Pisses me off when I can't do what I used to could.

[trof]

No, not that.
Trying to hang some blinds today and I just can't see well enough to do it.
Macular degeneration.
Hanging four blinds would have been a 30 minute job a few years ago.
Tried to talk Miz t. through it, but she just doesn't have the strength to get the screws in.
Damned frustrating.

Wish I could find a handyman who didn't charge $20 an hour.
Getting old sux.

[Frustratedlady]

1. I SO agree! The hardest for me is to have to ask someone else to do little jobs like that.

I sit and look at what has to be done, run the process through my mind and then try to do it myself and give up. My kids have ordered me to stay off ladders, but I cheat with step ladders that have support handles. When we've been so independent all our lives, it is hard to admit you aren't 100%, but just don't push us into the rocking chair. I'll do what I can and delegate the rest as long as I can.

We may be old, but we're still proud.

[Lunabell]

2. Yep

My wife is only 62 and can't walk anymore due to her myriad of illnesses. At least I still am relatively active.

[elocs]

3. "Getting old sux." Exactly when does that occur?

I'm 65 and I can remember when my mother was this age she would tell me that getting old was hell, but I haven't found that to be true for me.
I think of two Satchel Paige quotes: "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" and "Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter."

It doesn't matter to me.

[Boomer]

22. Nice try, but not very persuasive

Age itself doesn't bother me, but the deteriorating body that comes with age is indeed hellish. My mind can't fix what's the matter with me.

My wife and I are in our 60s and we just can't keep up basic house maintenance any more. She's got Parkinson's and knee damage, so climbing ladders to clean out gutters or hammer a nail on the roof are either excruciatingly painful or simply not possible. I've been through open heart surgery and I run out of energy before finishing a fraction of all the chores that are piled up waiting for me.

I DO mind that, but I don't dwell on it. Age matters, but there are other compensations and I try to focus on the good, more than the bad. But it's catching up with us a lot faster than we expected and nothing rubs that in more than hearing someone dismiss that reality, as if it's just a "bad attitude". I'm glad that you've been blessed with older age that isn't hellish, but you are luckier than you realize.

[procon]

4. I hear you. This aging nonsense is not what I signed up for! nt

[pecosbob]

5. I just got aged out of my apartment in Las Vegas

Lived here twelve years and it was just bought and is being converted to student housing. Good for the students, not so good for me. Asked them if I could get a new lease if I enrolled as a student. No one over thirty they told me.

[trof]

58. ouch

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Mac D very debillitating. Have Miz t set the screws and you drive them. . . . . nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. Agreed. n/t

[Silver1]

8. I know a guy, a WWII fighter pilot,

you know ... a little wild and fast. He said the only thing golden about the golden years is your piss.

Bill Donovan was his name. My FIL's best friend. And my FIL was a WWII fighter pilot too. We just got his medals passed down to us, of which there are many. Need to frame them.

[roscoeroscoe]

55. Badass

My wife's dad served in WWII and was a big golfer, very athletic and graceful. Breaks her heart to see how he's doing.

[Silver1]

60. Yes, badass.

That's them. The WWII fighter pilots, BADASS. In the best way. After what they survived, they learned a lot of wisdom.

[Augiedog]

9. You'd be very lucky to find a handyman that charged $20 an hour. Ya get what ya pay for.

[madamesilverspurs]

10. Made it up the ladder okay.

Didn't matter. I still had to ask someone to set the plant hooks in the ceiling. Danged trifocals!


.

[elfin]

11. Yes, every day a new reminder of my diminished capabilities

So far physical and not mental.... so far.

More $ spent on household and yard help. Yet still cheap compared with entrance fees to senior housing that "graduates" to more serious levels.

Keeping a support system is mandatory. Being willing to pay for it is also a reality.

Constant adjustments. But we forget we did that while younger - finding someone to renovate, babysit etc. Yet making those adjustments seemed so easy in comparison to today.

Nevertheless, we persist. Nevertheless, we adapt. Nevertheless, we still find joy. Nevertheless, we prepare.

I thought getting old would take longer. But I cherish being in a helpful neighborhood with kids and the sounds of their cheerful play and people of all ages walking lovable dogs. So here I persist.

