By Renee Langmuir
I never thought I would be old. No – I didn’t think my life would end at an early age. I just couldn’t picture myself as an old person. Dr. Hal Hershfield, a professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at UCLA, has spent a decade looking into this idea. His conclusions? Without some prompting, we can’t make good decisions for our future selves. His studies famously included sending photoshopped images of his subjects at older ages at specific intervals, which encouraged greater savings for retirement.
My personal odyssey with accepting the notion that I would be getting older began at age 55 when the cashier at a movie theater asked if I wanted a senior discount. It was about the same time I received my first unsolicited AARP publication. I thought these two situations were hilarious at the time.
My trend of denying encroaching older age continued at retirement when I was 65, over 7 years ago. I was, then, and I am today, constantly surprised when no one comments that I don’t look old enough to be retired.
Messages from my Physical Self
My harbinger of reality is one known to all of us – the physical body. My personal messenger seems to be in sync with everyone else in my cohort. My over-the-counter Retinol products don’t seem to be working; my stealth lane-changing ability on a highway has vanished; I need to rehearse any passcodes sent to my phone before I can enter them in another room on my computer; and, oddly enough, I have experienced “second sight,” an improvement in my vision, but only because growing cataracts have changed the shape of my eyes!
Besides the well-known declines in skin tissue, responses to sensory stimuli, and longer times needed to learn new information that accompany old age, a circuit in the striatum area of the brain has been also shown to deteriorate in older age, reducing our ability to switch gears as the changing needs in our environments arise.
Lately, these changes are not viewed as “one-off” issues. In previous decades, if a physical goal such as weight loss or improvement in physical appearance was made, results could be expected with some effort. Instead, now and forever, some adaptations will need to be made!
Adaptation in the Natural World
I am particularly smitten with Charles Darwin and his Evolutionary Theory. I want to embody the main premise that the survival of a species rests on specific traits that require adaptations for survival in the environment. At the age of 72, I am now that giraffe who developed a long neck to eat leaves high in the trees because there weren’t any leaves closer to the ground. I am an Emperor Penguin huddling with my buddies in Antarctica to keep warm. I am committed to following nature’s examples to live well in the remaining years.
Not Everyone is an Adapter
I did not become an adapter through example. My mother made a career of refusing any adaptation until she died at the age of 96. Initially, shower grab bars were refused. Recliners that give one a boost to stand up were purchased, but they sat unused. Sponge baths were the order of the day for years in the nursing home – no adaptive showering for her! Perhaps her opposition was my motivation to be quite the opposite.
I have, however, developed some compassion for her through my research. There are valid reasons why many elderly people are so resistant to change. Most people prefer the familiar and the routine, but cognitive and physical changes magnify fears of the unknown. I’m sure many of these were at work in my mother’s decision-making processes, as well as the declining number of neurons in her brain circuit.
What does Adaptation look like for a healthy 72-year-old?
I will take you on a tour of my adaptive day. (Keep in mind I am a thin woman who is not being treated for any serious illnesses.) I wake up on my soft bed, equipped with a very thick mattress topper. I have a small foam form that fits between my legs readily available if I have pain in my hips during the night. I open the decorative room darkening curtains, take off my sleep mask and possibly my earplugs, which were inserted at 6 AM when the noisy heater went off, allowing me to get quality sleep for 8-9 hours every night.
Before I leave the room, I do a series of seven exercises for my feet, legs, and quads. I have had a number of broken metatarsals and strained ligaments which have been quite debilitating. My feet tend to flip over and rip up soft tissue and occasionally break fragile bones. I also have a hard time doing forward lunges in yoga, and the quad exercises have really improved my performance in those classes. I found all the exercises on YouTube.
Next, at breakfast, I take my morning supplements and place the small jar of fish oil pills on a little dish I will use in the evening for more supplements. If I don’t put the jar on the plate, I have no idea, within 5 minutes, whether took my pills.
My husband and I then do all the New York Times word puzzles every morning after breakfast. There is no doubt in my mind my verbal skills and memory are remaining in the game because of these challenges. One of the pleasures we share is being “word people.” All the word games activate the pleasure circuit we both get from juicy words, but the games also require quick recall, another beneficial skill.
When I get dressed, I find the number of shoes in my closet (under all the stretchy pants and long tops) is diminishing rapidly. After all the foot incidents, I only wear shoes with ties and orthotics. As I write these words, I can hardly believe it: all those hours and funds spent on shoe shopping, and I don’t even miss it!
During the day, my time at the gym is spent swimming laps at a leisurely pace or in gentle yoga. No high-intensity anything for me! I count cleaning events at home as exercise and only frequent the gym on free days. At the end of the day, I apply my new prescription strength retinol, do my Kegel exercises, and go to sleep!
My Husband’s Knees
Not all couples age at the same rate. Luckily my husband and I are able to enjoy our shared interests, but with some adaptations. We have many lovely walking trails, which we visit every weekend. I walk ahead of Robert, stopping to check on him from time to time.
Robert’s recent adaptations include the use of walking poles, knee braces, and applying Arnica before and after the walk. We try to find flat, soft, unpaved paths.
Advice from the Scientific World
Evolutionary theory finds that species in the natural world adapt primarily in two ways: biologically and behaviorally. For example, people in Tibet who live at higher altitudes have learned to live with 40% less oxygen. These biological adaptations take place over long periods of time. Seniors do not have the luxury of time, especially several generations!
The other adaptation is behavioral, as in the penguins huddling for warmth. This is the area that holds the most promise for aging seniors. By staying curious, developing a supportive social network, and focusing on the little things that can be controlled, quality of life can be within reach. Experts in gerontology are revamping their concept of adaptation in the senior years to be “the process of optimizing a fit between a person and the environment when faced with internal or external changes.” Changes of many types are on the horizon. Be prepared!
Renee Langmuir was an educator for 34 years in public schools and at the university level. After an unplanned retirement, Renee chronicled her transition to retirement through a series of personal essays. As challenges arose, research was done, and essays were penned, all helping her gain perspective in this new landscape. These reflections are housed on the website, https://www.therookieretiree.com. She writes from both a research and mindfulness basis. Renee is excited to receive your feedback and comments! Please contact her at [email protected].
Sign up for agebuzz’s free weekly newsletter sent every Thursday
