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Regular Contributor

What's the worst thing about getting old?

From losing one's memory, eyesight, hearing, digestion, mobility, et al- aging is a depressing phenomena that hits us all and the costs gets prohibitive! 

 

What is the worst thing about age and what can we change to make it better?

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Honored Social Butterfly

One of the absolutely worst things about getting old, is the loss of friends and loved ones to sickness and ultimately death.  The longer I live, the more I find myself reminiscing about the folks who peppered my world with the joy of their presence, now gone forever.  

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Trusted Contributor

During this pandemic it's worse than usual. Staying in sucks/ Not having visitors even family. Unfortunately we had a fire in the complex and we were all outside with the police and fire dept. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. Talking to neighbors thar I hadn;t seen for about 3 months. Presently getting old sucks.

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Trusted Social Butterfly

@4176jp wrote:

From losing one's memory, eyesight, hearing, digestion, mobility, et al- aging is a depressing phenomena that hits us all and the costs gets prohibitive! 

 

What is the worst thing about age and what can we change to make it better?

 

That it's difficult to realize that we're as old as we actually are?

 

 I always thought when i was much younger, in dealing with the elderly, that it was sad that the body seem to age but not the mind.

 

What can we change to make it better?...maybe attitude?


 

Never Look Down on Anybody...Unless You Are Helping Them Up. 🙂
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Contributor

getting dental help no dental insurance diebetic teeth fell out filling fell out,when diebetic  sugar was high now decayed, and missing teeth pain and no insurance and cant be seen dentist closed with this pandemic

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Honored Social Butterfly

My feet and/or ankles are stiff after a day of heavy exercise.   

 

Mentally, I just finished up a certificate in data science, and while I think some of it was harder for me to intuitively understand, harder than if I had been 25 or 30, it really was nice to be able to do it, and do it well.  Keep learning!

 

Otherwise, it's all good.  So far.  

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Periodic Contributor

The worst thing about getting old is having your family & good friends passing away.

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Trusted Contributor

Aches, pain of arthritis without a cure except surgery. Younger generations implying you have outlived your usefulness. Being ignored by many groups. Fears of falling eyesight failing. Fashion that's discontinued. Lots of things that are age related. I was looking for heart rate information for 80 year olds but I'm supposed that means 70 and above.

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Trusted Contributor

Arthritis, eyesight failing, blood pressure, losingthechnology skills and not understanding the new tech language, slowed down.

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Regular Contributor

I feel sad for you and wish you all the best for your future! I don't like a lot of things about getting old, but it beats the alternative for now ❤️

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Silver Conversationalist

I agree, getting old isn't the most wonderful I could think of to wish for but it sure does beat dying young. Uh oh, looks like that's an option I don't have anymore at this age though. I just remind myself that some days are better than others. That seems to help some.  😊



It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice.
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Regular Contributor

Of course it's younger people's perceptions of us! For example, As a military dependant, I shop at a commissary, where there are women who bag one's groceries, wheeling the cart to the car if desired. One day, my car was parked halfway up the lot. The woman pushing my cart asked why I didn't have a handicapped parking sign for my car. I'm 77, perfectly able to walk to and from the store. I replied that I wasn't handicapped. "But you're old!" At my next check-up, I asked the doctor how old I had to be to be handicapped--80, 85? She replied, "Be thankful you are still healthy. Walk your dog and be thankful."

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Regular Contributor

It is too sad that we all can't have the amazing, healthy, happy life that you have. Some of us as we get older are hit by event, after event, after event. It takes a toll on many of us. I used to be cute, funny and the life of the party.  I was known as giggles. I always found joy in everything I did. Losing everyone in my life except my teenage son, having to deal with the huge businesses and buildings that my husband and I had accumulated in our years, and the fact that is really no one to talk to about any of it anymore, has made me an extremely sad and lonely person.

Getting old is not for weaklings. there are days that I get up and find so much to be grateful for. Then, the next morning I have a building going into foreclosure because it's been on the market for 9 years and hasn't sold in my small community. Or a bill comes in but I don't have the money to pay for. Or, I find out a woman that has been closer than a sister could have been to me has stage 4 cancer. After a while with no one to tell me that everything's going to be okay, crying seems to be the only way to find relief.

