Saw this article in the Times about caring for infirm parents: click here
It was sad and made me ask: do we have "real" discussions with our children about caring for us when we get infirm?
I have only one child and he is in college - he had been in the military....He jokes that I need to stay in perfect health for at least another 10 years so he can have a life...also he was born when I was 39...another factor to take into account these days. many of my friends had kids when they were near or over 40 - meaning that our kids are still young when we are getting old....
I do know that if I were to be infirm, he'd do what he can to take care of me - and the dog and the cat - [he knows how attached I am to my animals] but it would be a burden to him....so we just joke about it. That's easy to do as we are both very healthy right now.....But....as I asked are we ready? For me"no" is the true answer....
Happy New Year to all
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
Growing and growing obese
We are entering a new generation of obesity and now it's not just adults who are obese - it is expected that the number of children who are obese will hit 20% by the year 2010 - that's only FOUR years from now.
I heard or read somewhere that we are reaching that stage in obesity where this or the next generation of children will NOT have a longer life span than the parents...
Not only is obesity bad in and of itself, it makes all other medical problems worse....
I've been blogging about healthier children for a while now and hope the readers of this blog are among those who will not have obese children...It is something parents have control over during the child's early years...and good nutrition early on can never be a bad choice...
Please watch what your children eat and make sure they get exercise.... and eat well yourself and set a good example - kids watch what we do not what we say : )
I heard or read somewhere that we are reaching that stage in obesity where this or the next generation of children will NOT have a longer life span than the parents...
Not only is obesity bad in and of itself, it makes all other medical problems worse....
I've been blogging about healthier children for a while now and hope the readers of this blog are among those who will not have obese children...It is something parents have control over during the child's early years...and good nutrition early on can never be a bad choice...
Please watch what your children eat and make sure they get exercise.... and eat well yourself and set a good example - kids watch what we do not what we say : )
Monday, August 21, 2006
My summer fun
What I did last summer : ) the 10 bridge 36 mile Portland Bridge Pedal. It can be done! I left the starting point about 7:30 and crossed the finish line about 4 hours later.... took some photos and stopped for water and fruit along the way. After crossing the finsih line I went over to the grass and took off my very wet shoes and socks - then met my son and celebrated with a great beer! Growing older can be fun.
Here are some photos:
boy did that beer hit the spot
Here are some photos:
boy did that beer hit the spot
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Summer - friends and kids
Having my son around and my schedule off a bit took some getting used to. Now we are both doing our own thing. He is working, playing and generally enjoying this part of the country - he'd never been here for more than a few days.
He's made new friends and caught up with some he knew from DC who now live out here. It made me stop and think again of friends. I stayed in touch with only one childhood friend - but she stayed in touch with others - so now some of us - the regular emailing types are back in touch.
I am in more frequent contact with friends from D.C. and a few from Vermont - but most from high school, college and graduate school days are gone. Sometimes I go onto the Internet doing searches and have found one or two but statistics say that "we" do not use the Internet as much as others - so are we never to get back in touch? I hope not...Many of my friends have moved around so it's hard to know where to look.
Hopefully some day we will all meet up here on the blog : ) or in general cyberspace.
But we all need friends - they keep us healthy - so if you lost contact with some from the past - make new ones wherever you are.
He's made new friends and caught up with some he knew from DC who now live out here. It made me stop and think again of friends. I stayed in touch with only one childhood friend - but she stayed in touch with others - so now some of us - the regular emailing types are back in touch.
I am in more frequent contact with friends from D.C. and a few from Vermont - but most from high school, college and graduate school days are gone. Sometimes I go onto the Internet doing searches and have found one or two but statistics say that "we" do not use the Internet as much as others - so are we never to get back in touch? I hope not...Many of my friends have moved around so it's hard to know where to look.
Hopefully some day we will all meet up here on the blog : ) or in general cyberspace.
But we all need friends - they keep us healthy - so if you lost contact with some from the past - make new ones wherever you are.
Friday, May 26, 2006
An experiment
My son, who has not lived at home in almost 10 years, is here for the summer between semesters. We had our obligatory arguments and actually we got his "space" organized his way. Luckily I have a separate structure known as a tenderhouse and he is happily settled in there. And now he is working part time and looking for more work to do.
I think I am lucky that we get along so well - but our long winded conversations - mainly about politics - have kept me up beyond my normal bedtimes and I am very off my exercise/work/fun schedule. I think we are past our rough spots and it will be fun and okay. But it's a learning experience. I teach about the lifespan and one newer topic is about grown children returning home. I shall have first hand experience about a piece of this - but I know it helps us both that there is a limited term to this arrangement. He will leave in mid August.
