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65 is not elderly, damn it!


samhexum

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I've known people in their 20s who act like they're in their 60's, and people over 100 who also act like they're in their 60s.  So many factors come into play - genetics, environment, financial resources, luck.  Hard to find anyone in their 90s and beyond who didn't benefit from at least a couple of those factors.   When I was young I thought that 60 was ancient, but that might be because back in the 80s older people acted older than they do today.  Hairstyles, clothing, activities - it seems like they wanted to fit the image of a senior.  Not today - octogenarians posing in Playboy, more people able to access anti-aging procedures, and maybe most important - the general erosion of respect that younger people once paid to those who are older may be another reason why many seniors try to stay as young as possible.  Old age was once something that was attained and embraced, but now it is shunned and forced into the geriatric closet.

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1 hour ago, CuriousByNature said:

I've known people in their 20s who act like they're in their 60's, and people over 100 who also act like they're in their 60s.  So many factors come into play - genetics, environment, financial resources, luck.  Hard to find anyone in their 90s and beyond who didn't benefit from at least a couple of those factors.   When I was young I thought that 60 was ancient, but that might be because back in the 80s older people acted older than they do today.  Hairstyles, clothing, activities - it seems like they wanted to fit the image of a senior.  Not today - octogenarians posing in Playboy, more people able to access anti-aging procedures, and maybe most important - the general erosion of respect that younger people once paid to those who are older may be another reason why many seniors try to stay as young as possible.  Old age was once something that was attained and embraced, but now it is shunned and forced into the geriatric closet.

You should have seen older women in the 1950s - they wore dark dresses, dark, heavy stockings that concealed their legs, sensible black shoes with clunky heels, no makeup, and they put their white hair up in hairnets - they made Barbara Bush look like a runway model.

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I have a friend who's 103, and she used to windsurf on the Potomac until she was about 90. She'd always win the best in her age category because she'd be the only person competing... 😉 I think she stopped golfing at around 97. 🏌🏼‍♀️

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7 hours ago, Rockey said:

65? Hell, I consider 60 being elderly or old aged. 

It definitely depends on how old you are.

When I was 20 I met a guy who told me he was 29, and I already felt he was from another generation. After 2 months of  beautiful romance he "confessed" me that he was 37 years old. Apart from being pissed that he had lied to me for 2 months, I was devastated at the idea of having loved, being very attached to and having had sex daily with an old man. 😄

Anyway, we lasted for almost 5 years together.

He passed away last year at 79.

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My mother said that the worst thing about getting old was losing all the friends who remembered what the world was like when she was young. She died at 102. I am starting to have the same experience.

I played tennis for several years with a doubles partner who decided to stop playing a couple of years ago, when she was approaching 90. Now she is playing pickle ball every other morning at 7am with players who are mostly in their 50s and 60s. She may have white hair, but she wears tight capri pants on court.

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I remember a patient, whom I'd been following for years, when I saw her for the first time after she turned 90. I congratulated her, and she said "You know, doctor, this is the first time I've really thought of myself as old. Even when I turned 80, I didn't feel old. But now, I feel I'm really old!". 

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3 hours ago, Charlie said:

My mother said that the worst thing about getting old was losing all the friends who remembered what the world was like when she was young. She died at 102. I am starting to have the same experience.

I played tennis for several years with a doubles partner who decided to stop playing a couple of years ago, when she was approaching 90. Now she is playing pickle ball every other morning at 7am with players who are mostly in their 50s and 60s. She may have white hair, but she wears tight capri pants on court.

I come from a hardy line - my great-grandfather was fathering children in his 60's.

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8 minutes ago, SouthOfTheBorder said:

age is just a number - until your health starts failing or more typically, a fall happens 

the very healthy & active people I’ve seen get to older age always seem to be done in by a fall, or series of falls that takes them out  
as an observer, it sure looks like an extended period of pain & suffering tbh 

My mother spent her final years in a Veterans home, but she thought she was on an extended vacation at a nice resort 

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22 hours ago, Rudynate said:

Bone health.   Get an occasional DXA scan.  Keep your T score > 0.  How do you do that?   Weight-bearing exercise, supplemental calcium, vit D, vit K2, hormone replacement, and, possiby, meds. 

Correct. I’ve got naturally high T and cross-train daily. I also have done box jumps for years which greatly improve balance. 

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On 6/22/2023 at 9:01 PM, SouthOfTheBorder said:

age is just a number - until your health starts failing or more typically, a fall happens 

the very healthy & active people I’ve seen get to older age always seem to be done in by a fall, or series of falls that takes them out  
as an observer, it sure looks like an extended period of pain & suffering tbh 

I agree falls seem to be the beginning of the end for many older people. One reason is that as they age they stop doing the exercises that can strengthen their muscles and improve their balance.  

Those that continue to keep their bodies as fit as possible greatly increase their ability to prevent falls and even when they do fall decrease the likelihood of a serious injury.

Of course other factors enter into the equation such as underlying conditions like osteoporosis or arthritis. 

And as others have said, having good genes is a great predictor of health in old age.

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12 minutes ago, robberbaron4u said:

Be mindful that, by the "Good Book", you get " four score and ten"; beyond that is a gift "on the cuff" from the Maker.

 

 

I thought the bible said three score and ten. It was President Lincoln who said four score and ten and he was referring to the age of the country. Lol

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22 minutes ago, robberbaron4u said:

Be mindful that, by the "Good Book", you get " four score and ten"; beyond that is a gift "on the cuff" from the Maker.

 

8 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

I thought the bible said three score and ten. It was President Lincoln who said four score and ten and he was referring to the age of the country. Lol

I'm sorry; I read 'score' and 'ten' and my mind drifted elsewhere...

448985h.jpg

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21 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

I thought the bible said three score and ten. It was President Lincoln who said four score and ten and he was referring to the age of the country. Lol

I stand corrected, "three score and ten"  (70) by the Good Book. "I is old" is my excuse in not going a "fact check" before posting.

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