Who Wants To Be 80?

This could be an interesting thread.

I'm old now, and I don't want to end up as that
drooling guy in a wheelchair. And so 75 is all I want.

What about you? And should euthanasia be a legal choice?
I vote Yes. When I die, I hope I can die with the peaceful grace of dignity earned.

Nobody talks about a graceful death. Let's do it here.

 

Seeing as how I hit 70 this August, and am still in relatively good health, I sure do. My parents made it to 92 and 90 and were active until the very end.

I have lunch with a group of guys each Friday. Last Friday one of the guys was late because he'd dropped his mom off at a downtown restaurant for lunch with some of her friends. About halfway through our lunch, he gets a call, has to leave immediately, his mom had collapsed and died at the restaurant. Boom, just like that, in her mid-80s, healthy to that point. That's how I want to go.

My MIL died in her sleep this past November at 92. In great health, or so we thought. That's a nice way out, too. My FIL died this February, he was in hospice for about three months. Don't want to go that way.

 

Yeah, I hope I go down fast, too.

I might like to hit 90, or even 80, but my body ain't gonna hold up that long, I think.

And so I've set 75 as my target. Anything after that is gravy, but not if I'm a drooling mess.

 

Gosh, gang, I'll be 75 next Sunday. I sure have my sights set on going longer than that. Way longer. If I started to decline mentally in a serious way I'd rethink that, but so far so good.

 

I'm more interested in getting max enjoyment out of the run-up to 75 than anything beyond that. If you're 90 today, even with advancements, you're in overtime and that's a good place to be.

 

I had a stark revelation a couple of months ago. The cardiologist I've had for maybe 2 years seems to ramble sometimes. He's is talking about potential procedures, mentions bypass surgery. He said the grafts are good for about 20 years. I frowned and looked surprised because, as he soon discovered looking through my chart, I had a triple bypass in 2004. He realized what he said and added that I'm in good shape, everything is running fine. I saw another guy in the group -- the electro guy -- and I told him. He said it's like the transmission on a car, some give out at 100,000 miles, some go on for 250,000.

OK, this thread is interesting. I'm 72. I have no idea on how long I will last or how long I want to last. The longer the better .... without being a drooling idiot.

 

Bad diet and insufficient exercise is my retirement plan.

If I make it to 80, then whatever memory care place I’m in will have done yeoman’s work. Because I have no hope of outrunning the family history of dementia.

 

Fifty last September (me in 2002: "I'll worry about naming myself BitterYoungHack when I'm 50, ha ha ha") and yeah, that one hit different. I wouldn't say it bothered me but it was just different. Fifty is old, man. It was also a reminder of how much different I am than my parents. By the time they were 50, they were done putting two kids through college and were working so they weren't bored.

 

My dad died at 67. My uncle died at 65. My brother just had a heart attack at 49.

I’m fighting an uphill battle against genetics, but I’m determined to make it as far as I can. I quit drinking, I quit smoking, I’ve run 5Ks, marathons and everything in between, and take taekwondo three nights a week. I feel great for as close to 50 as I am.

I subscribe to the old George Carlin bit:

Pull the plug? Fuck you, leave my plug alone! Get an extension cord for my plug! You find out I’ve got a hole I didn’t know I had? Put a fucking plug in it!

 

Same.

I'm 56. Anything after 80 is a miracle, as long as I'm aware enough to enjoy it.

 

My parents are in their 80s now. I wouldn't say they've aged "gracefully" - but they are in relatively good health and look good for their age. What has been tough is that they each seem to "blame" each other for their declining abilities, if they forget something, or are slow, or whatever - it's hard to experience first hand - when they should be supporting each other. And I've noticed they watch too much tv, so they are convinced the world is going to hell and seem more "fearful" of things and less inclined to being their usual outgoing selves or doing anything that might help them be more active and engaging. I'm sure part of it is feeling more vulnerable and less self-assured.