There are many jokes around the Internet about old people. Well,
the fact is the population is getting older as the Boomers reach for their
pensions. So what can newbie seniors expect? Is it like those jokes? Yes,
partly, we know many people lose their hair; some need new teeth, glasses, all
those obvious things. They are grouchy and look forward to the early bird
special when in Florida but there are subtle things that are not obvious.
Libido is one and both sexes hope the pharmaceutical industry is busy searching
for pills to deal with it. Maybe it will work for some people, hopefully.
The aging body rewards a lifetime of abuse with pain in joints and muscles. The back and hips are often the first to go.
Replacing hips is a major industry these days. There is no replacement for a
back. Knees quickly follow requiring replacement in some cases. Otherwise we
struggle to deal with it and pills such as Aleve or Tylenal replace the
vitamins of our youth.
Muscles and ligaments are vulnerable to pain. They can be
hurt by accident but often in older age they become painful all by themselves.
Just pulling on a shirt can bring a hidden muscle into spasm. The sad part is
that the pain might go away but it will come back with very little persuasion. Have
you noticed leg cramps in bed? Ok, a glass of water before bed can prevent it
but then you have to visit the bathroom several times before dawn.
At some point seniors who survive the aches and pains are
invited to the Motor Vehicles office to prove they are fit to drive. They will
discover that the pleasant young testers are actually trying to convince the
candidates to give up driving. Why? Senior drivers are unusually careful and aggravatingly
slow on the highway and even when they do crash it is probably a mistake in a
parking lot.
The act of aging can only end one way and most people try to
put that off as long as possible. The body and its functions will run down quickly
or slowly but inevitably. Individuals who live longest watch their friends,
family and faculties vanish. That cannot be something to look forward to and my
suggestion for the newbies is to live it up for as long as possible. LOL.
PS The large font size is for the newbies.