I am so happy that you still have all the abilities to stay positive and to fully and completely enjoy life. Blessings on you always! I think everyone's final years should be as joyous as yours are.

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Silver Conversationalist

Virtual-Hug-GIF-Image-for-Whatsapp-and-Facebook-9

 I hope somebody calls you "Giggles" again and soon, Giggles!

🤭     



It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice.
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Periodic Contributor

I can relate to some of your post, I come from a large family and have lost most of them in the last thirteen years. So I just would like to have someone to talk to about it. Someone who loved them too. I don't want to bother my kids as they are also very sad about their uncles and aunts that are no longer here. Some days are ok, other days are really hard.
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Super Contributor

If I'm at VA, I wonder sometimes if I look as old to others as they do to me.  And then I think I'm too young to be this old.

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Regular Contributor

Being alone. Husband died. Son's heading off to a distant college.  I've never been alone. At 63, that's unpleasant 

One income household.  Husband died. No more SS from him. Still have bills. 

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Contributor

For me it's the deterioration of my skin. Easy bruising, dryness, tenderness are all unpleasant and irritating.

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Periodic Contributor

Losing mobility

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Bronze Conversationalist

When I read the question "What's the worst thing about getting old", my thought was "what a negative question".  It brought to mind the song by Bing Crosby:

Ac-cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
Eliminate the Negative
Latch on to the Affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between!

 

I finished my PhD at age 78.  I still run even though it's shorter distances than when I was younger; I write a weekly article for an international ezine, garden, care for my farm animals, volunteer at the library, and almost everything else I want to do.  Yes, I have health problems, but I've had them since I was a child - Chron's disease with most of my intestines removed, asthma, and more.  I deal with them and get on with my life.  Why think of the Worst thing about getting older when you can look at all the good things that older age can bring?  Oh, and my 80th birthday will be on July 31st.  Happy Birthday to Me!  

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Contributor

What a great way to look at this.  Thanks for that.

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Honored Social Butterfly

What an upbeat post @ip3285!  And Happy Birthday to YOU!!! in advance.

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Bronze Conversationalist

Thank you. I'll eat a piece of cake for you!
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Conversationalist

When, your grandkids say Grandma, you look different!  Do I?  How is that?  What's that hanging from your arm?  Oh, that, that's my extra skin, you need that as you get older.  How come you have a lot of spots?  I must be related to the cats, since my name is cat.  How come your hair is falling out?  It's like getting a whole new hairdo, you shape, it,cut it, spray it, and voila, your new look!  How come you always say, my aching joints?  Well, your bones tell you, they need nourishment, like making a smoothie with nuts and seeds, like Tahini Milk or Almond Milk.  You get to try more items, be creative to make more joints  moving to the groovin.  Hoe come you drink all those green drinks? Ahhhh, nutritious kale, spinach, parsley, cucumber, green leaf lettuce drinks!  Oh, those make you feel alive, give you strength, make your blood run smoother, oiling your machine,feeding your brain.

Grandma, I can't wait to be like you!!

 

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Regular Contributor

Great answers!

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Contributor

The loneleness.  Waking up alone, not having someone to share a smile with, hold hands, laugh at each others jokes and itamincy.

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Conversationalist

Do you have an iPad?  Or a phone? Because you can play with other people on games, text with them and enjoy life.  If you have a iPad, you can read books, yes, read books, get into another life reading them.

how about puzzles? there are hundreds of puzzles on an iPad!  All different kinds. 

Theres music, yes, music that you enjoy.  If you have kids, tell them to buy you an iPad and set it up for you.

theres  youtube, where you can listen to the forest while people go hiking.  Get some earphones too, it's a new world out there, and you will just get started.

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Trusted Contributor

All these things are very nice but some of us (me) are vulnerable to these charges and pop up ads by the time the ads are done loading I forgot what I logged on for

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Trusted Contributor

Amen

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Regular Contributor

Understand. Yet online dating has solved that for me. True, one must be careful, yet there are a lot of fine people and opportunities with dating sites.

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