominantly in my right eye.  I use the Amsler grid to check the progress of this.  I’ve always had very good peripheral vision, and when the wavy lines take over as they sometimes do, I rely more and more on my peripheral vision.  Going blind is something that scares the crap out of me.  I surf the net for treatments, and find that dietary supplements containing high-dose antioxidants and zinc might help.   Apart from that there doesn’t appear to be much I can do but I’ll keep looking.

I have mild degenerative scoliosis in my lumbar spine as the result of an accident when I was 17.  When my spine goes out of alignment my legs seem to become different lengths and my hips move distinctly to one side.  It’s very painful but after many years of self-management I’ve developed a little routine for pain management which entails hanging – either using my arms or upside down if possible – stretching and walking.  Movement is essential.  

How I cope with these things and other age-related matters is entirely up to me.  I choose to stay reasonably fit.  I belong to a gym.  Until very recently I was a regular at Body Combat classes.  I loved the combination of martial arts moves to music, and I’d been doing it for 10 years but have finally decided I can’t sustain the energy required for an hour.  Instead I now do Sh’Bam, a group dance class, and I walk. 

For the last few years I’ve taken part in the Bridge to Brisbane, the Mother’s Day Classic and other fun runs and walks.  I enjoy the challenge and they help to keep me fit.

I subscribe to sarcopenia.com so I can keep up with ways to keep my muscles active as I get older.  I know I don’t do enough resistance training, but the fact that I am aware of what I should be doing probably puts me way ahead of most other people my age and older.

I also work at keeping my mind active.  I read, surf the internet and contribute to a few forums, do Sudoku and crosswords and am enrolled in a post graduate study program.

Most people have choices about how to manage their own age issues.  Like my elderly friend when I was a weekend kitchen hand at the retirement home so many years ago, I choose to approach my age issues with determination that they will not wear me down, even as my body is determined to wear itself out.  If I can hit my 80s and 90s still upright and still cussing, I’ll be pretty damned happy with myself!