Getting old is pure torture for many
Unless a health problem early in life presents a debilitating handicap, the time comes when old age overwhelms you and getting about is agony. My dad would always say, “It’s torture to get old.” I never gave a thought of what he meant. I was young and healthy, running around like a monkey in the jungle whooping it up jumping from tree to tree.
I find myself at 69 years of age starting to deal with health issues and understanding his meaning. The older you get, recovering from illness is very difficult because the old body and its resistance has weakened. Walking long distance for the elders has its limit and they’re looking desperately for a chair to rest those legs and lungs. Oxygen may be attached to their nose. Getting in and out of the car is like climbing into or out of a bread box.
The older you get the more you inflate. Added poundage of weight lends itself to the problem of aging. It’s getting to the point of huffing and puffing like an old-time steam locomotive. Listening to conversation is like trying to hear someone from a far distance. It’s time for a hearing aid or lip-reading classes. You undergo memory loss. You can hide your own eggs for an Easter egg hunt and look for them because you can’t remember where you put them.
It’s a must to have a cane, walker or motor chair. Some elderly do without those assists and walking is like dragging two bowling balls chained to their ankles. Those bone joints have difficulty with movement as if they’re bonded with crazy glue. Walking from the living room to the bathroom is time consuming. Falls are the most common injury. Half of the elderly enter nursing homes for that very reason. Getting very old is like learning how to ride a bicycle. You go for a while, lose your balance, fall and crash! Coughing feels like your lungs are trying to come out of your mouth. Chewing on steak or a juicy crisp apple is agony for those with false teeth or the few teeth remaining. Now it’s apple sauce and hot dogs. Don’t even consider the use of Viagra, heart pills are more important. To quote Hippocrates, “Let particular food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
Driving an automobile is dangerous for the elderly because they can’t see well or react promptly. An elderly person had an auto accident and the policeman said, “Didn’t you see that vehicle pulling out?” The elderly person replied, “I didn’t see it.” The policeman’s reply was, “How could you not see that yellow school bus?”
The “Golden Years” of old age are more like the “Dark Ages” of medieval times. Coping with old age is to have something favorable to deal with. Not only does it enable you to desire a long life but it helps you to endure the struggling steps along the way. The favorable answers are consistent communication and entertaining activities with family, church, and organizations that promote you to put up with annoying health hazards. Loving grandchildren are engaging and a dearly determent from depressive aging complications. What elder hasn’t prayed to God for better health? You can’t pray or wish yourself out of something that was inevitable and unavoidable. You’re over-used and worn out like the brake pads on a driving instructor’s automobile.
When we boldly embrace the inescapable certainty of old age problems, we’ll accept poor health elements for the insidious invaders they are. Winding down like an old clock, elders are not the whole of themselves. Their caretakers are the majority of him or her. I’m fearful of getting very old because my children may request to put me in a “care home” and I’ll find myself hollering, “Nurse! Can I have apple sauce, oatmeal, and a bed pan?”
Gary Shaporka is a resident of Jefferson Township, Fayette County.
PS-Mr. O’Keefe, I would be very grateful if the entire article can be printed. I worked very hard on its content. Thank you so much.