Age

I have a lady in my village who is a sprightly 105 yr-old. She is incredible. She belongs to the WI. I was looking at her the other night and thinking, she looks perhaps 80. I think I should start a sweepstake on her being the oldest person in the world eventually.

At 92 DF was still a busy committee member on several local organisations. When his short final illness started DS and I were issuing regular bulletins to spokes people in each group. He was still effective enough for his MP to attend his funeral. He lived alone and managed very well with no more help than cleaners. He did all his own gardening and regularly drove 100 miles to visit me and DS.

This weekend I am also attending several birthday parties for a friend who will be 100 on Monday. She is still an active member of a committee I serve on. She lives independently, although, after having broken both hips over the last few years, she does have carers come and help her get up and go to bed. She only stopped driving after she broke her second hip.

I am 71 I have spent the better part of the last few days clearing a large overgrown hedgerow that borders our house. DH has been on the chain saw but I have been active with loppers, hand saw and carting away the cleared material. I have every intention of emulating my father. So, decline in one 70s? Not if I can avoid it.

Now I am worried, I am 70 on Monday and delighted to of got to this age, will I wake up Tuesday morning to find things are missing!!!

Thinking about it, it might be partly in the mind. During the week I was on holiday with grandsons, I was actually winning some of the walking races. And eight year old was heard to say, "Granny is fast, isn't she!"

Perhaps all is not lost.

Not demented Galen! And nothing will actually fall off.

That's all I'm saying.

No. But when you are 71...

I have watched people quite carefully, I suppose I have always been an observer, and I think that, in the main, it's over 70s that seem to suddenly go downhill. It seemed to hit my mother at 74. She seemed to shrink all of a sudden. However my stepfather is 78 and looks fit as a fiddle and much younger, most unfair. It varies hugely, but 70 does seem to be the average, I feel. I do know a fair few people in their mid 60s who have aged horribly, usually due to living with pain or stress.

As for the smokers - well. One of my younger sisters smokes and she looks dreadful and acts far older, even with my arthritis I can get around faster than she can and I have nowhere near as many wrinkles.

70 in December!
Does that mean I'll go more demented overnight and bits will fall off

I have had health problems all my life, from birth. It hangs over me every day. So those of you who have been fit and healthy all your life until you have got into your 70's, think yourself lucky.

As for dementia, being too much fuss being made about it Tricia, when you have someone who appears to be starting to be affected by this awful condition, it is not something to be taken lightly. To see a strong, quick -witted, intelligent man go to being confused, upset and very worried is not making a fuss. It is heartbreaking.

It's loss of strength and stamina, with me.

Perhaps I had better walk into town and buy a wretched pedometer!

I think it's right that it happens around 70 and the main symptom is that whatever it is, isn't cured by a good night's sleep. But so what? Toujours gai, girls.

It's o.k., you haven't . But I don't think age matters at all.
What matters is attitude. Some people seem old at 40.
I feel no different to how I felt 30, 40, 50 years ago, just creakier in the joints and back, that's all.
I regard it as a bonus to have survived to be almost 77.

I agree about 70 Jingles - that's when my body started seriously cracking up.
I shouldn't complain though, fingers crossed it's stable at the moment (apart from the hernia.)
As for dementia etc, sounds to me as if too much fuss is being made - I believe there are tests given now to see if you're losing it or not - I don't want to know!

I'm sorry if I've just depressed most of the retirees in the UK. Or even the world.

It kicks in around 70+. Anyone who hasn't got there yet - just wait. It's a bugger. And it's not all in the head.

But surely it doesn't matter how 'young at heart', 'fit and healthy', 'lively and full of energy' we might be, we are getting older. Why does it matter so much? Why do we need to redefine age as in '40 is the new 30' or whatever? I really don't get it. I'm getting old, so what?

Saga go for 50.
IMO ten years older than your current age.
However the various body bits that don't function so well say otherwise.

That bags

As the saying goes,it's all in the head. Never mind what the mirror tells you, DW is over 60 and she is full of beans organizing everybody. Keep on doing what you are doing, a lot of us can show the "young" a clean pair of heels, in lots of things.

I thought age began at birth. DGC very clearly have ages.

I'm not elderly and I'm 68. I'm middle aged but if I ever, heaven forbid, need mental health care I would be sent to the Psycho-geriatric team!

Some of the outrage about age and aging on here makes me laugh too, galen. Send your DD a link to EmbraceAge FB page and tell her to get over herself

An old colleague of mine has started a home cleaning business, she gives really good discounts for the 'elderly' I asked her what she considers as elderly. She replied that according to Age Concern it is over 55 - yikes.

Her indignation made me laugh!

Oh heavens, Galen, now you've started something! The age thing is so very hard to define. (Inside I feel somewhere in my twenties or thirties, but the mirror tells a different tale)

I suppose we should be glad that we get all these things (inc smear tests, mammograms etc) for nothing, unlike other countries where the service either doesn't exist or has to be paid for.

My darling daughter is very upset to be invited to a five yearly health check for people aged 40-74
She is very upset to be bracketed with an age group that includes me!
She's just 40 this year!