Day 152 of 365 - Mapping New Boundaries for the Senior Years
Recently I've been reading some things that relate to differences in seniors now to those who were seniors in the previous generations. For example, in the 1920's, middle age was defined as 40 and old age was by the fifth decade. Now, middle age goes up to age 65 and the perception of old has shifted to the mid-seventies and beyond.
If I look back on photographs of my parents or grandparents, they certainly did look a lot older in their 40's, 50's or 60's than most adults do today. And, of course, longevity has increased. This is felt to be due to factors like clean water, sanitation, safe food storage and improvements in health care among other things.
Definitions of old or elderly really center around conditions which cause frailty leading to a loss of independence or ability to be self-sufficient.
To our children, even those who are now in adulthood, perhaps we have seemed 'old' in some way for a very long time. However, given how many people 65 and up continue to work, be very active and live independently, perhaps it is time for a change in perception.
It seems to me that the main thing to make clear to family members, or whomever may be a potential future caregiver or maker of decisions about our care, is what our basic expectations are in this regard, and to honor those as much as possible.
So, even though our children or other relatives may have some concern about our ability to live independently and to be self-sufficient, as long as we are at a cognitive level of competence to make our own decisions, I feel that should be respected.
Those who retire now at age 65 could easily live twenty or even thirty more years. Most of us do not intend to spend those years sitting quietly somewhere so as not to risk some kind of bodily harm which would make us infirm. I for one, want to 'live till I die', and if I become overly frail or infirm for some reason, I do not want my life unnecessarily prolonged.
Perhaps, as Baby Boomers, our expectations of how we should live out our senior years have shifted quite a bit due to our increasing longevity. We were the generation of a burst of advances in so many areas of life, and it has changed our own perception of what it is to be old as well as what we will tolerate once we get to the elderly stage.
I have raised this topic from time to time with our own children when it has seemed timely to do so, and no doubt will again several times in years to come. My hope is to expand the boundaries of our awareness together about what living as a senior person means. If our expectations with one another are clear, perhaps there will be less chance of resentment or guilt in the future when the time for serious decisions arises.
If I look back on photographs of my parents or grandparents, they certainly did look a lot older in their 40's, 50's or 60's than most adults do today. And, of course, longevity has increased. This is felt to be due to factors like clean water, sanitation, safe food storage and improvements in health care among other things.
Definitions of old or elderly really center around conditions which cause frailty leading to a loss of independence or ability to be self-sufficient.
To our children, even those who are now in adulthood, perhaps we have seemed 'old' in some way for a very long time. However, given how many people 65 and up continue to work, be very active and live independently, perhaps it is time for a change in perception.
It seems to me that the main thing to make clear to family members, or whomever may be a potential future caregiver or maker of decisions about our care, is what our basic expectations are in this regard, and to honor those as much as possible.
So, even though our children or other relatives may have some concern about our ability to live independently and to be self-sufficient, as long as we are at a cognitive level of competence to make our own decisions, I feel that should be respected.
Those who retire now at age 65 could easily live twenty or even thirty more years. Most of us do not intend to spend those years sitting quietly somewhere so as not to risk some kind of bodily harm which would make us infirm. I for one, want to 'live till I die', and if I become overly frail or infirm for some reason, I do not want my life unnecessarily prolonged.
Perhaps, as Baby Boomers, our expectations of how we should live out our senior years have shifted quite a bit due to our increasing longevity. We were the generation of a burst of advances in so many areas of life, and it has changed our own perception of what it is to be old as well as what we will tolerate once we get to the elderly stage.
I have raised this topic from time to time with our own children when it has seemed timely to do so, and no doubt will again several times in years to come. My hope is to expand the boundaries of our awareness together about what living as a senior person means. If our expectations with one another are clear, perhaps there will be less chance of resentment or guilt in the future when the time for serious decisions arises.
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