[bpositive]

12. Tried

Threading a needle the other day 😩 had to have my teenager come do it

[rzemanfl]

51. Been using threaders for years. n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

13. There's gotta be someone around. Neighbors? Church? High school helpers. I know it's hard

to ask, but worth a try. And try to be easy on yourself. Yes, it sux, but maybe it'd help a bit to remember there are those who have had to deal with problems like this their whole lives because of being viusally impaired, or missing arms, legs, steady hands, et cetera. Disability sucks, but there can be ways to make it suck less.

As far as the Macular degeneration, do check out DVS services for media. Descriptive Video for visually impaired, usually available on the "SAP" channel button "separate audio program" on your TV. It's great.

[BigmanPigman]

14. I saw this on TV recently and said to myself, "Oh shit, it gets worse?".

[marble falls]

15. I agree with you, but not out loud. Growing old is not for the weak.

[Zoonart]

28. I'm the words of the great Betty Davis:

"Getting old is not for sissies. "
I believe that she embroidered it on a pillow.

[marble falls]

41. She knew whereof she spoke.

[Sampan]

16. Reminds me of a line from a Leonard Cohen song: I hurt in places where I used to play

[llmart]

17. I hear ya'

For the life of me I can't seem to open jars any more. Couldn't open a bottle of apple juice yesterday. Just when the population is aging manufacturers decide everything has to be packaged three ways to Sunday!

I was watching something on TV a few weeks ago - an interview with a few women in their 80's and the interviewer asked them independently of one another, "Looking back, when would you say things started to fail you on your body?" Three of them said 70. Up until this year I was still pretty healthy and active and I still am for the most part, but have slowed down considerably, need about 15 minutes each morning to get all the creaks out of my back and knees. I'm 69. None of the platitudes that people usually say make me feel any better about any of it - you know the ones "At least we're still here" "There are those worse off than us." Blah, blah. Don't wanna hear it.

[lillypaddle]

26. Really

and the instructions printed on jars, meds, EVERYTHING - my god, can anyone read that small print? WTF? Was it always that small?

[Ferrets are Cool]

34. I keep several magnifying glasses stashed around the house....

just so I can read the small print on things.

[a kennedy]

37. I her ya..........Everything Is so hard to open....

I HATE GETTING OLDER. Ya wake up, and what doesn’t hurt. IT ALL HURTS.

[pioche4]

18. Husband's grandmother used to say...Takes a steel stomach to live to be old!

btw...great documentary out: https://www.lives-well-lived.com

[SCantiGOP]

19. Getting old sux?

So does the alternative

[Boomer]

24. Only up to a point

There are indeed worse fates than dying. Living with unrelenting pain, withering away, watching the circle of your social life contract as family and friends die. The last year of my father-in-law's life was worse than "the alternative."

I don't particularly want to drop dead of a heart-attach any time soon, but I can think of far worse fates.

[lillypaddle]

31. I've lowered the bar

my goal is to live long enough that my 6 year old granddaughter will remember me. Oh, and to not die before my 12 year old dog does.

[Boomer]

52. I know the feeling

I have four pets and we worry what would happen to them, emotionally as well as physically, if they were orphaned. We can most likely outlive the dogs, who are about 7 years old, but the cats....

We had made a firm vow not to adopt any young animals, especially young cats, since they can live so long, but there are ferals all over our neighborhood and we ended up rescuing two feral kittens who were just young enough to make the transition (barely) to house cats. They're only two years old, and could easily live another 12-15 years. I'm trying to envision living in this house when I'm 78 years old. We can barely keep up with the maintenance now.

[sinkingfeeling]

43. Agree. Watched my 95 year old mother spend the last year of her life

unable to leave a bed or recognize anybody. I'd rather die then go through what she did. I was just diagnosed with spinal stenosis, the same thing she had. I'm 70 and on this trip to Ukraine and Jordan, I'm using a cane.

[demosincebirth]

20. so much for the "golden years."

[Timewas]

35. The Golden Years

Golden years

I can't pee
I can't see
I can't chew
I can't screw
The golden years have come to pass
The golden years can kiss my ass

[a kennedy]

38. Love this.....

and really, thanks for sharing.

[Timewas]

42. For the record

I am 76 and am feeling some of the effects of age, but everyone needs to understand that it is different for everyone I worked hard all of my life and have attempted to continue to work hard on our ranch, one rule that I have adhered to as much as possible is

"If you want to keep on doing it you have to keep on doing it"

I realize that health problems(and I do have some)can have a serious effect on whether you can in fact follow that rule but you have to do as best you can...

