Have we stopped ageing?

I agree with the above. Almost all of my friends work in the care sector, and we already have our share of bad backs, knees, and joints.

I'm still working a 2 day week (offered by my boss) but its an office job which I enjoy and I've chosen to stay on after my aloted government retirement age (63 & 3/4).
I worry about my younger siblings who have much more physical jobs and one works shifts, they both have some joint problems.
Don't understand why they have to work until they're 66 - 67 when there are youngsters out there looking for work.

The Government need to look at what sort of work people are doing, a more physical job will not be possible for some people as they get older and is probably the reason why so many have to claim disability, they're made to work until they're worn out.

I loved my job but retired at 66 as was getting tired and irritable - although only doing a 3 day work my quality of life was such that I knew it was time to go. I do occasional child minding for grandchildren and yesterday looked after 2 year old for a few hours - I was shattered - it was too much for me although wanted to do it - it made me realise that you cant do at 70 what you did at 60.

I'm sure lots of us help out and enjoy it and still learn to say 'no' sometimes MissA I'm talking about those others....

I certainly read some where I think grandparents are taken advantage of!! Surely part of staying young and feeling well means learning to say 'No' sometimes?

Is that last post just information or is it advertising?

Riverwalk I agree about those ovev 60s I know personally - like your acquaintances, they certainly 'earn their keep' but there's an awful lot on this forum (for grandparents!!) who throw their hands up in horror at the thought of helping with childcare etc.. saying it's all too much/exhausting/I've done my bit.

I'm sure we've all read those threads where they feel they are being 'taken advantage of'

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Anya going by the over 60s that I know, and from reading Gransnet, there aren't that many having a work-free retirement.

Those not in paid employment are caring for parents, sick partners, and grandchildren. I never cease to be amazed at the amount of childcare that is routinely done by grans on here.

So they may not be getting a salary but they're certainly earning their keep.

Curiously, at 74 , my eyesight is much better than it was at 60. For most of my life I was very shortsighted but in my 60s cataracts meant that my natural lenses were replaced with new plastic prescription lenses so goodbye glasses, except for driving and distance viewing.

The only changes I have noticed are a bit of stiffness and decline in stamina. perfectly normal signs of aging and I just work with them. Pilates and flexibility exercises to keep me mobile and pacing myself and planning my life to match my energy levels. Mentally I am not aware of any decline, mainly, I think, because I am still involved with a lot of intellectually challenging activities.

One problem is that so few of the experts talking about ageing have personally experienced it. I'm interested to see how many others here feel there must be something wrong with them, because they tire more easily and have vague aches and pains.
You are not alone!

Seems that some our 'generation' is always on about young people and their sense of entitlement and yet those same people seem to think they are entitled to a long, work-free retirement themselves.

My 'children' will have no choice but to work until they're 68 to draw a state pension, unless they somehow have a decent work pension. With so many final salary pensions now withdrawn that's increasingly a thing of the past.

It's not all about us. Think of the generations to come.

I retired at 62 and have since been providing childcare for my grandchildren and daily care for my Dad who has Alzheimer's and lives alone 10 miles away. Not sure if I could fit in employment as well. ?

I'm lucky at 70 I'm still fit and healthy, like blm I do yoga and meditate. I also swim several times each week and love gardening. In fact I am healthier now that when I was working mainly due to the fact that my work was largely sedentary. On the other hand I do find that after my weeky day looking after my very lively 2 year old GD which does include 1hr drives there and back are exhausting . I am just so thankful that I am fit enough to do them.

My mum born 1924, worked, by choice until she was 74. She then took up walking.
I also took up walking in my 50's. Many of our walkers are into their late 70's and some over 80, but the oldest who is in the other even faster walking group and he is, astonishingly, 95. Yes its true. Not joking. Really. And fit.
I know there are many other people in the same age group not so fit which is sad, but what all these people have in common is that they have always been active. Me on the other hand took it up late. and though quite a bIt younger some of the over 80's are fitter And still cheerfully overtake me as i puff up the hills.

My DH says I am a "medical phenomena", I worked until 73 as an agency Nurse, working most weeks three days, I loved it and didnt want to stop, but thought I might as well do other things while I can, and I do, I am in good health and travel a lot, and certainly dont feel 76 in a few months, I travel back and forth to the UK from Sweden where I live, love Airports and the excitement there, I hope things dont go down hill for a while yet. I love rushing around, and never go to bed until after midnight, mind you I dont get up until 9am! There maybe a motto there!