Having a child when you are older has some good points to it - I do things most others my age do not - because we had done them together - like skiing, working out, eating well..all the things have previously mentioned about how to grow older better. Although I read of women in their 50's and 60's getting pregnant; it is not anything I would suggest. If you did not have a child in your late 30's or in your 40's....find a child to play with - teens are okay but well they are teens - or find a young adult and go biking - hanging out with youth will help you grow older better....
I think I am lucky that we get along so well - but our long winded conversations - mainly about politics - have kept me up beyond my normal bedtimes and I am very off my exercise/work/fun schedule. I think we are past our rough spots and it will be fun and okay. But it's a learning experience. I teach about the lifespan and one newer topic is about grown children returning home. I shall have first hand experience about a piece of this - but I know it helps us both that there is a limited term to this arrangement. He will leave in mid August.
Having a child when you are older has some good points to it - I do things most others my age do not - because we had done them together - like skiing, working out, eating well..all the things have previously mentioned about how to grow older better. Although I read of women in their 50's and 60's getting pregnant; it is not anything I would suggest. If you did not have a child in your late 30's or in your 40's....find a child to play with - teens are okay but well they are teens - or find a young adult and go biking - hanging out with youth will help you grow older better....
Monday, May 08, 2006
Living Longer and Better
If we can live longer - do we want to? The answer for me is - it depends on my health and well being. If I am up and about, reading, able to walk my dog and continue exercising - well yes then I want to live as long as is possible.
How do I ensure that my quality of life will stay good? By preparing for it everyday. Back in the 60's there was a saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life." It's as good a sentence today as it was back then - maybe even a better one for this century as we need to compensate for the toxins we have added to the environment since the 60's.
I heard that people with Alzeheimer's have metal toxins in their bodies...as do kids with autism and ADD... Why not? It's in the air, the soil and hence the food we eat. Can we start geting rid of it in our bodies? Sure we can.. There are products that help cleanse our systems of these toxins - but we need to be more proactive and work on stopping the continuation of this toxicity.
How do I ensure that my quality of life will stay good? By preparing for it everyday. Back in the 60's there was a saying "today is the first day of the rest of your life." It's as good a sentence today as it was back then - maybe even a better one for this century as we need to compensate for the toxins we have added to the environment since the 60's.
I heard that people with Alzeheimer's have metal toxins in their bodies...as do kids with autism and ADD... Why not? It's in the air, the soil and hence the food we eat. Can we start geting rid of it in our bodies? Sure we can.. There are products that help cleanse our systems of these toxins - but we need to be more proactive and work on stopping the continuation of this toxicity.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
New Readings
The other day I read an article that raised the possibility of our living to 150! That we are living longer is clear - but how long the human body can ultimately live is an open question - but one that needs study.
We have begun welcoming the so-called "baby boomers" into the aging adult group. What will we call the group of us who are living well past 100? Or those of us over 65 who are still active? How about the over 75's ? Elderly is now seen as a "bad" word - Senior citizens? Honored citizens? Why have names for groups at all? All names carry baggage in that they come with fairly negative connotations.
So what will today's baby boomers be called in 25 years? Elderly baby boomers? [ugh] Sometimes I wonder why we just can't call ages by the numbers : ) Are we afraid the number might scare readers and make advertisers avoid that group?
Then I read that the increased need for oxygen in sedentary adults in their 60's and 70's to perform the same exercise as a younger person is not a given. This result was changed by - guess what? regular exercise.
So putting 2 and 2 together - we can live longer and we can live better - but we need to take some control over our own beings.
Food for thought.
We have begun welcoming the so-called "baby boomers" into the aging adult group. What will we call the group of us who are living well past 100? Or those of us over 65 who are still active? How about the over 75's ? Elderly is now seen as a "bad" word - Senior citizens? Honored citizens? Why have names for groups at all? All names carry baggage in that they come with fairly negative connotations.
So what will today's baby boomers be called in 25 years? Elderly baby boomers? [ugh] Sometimes I wonder why we just can't call ages by the numbers : ) Are we afraid the number might scare readers and make advertisers avoid that group?
Then I read that the increased need for oxygen in sedentary adults in their 60's and 70's to perform the same exercise as a younger person is not a given. This result was changed by - guess what? regular exercise.
So putting 2 and 2 together - we can live longer and we can live better - but we need to take some control over our own beings.
