Outlook in our eighties?

win

Graunty7

The positive thing about dementia I’ve realised is you don’t know you’ve got it and if you are in a nice safe place it can be managed.

Don't you believe it, some don't but some certainly do and suffer greatly.

How true Win My friends father took his life when he was going through a lucid period 😥

Graunty7 you clearly know very little about dementia!
For many people and their families dementia is a devastating, destructive disease of the brain.
I know from both personal experience, nursing my husband and from observing the progression of the illness in others known to me.
There really are no words to describe the awfulness of this terrible illness.

I am still confused about Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Old Age Senility. My darling mother had the last one, I think. She was forgetful. I was the youngest of 9. She remembered all their names, albeit, in the wrong order, but just couldn’t remember me. ‘And then, there was a girl’……….bless her .
She was lucky to have been looked after by my bachelor brother, who, when his turn came, had to go to a Nursing Home.
There are times when I worry about the future. Atm I am ok.

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crazyH

I am still confused about Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Old Age Senility. My darling mother had the last one, I think. She was forgetful. I was the youngest of 9. She remembered all their names, albeit, in the wrong order, but just couldn’t remember me. ‘And then, there was a girl’……….bless her .
She was lucky to have been looked after by my bachelor brother, who, when his turn came, had to go to a Nursing Home.
There are times when I worry about the future. Atm I am ok.

.

Dementia is a generic term for a range of mental problems in old age characterised by a loss of memory and confusion.

Alzheimers is one of the illnesses where the main symptom is dementia. There are other forms of dementia. Many people have vascular dementia and there rae other very rare dieases that cause dementia. Old age senility is an old fashioned term for 'dementia'. It is a long time since I heard anyone described as suffering from senility.

I keave others to refine my definitions

At 81 I’m the oldest person on my family tree, going back hundreds of years. It’s not genetics which killed off my family but lifestyle. Drinking, smoking, inactivity and cancers associated with bad habits. My siblings, parents and three grandparents were all dead before seventy.

Blossoming💐

Romola

Yesterday I asked Google translate for a Latin version of my motto:

Dum possum, facio

Which, for those of you who have forgotten any Latin they ever knew, means, while I can, I do. And that's how I try to live.

Sounds similar to the tenor Placido Domingo’s motto:
“If I rest, I rust”.
He carries on singing (though some say he should stop😁) and conducting (same) in his eighties.
So I carry on singing (79 next month), painting and travelling.
I put my favourite pop songs on, dance round the sitting room
and try not to think about the future…🤞🙏🏻

Physical activity and a new hobby that opens new pathways (learning a practical skill, instrument, language, etc.) makes a significant impact, as does exercise.
Go for a walk each day and find a new hobby.

Blossoming

Not something I have to worry about, I’m not going to reach my eighties.

Same here.

I'm a great believer in the longterm health benefits of fresh air , good diet and good sleep. The older we get (80 this year) the more important it is to eat and sleep right. We sleep in fresh air every night, window open, cold room, cosy bed. DH and the dog have walked 2000 miles in the past year, every day in all weathers; he also rows skiffs. We both have outdoor volunteer jobs and I have an allotment.

butterandjam

I'm a great believer in the longterm health benefits of fresh air , good diet and good sleep. The older we get (80 this year) the more important it is to eat and sleep right. We sleep in fresh air every night, window open, cold room, cosy bed. DH and the dog have walked 2000 miles in the past year, every day in all weathers; he also rows skiffs. We both have outdoor volunteer jobs and I have an allotment.

Hear, hear. Recent research has shown that sleeping in a bedroom of 14 degrees or less can also help to prevent dementia.
I’m in Perth, currently about 5 outside. Window and balcony door open, room temp about 12. Lovely, thick duvet. Best of both worlds.

My cousin retired and set off around the country, then Australia and Italy and onwards. She spent her retirement lump sum and an inheritance.

Then out of the blue some kind of episode sent her reeling and she fell badly. It has taken years to recover, so yes, go while you can and can afford.

I cannot get my DH out of the chair and I would love to, but after a really bad experience in a Portuguese airport he will not fly again, so I would say if you are single, or your DH is willing, do get going.

