My Mother used to say time flew by more quickly as she got older. As a child, I didn’t understand what she meant. I admit I find myself thinking the same thing nowadays. But during the last three weeks, time seemed to lurch ahead and it has left me feeling much older.
It started with my 40th class reunion. I found myself surrounded by people who looked more like my classmates’ parents than members of the Southeast of Saline graduating class of 1975. Conversations included health issues, retirement plans and grandchildren.
Three days later, my husband celebrated his 65th birthday with a trip to the Social Security Office to complete his Medicare enrollment. He is now an “official” senior citizen.
My husband attended both of these events on crutches after a fall from a ladder at the beginning of the month that left him with a broken leg. Taking over his mowing, spraying, watering and trash duties has left me feeling much older and even more pressed for time. (He now agrees that since both of us are getting older, any future roof work will be a 2-person job with one on the ladder and the other steadying it on the ground.)
According to the K-State Research and Extension publication “AgeSense,” there are many ways to think about getting older. Aging can be considered chronologically, based on how many birthdays (or class reunions) an individual has celebrated. Getting older can be thought of in terms of functioning, with the focus on what a person can do rather than on how many birthdays he or she has experienced. Age can also be subjective, based on how old someone feels as opposed to how many birthdays they’ve had.
American society uses a generally-accepted definition of 65 years of age or older to determine when someone is considered “old.” Societal beliefs lean toward mostly negative attitudes and stereotypes about aging, fueled by the media and a youth-worshipping culture. But numerous beliefs Americans hold about aging are actually false. For example, older adults generally report a better sense of well-being than younger adults in research studies.
By examining personal attitudes and learning more about the facts of the aging process, people may decide that although aging is inevitable, a negative attitude about the process is not. Individuals with a positive attitude may reap many benefits. Research shows positive people actually do more for their own health as they age. They also are more functional, more likely to recover from disability and more likely to live longer.
The “AgeSense” publication suggests the SOC model as a way to adapt to the changes of aging. Selection refers to choosing activities and goals, Optimization is how people achieve their goals, and Compensation is used when new methods and behaviors for accomplishing goals are used. SOC is all about balancing opportunities and losses. It gives people a way to respond to everyday demands in an adaptive manner with the goals selected, the methods used to reach them and the strategies used to compensate when needed. In my husband’s case, by trimming tree limbs less often in the future (selection), he will make fewer trips up a ladder (optimization), and he will ask for assistance when he does (compensation.)
To learn more about positive aging, request the “AgeSense” publication MF3079 from the Ellis County Extension Office at 601 Main in Hays, 785-628-9430, or find it on the K-State Research and Extension website at www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore.
Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.