Getting Old!!

Alexander the Straight

Alexander the Straight

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A good friend of mine, 72, just got out of hospital having spent 5 weeks in ICU during which time he nearly "crossed over" several times. Had to be bathed and use nappies etc, a complete loss of dignity.. .

It's got me thinking, I don't want to reach that stage of frailty, ever. I'd rather clock out sooner while everything still works and I'm completely indipendant.

How do you guys feel about being a 90 year old **** in a wheelchair whose daily highlight is waiting for the nurse to come change your diaper?? Think it might be fun?

OR is it better to live large now and clock out earlier? You know, stuff like drink lots of alcohol, eat crap and don't exercise etc. I've known people like this who made it to early 60s then boom massive heart attack and gone. No slow torture decline and lingering on way past your usefulness.

Thoughts?
 
If I ever make it to 90 then I'd like to think there'll be tech to transplant your brain into a new host / bot.
Hopefully much sooner.
 
The problem of modern medicine is that it's great at keeping us alive, quality of life be damned.

People who would have dropped dead at 50 due to lifestyle choices are kept alive through pills, pacemakers etc.

I'm all for longer lives but if someone needs to wipe my arse, I opt out
 
Have thought about this occasionally too. If I spend my day having to be helped to the bathroom, changed, bathed and fed through a straw, then pull the plug. The second I become a burden, I am done.
 
my fathers 90 and still walking around doing his hydroponic veggie garden thing - although he admits he was not expecting to live to 90.

My aunt past away last year peacefully in her sleep at 97 and she was still active in her house.

who knows science is moving fast - so maybe they find the gene therapy that gives humans longevity without diseases?
 
Conack said:
If I ever make it to 90 then I'd like to think there'll be tech to transplant your brain into a new host / bot.
Hopefully much sooner.
Click to expand...
Yep, the irony of it all. Just when you have an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience your body will fail you. Yet when your body is at its peak you're more often than not just doing stupid shi*
 
Alexander the Straight said:
A good friend of mine, 72, just got out of hospital having spent 5 weeks in ICU during which time he nearly "crossed over" several times. Had to be bathed and use nappies etc, a complete loss of dignity.. .

It's got me thinking, I don't want to reach that stage of frailty, ever. I'd rather clock out sooner while everything still works and I'm completely indipendant.

How do you guys feel about being a 90 year old **** in a wheelchair whose daily highlight is waiting for the nurse to come change your diaper?? Think it might be fun?

OR is it better to live large now and clock out earlier? You know, stuff like drink lots of alcohol, eat crap and don't exercise etc. I've known people like this who made it to early 60s then boom massive heart attack and gone. No slow torture decline and lingering on way past your usefulness.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
It's a scary thought, especially when you've seen close family members reach old age and are completely dependent on others for physical help. I've experienced it all with regards to assisting with:
- Toilet
- Feeding
- Changing
- Sleeping (this was the toughest)

I know there are members on here that are going through worse. A person can literally lose their mind.
 
spiff said:
my fathers 90 and still walking around doing his hydroponic veggie garden thing - although he admits he was not expecting to live to 90.

My aunt past away last year peacefully in her sleep at 97 and she was still active in her house.

who knows science is moving fast - so maybe they find the gene therapy that gives humans longevity without diseases?
Click to expand...
That's great. I suppose having some sort of purpose or interest at that age is enough to keep you going, as long your body is still holding out.

My dad lived till 82 and enjoyed perfect health till a week before he passed. He told me many times that getting old is no fun and after a certain point you're just existing and doing the mundane stuff because you have to. He felt that nobody needed him anymore and to a large extent that was true, unfortunately.
 
Alexander the Straight said:
Yep, the irony of it all. Just when you have an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience your body will fail you. Yet when your body is at its peak you're more often than not just doing stupid shi*
Click to expand...

100% this. Listening and learning from years of optimizing podcasts has come too late. So much to teach / know but no-one to share it with and a little too late for ourselves to get all the benefit.
 
Best bottle of brandy I can afford, and I am pretty sure there is a bullet with my name on it.
 
Alexander the Straight said:
That's great. I suppose having some sort of purpose or interest at that age is enough to keep you going, as long your body is still holding out.

My dad lived till 82 and enjoyed perfect health till a week before he passed. He told me many times that getting old is no fun and after a certain point you're just existing and doing the mundane stuff because you have to. He felt that nobody needed him anymore and to a large extent that was true, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

This last sentence, as heart breaking as it is, puts our purpose into perspective. After being a good boy/son/husband/father/citizen/son-in-law/friend/colleague etc throughout life we must not forget to be selfish, do things that makes us happy and keep us fulfilled, so even when those we did everything for moves on it won’t matter so much.
 
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