averilburystedmunds: Reaching 90 is A Big Deal.

Old Friends.

As I have reached 90 plus, I have decided to check out the normal symptoms of what I think of as ‘upper ageing’ to reassure myself that I am On the Right Path. I do the tick-box exercise online with confidence as I assume I must be doing something right even though most aspects of my way of life are not consciously planned or considered or engineered. I tend to live as I always have, putting one foot in front of the other, thinking often of that day’s timetable; staying active by maximising my walking [at least 30 minutes plus each day]; playing Mah Jong twice a week because I not only enjoy it but also because I believe the ageing mind needs exercise too! I also enjoy the supervision and help of a Personal Trainer for a 40 minute weekly session which forces me to do a concentrated exercise slot I would otherwise not think of. I don't exactly enjoy it but finish thankfully exhausted and slightly smug!

Mah Jong

I believe I am lucky in that I do not have what is conventionally called ‘a sweet tooth’ so I don’t even contemplate buying cakes or biscuits or pies though if the occasion occurs when I am offered a small piece of apple pie, then I always gratefully accept the treat as a lifelong and devoted apple pie lover! This does not occur often enough, but when it does, eating the a/m apple pie simply allows me to happily confirm one aspect of my life and is at least delicious! And being able to accept presents/tributes/gifts is to acknowledge how lucky and grateful I am in later life to have others kind enough to think of indulging me on occasion. I admit that I find it much more difficult to refuse savoury snacks like peanuts [love ‘em] or cheesy nibbles et al where more robust tactics of denial are called for.But to return specifically to the nineties.According to that modern God, the Internet, the following conditions routinely occur in the nineties:

Mild memory loss. Correct. Maddening and slightly shaming to the person experiencing it, when confronted with a dear friend of several years’ standing whose name has mysteriously gone AWOL.

Vi Vision decline. Accounts for my developing habit of peering and frowning at objects, Slower processing speed. Glad to learn that this is normal as it makes the sufferer feel particularly .

4. Hearing loss.

Grand-daughter explains .....

I have worn hearing aids resentfully for months, perhaps a year, and continue to find them
irritating but necessary. They also cause me as the wearer, to touch, fiddle with, adjust them in a bid to improve the received sound while observers like family members wonder why the old girl is always messing with her hearing aids which seem to be pretty useless anyway.

TTThere are other social, emotional, and daily living adjustments to make too as one embarks on the nineties. To reduce these important areas to a little list seems almost disrespectful to the nonagenarian, but here goes:

a) Changes in appetite and digestion. b) Reduced energy levels. c) Shifts in social engagement. d) Increased need for assistance.

These changes may be considerable or silently gradual, but the key to success lies, as ever, in the willingness of the individual to persevere, adjust and adapt. Per ardua ad astra as the old RAF motto had it and in the successful adjustment to age-change and its potential demands, lies elderly contentment and good health.

I haven’t yet mentioned the necessity of a good diet, [Mediterranean? Italian? Avoiding processed foods?], and the profound importance of keeping active, not necessarily with working out in the gym, but certainly in walking every day or perhaps cycling or gardening, if either is a familiar habit. The real temptation of sitting comfortably at the laptop for hours and writing/typing is seductive but needs to be resisted in excess! Perhaps the most important factor in the continuum from useful to essential, is social

I discover this display can be described as
Pescatarian; a great diet.

It is imperative to cultivate and maintain social connections. In fact, at any age, staying connected with others is the single most important contribution to leading a good and happy life and is also, sadly, the hardest to achieve for many elderly people, many of whom have seen friends and close family members die or move far away. Joining a local group, perhaps a U3A group, or starting a group, is a way in to feeling connected and finding potential friends with similar interests but this entails making the effort in the first place. Soon after I arrived in Bury, I put a local advertisement suggesting people might be interested in joining me to start a Mah Jong group or to learn how to play Mah Jong from an admitted amateur, and received eight replies. Thus, almost immediately, I found enough interest to start two Mah Jong tables-worth of games and the beginnings of a social circle.