A reader, I know personally and respect comments (I appreciate them all) asking why I didn't spend more time, specifically, on aging since that is the title of this column. Good question. Can't argue with that, can I, although I spend too much time talking and debating with myself (not all out loud of course).
And what was the conclusion of this yin and yang debate? Too much time concentrating on the results of aging can be counterproductive. We would not be doing ourselves a great service if we dealt in depth with the subject of our aging decrepitude. As Felix Silverstone described it, "Our bodies accumulate lipofusion (gooey yellow-brown pigment that make the age spots on the back of my hands for example) and oxygen free-radical damage, random DNA mutations and numerous other microcellular problems. The aging process is gradual and unrelenting. We just, ultimately, fall apart!"
Who is Felix Silverstone? For 24 years, he was the senior geriatrician at the Parker Jewish Institute in New York and has published more than 100 studies on aging.
So I won't be spending my Telegram time and space primarily on the results of aging. I'll be looking, more often, for the bright side -- the better results of these later years. In what ways are these good years? In what ways have seniors made them good years? In what ways can we all make them better years? And even, in what ways, can we make them better for our doctors?
A negative in the doctor category is the loss of certified geriatricians. The number fell by a third between 1998 and 2004. Mainstream doctors can be turned off a bit by us "Old Crocks." Old Crock is hard of hearing -- maybe he doesn't have a hearing aid -- or have it turned on or maybe it needs a new battery. Old Crock may have a poor memory and can't remember what medications he is taking. Old Crock may have poor vision and doesn't have only one chief complaint, he has 15 chief complaints. And so we should do our best to be considerate when seeing doctors. Are the hearing aids working? Are we really listening? Do we read the instructional material carefully? Do we have our medications written down, etc.? How do I know? I am an Old Crock!
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Let me close on a more positive note. We know that the aging years are better than they once were. In the Roman Empire years, life expectancy was 28 years. Today, the average life span is almost 80 years. The average 65-year-old can expect to live another 19 years today -- almost four years longer than was the case in 1970. Not only are we living longer, we are living better. I'll be continually looking for such evidence to share with readers. And I hope that you'll contribute ideas to assist me. I'll welcome your help.
Bernie Hughes, Ed.D., is a retired educator who resides in Superior. He can be reached Bernie1@cpinternet.com or 392-8553 (no late evening calls, please; I've aging and a very early riser)
