On Aging - Episode 3

 THE HEAD

Eyes

After a procedure which shocked me (I wasn’t allowed anaesthesia) I lost much of the sight in my right eye. Several consultations resulted in none of the experts recommending any kind of surgery or laser, as the bit that had migrated to behind my eye was microscopic.I am awaiting cataract surgery, which may – just may – remove this bit. But my sight in my left eye will improve, which has the worst cataract. I am coming up on 8 months waiting for this cataract surgery. And I am sure all the pre-op measurements are now out of date.

Sigh.

Ears

I had a bad infection many years ago, which resulted in being slightly deaf in one of my ears after I was immune to the antibiotic I was prescribed. I was surprised at the effect it had on my singing. Prior to then, I was a semi-trained singer but I found that I couldn’t determine my tonal register anymore. It was a shock at the time as I was conducting a group of singers in a musical I was directing. There is a slight loss now in old age, and I find I switch on closed captioning on films and series and am seriously annoyed when CC is not available.

Brain

Having witnessed several dear friends come down with dementia, it’s a concern for all of us oldies. But if we have it, we will not be aware of it, which is what I have observed. It’s when other family members take over your personal management. One I have witnessed closely and am upset that her family couldn’t care less about her. Or so it appears. She has fallen several times, set fire to her kitchen, forgets her keys, glasses, phone, etc. And her short-term memory is now completely gone except for the recollection of olden days. My own observation on these unfortunates has been that none of them were readers.

Research – I just checked - shows:

Research indicates that people who regularly read, write, and engage in lifelong learning have nearly a 40% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia compared to those who do not. [1]

40% is quite massive. So note to you oldies out there: read. At least for pleasure.

Interestingly, when I asked my friends in early dementia if they read, the answer was “I can’t concentrate”. So that lack of concentration could also be linked.

Crafting, painting, photography, also slows the progress of this awful disease.

The Nun’s Study has been groundbreaking into what was discovered about Alzheimer’s. I recommend it.

As I maintain, adapting is the key to accepting the limitations of old age. I recently had a bad fall, saw the stars, did not have my cell phone on me, panicked. But I did some breathing exercises and told myself to relax. I knew where the phone was and it was going to be painful and slow but I could reach it and with a large utensil could hook it and call the building manager. It took a while, with many breaks, but all is well. He and his wife came and got me on my feet and checked my eyes, etc., for concussion or broken limbs but all was well. It took me days to recover as I was sore and bruised but it was a great lesson on not panicking but thinking slowly and carefully about a solution to my dilemma.

Now my family are talking about a Garmin watch to replace my Fitbit as it will detect a fall and call my emergency contacts automatically.

Adapt. And feel free to share your experiences.