“80 is the new 70”

Submittedy by a Carlton House resident

Where I live, there is a bridge foursome of which one member (who we will call Dolores) is over a hundred. As my hearing is not as good as it used to be, and unless I am absolutely sure I have heard Dolores correctly, I have learned to ask her to repeat her bid. I suspect her faint announcement of her bid might be deliberate. That cagy girl! That is okay. As I am in my seventies, I let her inspire me to think eighty is the new seventy.

At age sixty a stroke got my attention and I decided to change my lifestyle. As my ancestors had a history of long life spans, I determined that I wanted to grow into my senior years as healthy as I possibly could. I felt it was time to take charge of not only my physical health, but also my mental health. I did not want to risk another stroke or grow into old age with memory problems, so I researched the best ways to prevent this from happening.

I would like to say that I acted upon these thoughts right away and made the necessary changes, but I didn’t. Following my stroke I waited another eight years, and at age 68 I decided to look into independent retirement living.

I did my research and found the place that suited my personal needs, and the one I felt most comfortable in, and I made the move. Once I mastered the feeling of fear and the overwhelming change this decision brings (especially as we grow older), I hired a company that specialized in helping seniors downsize, and they took care of all the things that I found too difficult to do. Although it took me about three months to settle into my new life, I can honestly say I wish I had done it five years earlier.

One of the things I realized was that by living alone I was not taking care of my nutritional needs. Eating had become something I did just to stave off hunger. There was no enjoyment at mealtime as I had no one to talk to, and making a meal for just one seemed like too much effort, so I found I was existing on a bowl of cereal for breakfast, canned soup and a sandwich for lunch and dinner. None of which has much nutritional value.

My nutritional needs are now being met with exquisite meals. It helped that I knew and enjoyed the Executive Chef’s quality of food when he owned his own restaurant. I enjoy going down to lunch and dinner in the beautiful dining room, and having interesting conversations over dinner. The ability to move around the dining room and not have assigned seating appeals to me, as I love to meet new people and listen to their stories.

Now that I am not dealing with household chores and worrying about groceries and shopping, I have time to indulge in the social activities offered in my new home. I start my day with exercise for thirty minutes by stretching and lifting weights. There is also Yoga and Tai Chi available. This helps keep my body fit.

I also exercise my mind extensively which is why you will find me playing bridge. Bridge is an excellent card game. It requires recall, plotting, and mental adjustment and also encourages socializing. I had no idea how to play bridge until I moved into my retirement community and took lessons - now I love the game! We are always looking for additional partners, no matter what their skill level.

I worry a lot about my memory, which is why I focus on mental aerobics. I find that when I write I sometimes have difficulty finishing a sentence. Sometimes I get stuck plotting out a story. A trick I learned from a friend is this……when you walk; it moves your mind activities from the left side to the right side of the brain, or vise versa. I don’t deliberately have to think of a writing problem while walking, the solution just comes to me.

Creative writing is a good mental activity and has always been a goal of mine. It was actually part of my “bucket list.” Now that I am enjoying the retirement lifestyle I have time to pursue this hobby. I sometimes find that pulling up words can be frustrating at times. But the more I do it, the easier it gets. I am a terrible speller. I keep a dictionary on my desk. This type of writing again stretches my mental capacities.

I wish I enjoyed crossword puzzles. Those of you that do are a step ahead. Those of you, like me, that love to read are ahead of those that rely on soap operas for entertainment. Think about it, what mental activities are involved while watching the soap operas?

Want to stay young? Eat right, exercise and stretch your body and mind. And finally if you are thinking of retirement living….don’t let the fear of change discourage you. Just “do it” and suddenly you will find that 80 is the new 70! Stop holding on to your home and memories of the past, they hold you back. Move forward - enjoy life, we still have a lot of living to do!