Blossoming and Fancyflowers 😍🥰

It’s so long since I’ve flown that I am too daunted by airports to want to tackle one on my own now, and I tire quickly with luggage on trains and with driving for more than an hour or so these days, so my travels are limited but I have some short breaks lined up and am happy to explore on my own. Maybe I’ll consider a cruise with a company like Saga who will pick you up but they are not cheap. So I’d want to be sure it was right for me. Now that the weather is better I definitely want to get out more.

Cabbie21: If I undertake a journey by rail on my own, I book Passenger Assistance which works really well. Help is provided to assist with boarding or changing trains with lovely staff to meet you and carry luggage.

CrazyH
My closest friend was the lead on a team educating care workers in care homes on all the different aspects of Alzheimer’s/ dementia.
This piece gives an insight to the different aspects of this awful disease.
Also it might help others caring for loved ones who haven’t been informed on so many small changes can help.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/living-with-dementia/home-environment/

Ashcombe, my local station is unstaffed, with steps to one platform. I can manage them, but it is hard work. No assistance available unfortunately.

Graunty7

The positive thing about dementia I’ve realised is you don’t know you’ve got it and if you are in a nice safe place it can be managed.

Exactly how I feel.

True, pretty harrowing, draining and isolating for loved ones caring for that person in a safe place, though.

It’s a vicious form of disease and the sooner new treatments come on stream, the better.

At 88 I am slowing down, no real problems, just taking longer to do things and to get over things.
I had a really bad cold in December and a chest infection two weeks ago and recovery is taking longer than it used to.
However I am still 40ish in my head and generally enjoying life.
Long living families on both side apart from my Father who died at 49.
His mother and sisters all lived into 80/90s and my mother reached 101 and her siblings again reached late 80s and one early 90s .
I come from good stock.

I am not sure how to respond to those who say they will not reach 80. Is it because they are a short lived family, is it because they have a progressive disease, or is it because death is imminent?

None of us can be sure how long we will live. My sister never expected to die at 45. But we can make the most of the life we have. There are those over 80 who would prefer not to have lived so long. All we can do is say that ualty and uantity do not necessarily go together.

Meant to say I cared for my H who had Alzheimer’s for over 10 years until he died when I was 81.
That did take a mental and physical toll but I did get over that.

CrazyH: "I am still confused about Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Old Age Senility. My darling mother had the last one, I think. She was forgetful"

We all experience our bodies ageing and that includes our brain cells. Dementia however is a progressive condition caused by specific brain cell damage- some treatments can help manage symptoms. Dementia predominantly affects people over 65 (if younger described as early onset D) and the risk of occurrence doubles every 5 years. High blood pressure, smoking, obesity and inactivity increases the risk of D- these are things that can be managed separately to reduce risk factors and help prevent vascular dementia.

I in 14 people over 65 approximately will develop D in UK. women are more commonly affected than men- largely because they live longer! Senility- is just a loose term to describe progressive cognitive decline - not much used in health care now- as the focus is diagnosis of Dementia- its type and stage so the relevant treatments- where available- can be started.

There are various types e.g
1) Alzheimer's Disease- the most common involving protein build up in the brain cells
2) Vascular dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain
3) Lewy body Dementia- characterised by abnormal protein deposits
4) Frontotemporal dementia- affects brain lobes associated with personality and behaviour
5) Mixed dementia - a combination of 2 or more types

The progressive (usually over years) nature of D is key. Early stage signs might be subtle memory and thinking issues- followed by increased confusion, difficulty with every day tasks and needing prompts. Late stage requires full time care with loss of most cognitive skills. If diagnosed at early stage there are now some medications that can slow the progression.

Currently there is no known cure for Dementia but D research is thought to be entering a transformative era- moving from managing symptoms to developing disease-modifying therapies DMT- with many trials currently making significant break throughs. Most significant is the approval and clinical application of mononuclear therapies that target amyloid (protein) plaques in the brain to prevent build up.

Cabbie21 Do you make plans, or just live from day to day?

I'm not one to plan, no bucket list.

I'm over 80, I push myself to walk several miles daily, stay active, eat well. I refuse being unable to unload groceries, decorate, garden, travel.

Thanks all.
Norah - you walk several miles daily ? Wow wow wow !!!