I work in care, so will probably end up lifting around people the same age as myself..

Is it fear of becoming redundant that people fear age? that they may become useless and a burden [certainly it is for me].
All the other noughts haven't fazed me in the least - I'm 70 next year and am dreading it. It feels really old.
I'm in excellent health, don't take any pills, am flexible and mobile and yet... I find I get tired very easily. If i do a lot during the week, it takes me more than just the weekend doing "nothing" [apart from cooking, washing etc.] to recover. I'm asleep by 9ish, and find it hard to motivate myself to do anything.
I am so sad for my DCs and the younger ones having to work until they die.
We mustn't forget that farming, labouring work is hard and people wear out. DH helps people filling in forms for Attendance Allowance at our local Age Concern and is always surprised at how young a lot of the applicants are [we live in a rural community]. I keep on reminding him that labouring is jolly hard.

I am shocked at how simple things tire me out at 77.
My mother and my mother in law both lived well into their nineties, and were looking after themselves almost to the end...washing, dressing, taking part in preparing meals, handling entertainment, and I had looked on this as the norm.
I really can't see myself being as independent as they were in twenty years

I couldn't agree with you more. For every 60 year old who is as fit as a flea there's another who's really feeling her age. Perhaps they're trying to make those of who are happily retired to feel guilty for not still pushing ourselves off to work? I feel reasonably all right but I know I'm slower mentally and am more forgetful. Those stairs feel steeper, I've more aches and pains etc, etc. I feel like telling them where to get off.

Anyone who thinks we aren't as old as 'old ladies' were in the 50s or 60s, should ask a child of the age we were when we formed our impression of what an 'old lady' looks like. My granny used to wear directoire knickers that came down to knee level, plus a girdle, if not a corset - I certainly wouldn't have dreamt of asking her. She also wore tweed skirts, and commonly wore a hat indoors, as well as a hairnet. She was 52 when I was born. As far as I was concerned she's always been old, and had lived her whole life before I was born in black and white. I've no doubt my young grandchildren feel the same about me, though maybe not about the black and white. When I recently revisited some of my wedding photographs from 1976 I was amazed to see how young some of my 'elderly' relatives looked - only their clothes and hairstyles were old-fashioned, as indeed were everybody else's. As we age, so do our friends, and it is so gradual we don't notice that immediately. And we may live longer, but that's because of better nutrition, public health, and medical treatment with the advent of the NHS, as well as tireless research into ways of reducing mortality at every stage of life. 'They' are just trying to convince us we're still young because there isn't enough money to pay for pensions in an ageing population. We're healthier, yes, but just as old as people our age ever were.

I don't see the problem in slowing down and taking things easier if that's what is needed, or even just wanted. I have no intention of not ageing, just because experts say I shouldn't.

This is all a wicked plot to keep us in the employment market until we drop. I was a teacher and it is now much more a young persons game. I was part time for the final 3 years of my career and still exhausted at the end of a day. I love being retired, am very active and support elderly mother and grandchildren. Who will do all that when we're all working until we're ancient? Grrr!

I am just about to turn 70 next month, I do yoga classes about 6 times a week so quite flexible, I also meditate every day, I think no matter what aches and pains you have, if you can have a positive mindset and a can do outlook, it's amazing what you can achieve, at my yoga class I mix with all ages and at times I think There is not a lot of difference between all of us, sometimes there are younger people who struggle to move their bodies as well, so I believe in positive thinking and not giving in to thinking I am old now so I can't do that.
I do realise that not everyone has the health to do certain things but sometimes if you think you can do, you may amaze yourself what you can achieve

My husband is disabled (statins!) so we asked man who comes once a year to trim the lelandii if he knew anyone who could erect a flat pack plastic shed for us. "No problem at all" he said and arrived with two nineteen year olds to do it. They disappeared round the corner of the house with the box and all went quiet. 15 minutes later Mr Smith (2 ffs) was back. "No, sorry" he said "can't be done. Its all in Chinese and there's hundreds of bits". DH was furious and after two weeks acknowledged he couldn't find anyone to do it. My daughter (50) looked at it and said she thought she and I could do it. And we HAVE!! I'm delighted. But we managed it in half a day. I'm 72!

I quite agree grannyticktock. I am 72 and I know I am slowing down.