"Golden Years" - Maintaining a Healthy Mind and Body

Looks Simple Enough!!!

A problem with growing old is that so many people just stop learning. Anyone who knows me realizes I am not exactly a 'mister fix-it type'. However, I needed to do some work on the engine of our sailboat and decided to do it myself. I messed it up and had to ask a friend for help. How was I to know the mysteries of a primary filter on a diesel engine? I just took the old one off and put a new one on. Problem solved. But it wasn't. I put the rubber ring on the wrong end of the filter and the fuel was blocked from getting to the motor. Not to mention the spillage! As Leonard Cohen would sing,"My, Oh My, Oh My".

When you are young learning is a must. When you get old they say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". But the second biggest mistake we seniors, and everyone else, can make is to stop learning new things. I think I now know how to change an oil filter and "bleed" the engine! Of course in the meantime I may suffer memory loss!

There are plenty of learning opportunities without having to go back to school. Learning to use a smart phone for example can be frustrating, but it presents a great learning experience. Then there is shopping on line, sending emails or using Twitter. For men, retirement is a great opportunity to learn to cook. How about quilting ladies? Now I admit there may be more obstacles to learning now that we have reached old age......eye sight, hearing, sitting in the same place or at a desk for example. However, it is not enough to get out and do something although that could be a good start.  Rather, research shows it is necessary to do something that is unfamiliar and mentally challenging, namely learn new skills and ideas.

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This octogenarian  was really disappointed to read this week that there has been a large increase in the number of seniors who are going bankrupt. In fact, the research shows an increase of 20.5% in the last four years alone. No doubt there are as many reasons as there are individuals.  But two reasons suggested in one report were that the elderly are outliving their savings or smothered in huge health expenses. A positive reason, if there is such a thing,  is that so many of us are living longer than we expected. Can you believe that in the early 1900's the life expectancy was 40 years? At one time seniors could look forward to living in the larger homes of the extended families. But, after WWII many of the homes built were very small with no extra space. Today it is even worse when you consider the small condos being constructed in our big cities. No doubt, with the advances presently made today, coupled with the huge increase in population, the problems of the so called 'Golden Years' will only get worse. Add to this the fact that so many people can't or don't even think about preparing for their 'Golden Years'.

Apparently, the principle that governs real learning, namely the need to do things mentally challenging also applies to exercise. It is not enough to just exercise if you wish to improve, you need to go  beyond your comfort level as well. Of course, as an octogenarian, you don't want to push too hard!

So don't run out and buy a diesel engine to learn something new, nor do you have to pump weights to stay healthy. But, you do need to do more than just go for a little walk now and again.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week

Did You Know?

Paul Ford, writing in Bloomberg Businessweek, recently wrote, "Now that software lives in our pockets, runs our cars and homes, and dominates our waking lives, ignorance is no longer acceptable."