Food for thought.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Snow winter and adulthood
When I was a child I loved loved loved snow...I remember the great snow storm of 1947 in NYC - which was just surpassed in 2006.... I loved running around in the snow, building snow forts and having snow ball fights.
This love of snow and winter took me to New England where I continued to love winters and lived through the blizzard of 1978.
Then many years later I went back to New England and started to dislike snowy winters..After a very cold spell out here in Oregon I think I have figured it out and it has to do with growing up and with the economy...
In New York and D.C. the snow did not stay on the ground very long. And in NYC my parents paid the heating bills and as all the moms in my area were stay-at-home types no one was concerned with snow days.
In Boston, there was snow but heating costs were low and except for the blizzard of 1978 - it was never a problem to get around.
In D.C. the snow is rarely around for any length of time and usually in small amounts. People there still panic at the thought of 1/2 inch so anything around one inch is a major emergency. But it melts quickly.
Then came Vermont - many winters lasted from September through June - or at least one needed the heat on at times during those months. And the snow? If it came in October or November it was on the ground until April and May.
As a skier I could go skiing but sometimes it was so so cold it was frostbite weather. Also the costs of heating had increased and as the adult I had to do the shoveling and shoveling and shoveling....
Now that I am on the other coast - I can go to the snow when I choose and I do that. Mt. Hood is pretty close, covered with snow and gorgeous! And when I get home, it may get cold and it may get very cold - but I know I won't have to wake up to the idea of shoveling two feet of snow in the morning. Yes the cost of heating is high but not as high as the East coast and winters here are shorter.
In my advancing older age I see now that my love of snow was the ability to go out and play in it - miss school because of it - but not to have to shovel it months on end.
I still love winter but have given up on the idea that I want to live in a very winter kind of place. The people who do that have my admiration....it's hard to deal with snow, ice and bitter cold for months on end... Maybe there is some good that comes of all that - but in my adulthood I have learned it is no longer my thing - it was a part of my childhood and my early adulthood and I can finally give up what I see now was a youthful fantasy - one I no longer wish to re-do.
This love of snow and winter took me to New England where I continued to love winters and lived through the blizzard of 1978.
Then many years later I went back to New England and started to dislike snowy winters..After a very cold spell out here in Oregon I think I have figured it out and it has to do with growing up and with the economy...
In New York and D.C. the snow did not stay on the ground very long. And in NYC my parents paid the heating bills and as all the moms in my area were stay-at-home types no one was concerned with snow days.
In Boston, there was snow but heating costs were low and except for the blizzard of 1978 - it was never a problem to get around.
In D.C. the snow is rarely around for any length of time and usually in small amounts. People there still panic at the thought of 1/2 inch so anything around one inch is a major emergency. But it melts quickly.
Then came Vermont - many winters lasted from September through June - or at least one needed the heat on at times during those months. And the snow? If it came in October or November it was on the ground until April and May.
As a skier I could go skiing but sometimes it was so so cold it was frostbite weather. Also the costs of heating had increased and as the adult I had to do the shoveling and shoveling and shoveling....
Now that I am on the other coast - I can go to the snow when I choose and I do that. Mt. Hood is pretty close, covered with snow and gorgeous! And when I get home, it may get cold and it may get very cold - but I know I won't have to wake up to the idea of shoveling two feet of snow in the morning. Yes the cost of heating is high but not as high as the East coast and winters here are shorter.
In my advancing older age I see now that my love of snow was the ability to go out and play in it - miss school because of it - but not to have to shovel it months on end.
I still love winter but have given up on the idea that I want to live in a very winter kind of place. The people who do that have my admiration....it's hard to deal with snow, ice and bitter cold for months on end... Maybe there is some good that comes of all that - but in my adulthood I have learned it is no longer my thing - it was a part of my childhood and my early adulthood and I can finally give up what I see now was a youthful fantasy - one I no longer wish to re-do.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Adultness
What are adults? Grown up children? Boring entities? Hmmm....Guess it depends on who is defining them.
When you were 10 - how old were your parents? Did you think of them as "old?" How old are you now? Is it near that age? And do you see yourself as old?
A friend of mine is turning 75 in March - I just had a birthday. We were talking about how old we were and why it seems so strange that our kids have aged but we had not - even tho we met 43 years ago! Yes - 43 years have gone by and there are markers to indicate that - but are we old? older? We laugh about this - it's an annual giggle - almost always on my and her birthday. It's become our January/March ritual.
I've re-connected with people I was friends with as a child and some from previous work situations - we all feel we are in better shape mentally and physically than we were way back when.. and looking at some old photos - it does seem true. Many of us have moved into different careers and lives than we had 30 and 40 years ago. Some of us have kids in their 20's and some have grandkids in their 20's.... at one point in our lives we shared a lot of similarities but now we live very different lives and do not have as much in common.
