Ageing

[poliphilo]

Old age is in the mind. Well, partly so. The thing that'll stay with me from the programme about ageing I watched last night is the account of an experiment that was conducted in 1979, in which a group of old men were put in a house where everything was set up for them as if it were 1959. The furnishings were from that era, so were the books and magazines- and if they turned on the radio or TV what they got was 1950s programming. Carers were banished and the old chaps were treated as if they were 20 years younger- with no allowances made for their frailties. They looked after themselves, prepared their own meals- and if they wanted anything fetched and carried they fetched and carried it themselves. By the end of a week they were all fitter and healthier than they'd been when they entered the house- one chap had discarded his walking stick- and over half of them were recording higher scores in IQ tests. Even more extraordinarily, in several cases their eyesight had measurably improved.

Old age is something we slip into, willingly. Our understanding friends and relatives make allowances for us being weaker and duller- and we seize the opportunity with both hands because, after all, there's a definite up-side to being babied and indulged. But we can resist- and- if we do- there's the real likelihood that we'll keep our edge.

Comments

[queen-in-autumn.livejournal.com]

This is fascinating. Thank you for sharing.

My folks are in their mid/late seventies now, and live in an "active adults" housing development. It's all single family housing, with a gorgeous community center with a gym, pool, billiards, cyber cafe, and dozens of clubs. My parents have always been cheerful and active folks, and this neighborhood has kept them engaged and having fun. My dad works out two or three times a week at the gym with a trainer. They go on birdwatching trips, and etc.

They came over last night to have dinner with Wolfling and me and play with our new Wii Fit game -- with the balance board. The system gives you the option of starting out with body tests and includes an assessment of your 'fitness age.' My dad is 78, a survivor of two types of cancer, and has Parkinsons. His fitness age is 72. The Parkinsons is slowing him down, but he's not letting it be an excuse for slowing down any faster than he has to.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My mother is 89 and still amazingly active. She says she feels 21 on the inside- and that's how she leads her life. The secret seems to be to refuse to act your age.

[oakmouse]

You got that right. I look at elderly brothers and sisters in the lodges I've belonged to who remained healthy and active to a considerable old age: Allan, who served as Master of the lodge at age 86-90 and who lived independently right up to his death aged 100; Marguerite, who was the lodge piano player and attended almost every meeting until she had to stop coming at age 98 due to arthritis; Frank, who went solo camping in the wilderness well into his 90s. My dad, who has always said "You're only as old as you feel", is 87 and bench presses 180 lbs in the weight room of his gym five days a week. The only time he acts old is when he gets depressed.

It seems to me, based on what I've observed, that you need to stay active and interested in life in order to stay free of the supposed deterioration of old age. That's my working plan, anyway.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My plan too.

I write posts like this to encourage myself to keep going.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

I'll have to keep this in mind. Lately I have been using age as an excuse for avoiding certain things, not all of them unpleasant, not all of them having to do with work, either.
Come on, Spring! I need to get out walking again. That always makes me feel twenty years younger, maybe even more than twenty years.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I spend too much of my life sitting down. I need to get out more, take walks, all that sort of thing. When I'm out there doing stuff I forget about my age and my aching bones and just get on with it.