[Rebl2]

21. Oh my!

You didn’t see this coming as you got older? I’m always surprised how as people get older and can’t quite do what they used to do, they are shocked that it is happening to them. I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis since I was ten and am in my 60’s now. Guess I’ve been old all my life when it comes to pain and not being able to do many things for my self at times. You just learn what you can do and also learn to ask for help for what you can’t do any longer. You have to try and keep a positive attitude (which is really hard at times) and it makes for a happier life for yourself and those around you.

[a kennedy]

39. Thank you for this......i try to remember.

[trof]

59. Not shocked, just frustrated.

[TomSlick]

23. Getting old is not for the faint at heart.

However, being vertical and spontaneously ventilating beats the alternative.

[lillypaddle]

25. Yes, it's the "simple" things, isn't it?

Can't see, can't fucking hear, can't bend over. Jeebus.

[elfin]

27. But we can VOTE! EOM

[Haggis for Breakfast]

29. I remember when the idea

of getting old was just a pain in the ass. Now it's a pain in my hips, my back, my knees, my joints, my muscles . . . . .

[lillypaddle]

32. Off topic

but do you really eat haggis for breakfast? Where are you from, and welcome to DU!

[Haggis for Breakfast]

44. Och, aye

Haggis in the morning will put hair on your chest for the day. Even on the women !

Scotland - where the men are manly and the sheep are terrified !!

Thank you. I'll be here all week.

[lillypaddle]

50. I hope you'll be on DU longer than a week

Sounds like you have quite a sense of humor!

[a kennedy]

40. I know....when in bed I feel pretty good......

the minute I put both feet on the floor.....it’s OH MY GAWD, MY BACK, MY KNEES, MY SHOULDER........ my whole body hurts.

[Ohiogal]

30. I used to get so aggravated

with my mom who couldn't hear ... now it's happening to me. Terrible tinnitus. I hate like hell to ask people to repeat themselves.

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. The hardest thing for me is my mind thinks that I still

have the reflexes of a 20 year old, but my body reminds me that I don't.
When I used to stumble, I could catch myself from falling without a second thought, now not so much. Yes, getting older sux.

[JayhawkSD]

46. Heh. Try having Parkinson's.

There are worse things to have, and mine is well under control. But it freaked my wife out when I went down while I was right beside her. I'm 6'4" and she's 5' 1". She said it was a bit unreal; sort of like watching a tree fall.

[Frances]

36. Ditto

[JayhawkSD]

45. Omigod. I wish I could find a handyman who DID charge $20 an hour.

Most are in the $60 to $80 per hour range.

[pansypoo53219]

47. i got mini blinds eons ago. finally they stopped working, got twins & slapped them into old fittings

[SWBTATTReg]

48. We do have a senior citizens center here in South Grand, St. Louis MO...

they let folks use tools for free plus other services too. I wonder if there are senior citizens centers around you? They might be a good resource to use if one if looking for labor or help.

[LiberalLoner]

49. I'm sorry.

I’m not all that old at 56 but I have had MS for a few decades now and it’s taken a big bite out of me with lots of spinal cord damage so I’m fairly disabled at this point. Can’t hardly do anything before I have to lie down again due to feeling sick. Can’t enjoy going on trips, barely keep up with the housework, etc.

So I can empathize. It’s not much fun living in a body that prevents you from doing what you would like to do,

[WhiteTara]

53. It's not the getting old that sucks, it the parts that

quit working. Eyes, ears, muscles -- the whole body just sort of betrays us and then in the end, it just quits and we have to get a new one.

[SonofDonald]

54. I was a crabber back in the 80's

I wore out so many parts you can't believe

Sucks

But I'm still here.

[Bayard]

56. Reminds me of the quote:

"I'm at an age where I expect body parts to just start falling off."

Don't know how I got there. I was always the skinny athletic type. Now I'm overweight, arthritic from various misadventures over the years, and have asthma. Huffing and puffing up a hill in the woods yesterday to cut cedar poles for building my garden fence. Not so long ago, that would have been a cakewalk.

I still take exception to the statement--you just can't do as much anymore. I can do it, I just do it much slower.

[greatauntoftriplets]

57. My township has started a handyman program to help seniors for little money.

If you're over 60 or handicapped, the township will send you a fully vetted handyman to do things for just $5. I haven't used the service yet, but I plan to do so soon to get some towel bars installed in one of my bathrooms.

This service is a real help to someone who just can't do them and never could because I'm a klutz.