Yes adults do change - and we continue growing and changing - so after many years - there is a greater difference between adults of the same age than between children of the same age...
When you were 10 - how old were your parents? Did you think of them as "old?" How old are you now? Is it near that age? And do you see yourself as old?
A friend of mine is turning 75 in March - I just had a birthday. We were talking about how old we were and why it seems so strange that our kids have aged but we had not - even tho we met 43 years ago! Yes - 43 years have gone by and there are markers to indicate that - but are we old? older? We laugh about this - it's an annual giggle - almost always on my and her birthday. It's become our January/March ritual.
I've re-connected with people I was friends with as a child and some from previous work situations - we all feel we are in better shape mentally and physically than we were way back when.. and looking at some old photos - it does seem true. Many of us have moved into different careers and lives than we had 30 and 40 years ago. Some of us have kids in their 20's and some have grandkids in their 20's.... at one point in our lives we shared a lot of similarities but now we live very different lives and do not have as much in common.
Yes adults do change - and we continue growing and changing - so after many years - there is a greater difference between adults of the same age than between children of the same age...
Monday, January 16, 2006
Changes
Do adults keep changing? Of course they do..it's only our kids who don't like us to change and that's only when they are youngish.
Can't teach an old dog new tricks? Nonsense. Who said that? Probably some young person who was mad at his parents or teachers and saw them as "stuck." Some people are stuck - but they need not be old - they can be very young.... Being 'stuck' is an issue n matter how old you are...
How about "You're never too old to learn"? I like that one better...after all I was a therapist and you can't do that if you think people are not capable of changing...
So why do many think of older adults as stuck and incapable of learning? Probably somewhere they met an older person who was not interested in change. Well - whether or not you are open to change is a personal choice. I personally believe that openness is a quality to encourage but I understand those who do not like change. When people get older they seem less able to adapt to major changes. I'm not sure if that is true only of those 90-year-olds I knew or knew of or if it's a 90-year-old "thing." But it has led me to discuss those issues with my son and it has led me to keep on learning and trying to keep up with newer technology.
Next on my toy list is an I Pod : )
Can't teach an old dog new tricks? Nonsense. Who said that? Probably some young person who was mad at his parents or teachers and saw them as "stuck." Some people are stuck - but they need not be old - they can be very young.... Being 'stuck' is an issue n matter how old you are...
How about "You're never too old to learn"? I like that one better...after all I was a therapist and you can't do that if you think people are not capable of changing...
So why do many think of older adults as stuck and incapable of learning? Probably somewhere they met an older person who was not interested in change. Well - whether or not you are open to change is a personal choice. I personally believe that openness is a quality to encourage but I understand those who do not like change. When people get older they seem less able to adapt to major changes. I'm not sure if that is true only of those 90-year-olds I knew or knew of or if it's a 90-year-old "thing." But it has led me to discuss those issues with my son and it has led me to keep on learning and trying to keep up with newer technology.
Next on my toy list is an I Pod : )
Friday, January 06, 2006
Still growing :)
Oh well - the best laid plans etc... This adult took a mental sabbatical from blogging...I started working out and playing squash again and so forgot how to fit everything into a day...and then a friend from D.C. was in town and skiing took over - and more squash - plus a vacation to the Olympic Peninsula...
How did I ever fit in everything when I was in graduate school or law school? It seemed so easy then. And during law school I had work, a child at home as well as two dogs and two cats. Is it aging? I'm not sure...so much has changed for me in the last two years...maybe I've just slowed down to enjoy the scenery more. That's one I will have to really think about this year.
Anyway I promised myself [and my blogs] that I would be a better [ie more regular] blogger.
How are you growing this year? What new activities are you engaged in? What old ones have you re-started?
Let's keep the growth in the cognitive/artistic/athletic spheres and not the weight area....
That's a topic for another day.
Ciao
How did I ever fit in everything when I was in graduate school or law school? It seemed so easy then. And during law school I had work, a child at home as well as two dogs and two cats. Is it aging? I'm not sure...so much has changed for me in the last two years...maybe I've just slowed down to enjoy the scenery more. That's one I will have to really think about this year.
Anyway I promised myself [and my blogs] that I would be a better [ie more regular] blogger.
How are you growing this year? What new activities are you engaged in? What old ones have you re-started?
Let's keep the growth in the cognitive/artistic/athletic spheres and not the weight area....
That's a topic for another day.
Ciao
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