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The Darker Side of Growing Old
The parts of aging we won’t Talk About
Aging Acres has a side of aging we don’t talk about very much.
We spend a great deal of time learning how to live well in old age, but the more difficult question is how we live when old age begins taking away the very things that once made life feel worth living.
We talk about exercise classes, bridge games, concerts, meals, grandchildren, birthdays and trips. We talk about what is working. We don’t talk as easily about what we’re losing.
But as I spend enough time here, I see it.
Declines
I see people whose bodies are gradually becoming less cooperative. I see people who can no longer drive, hear easily, walk confidently, or remember what they once remembered. This includes myself as my memory blanks grow more often.
I see widows (there are many) and widowers adjusting to an absence that doesn’t disappear simply because the calendar moves forward. I see people who have become dependent on others for things they once did without thinking. I see my wife stepping forward too soon to help me do simple things.
There is a whole floor here for ‘assisted living.’ I resist visits there.
