13 THINGS OLD PEOPLE FEAR; and, rightly so. A baker’s dozen of senior fears!
Posted: June 26, 2017 Filed under: geezerHealth, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: fears, old age Leave a comment »[subscribe2]
- Falling – If you fall, it may lead to the hospital or to not being discovered for a long time. And you forget the button that you are supposed to wear around your neck to call for help.
- Driving – You might have an accident, you might not pass the driver’s test, your kids may take your keys away, you may get lost and you will not know how to get home. What senior has heard of Uber or the bus line?
- Finances – Will your money last? Who is trying to get it? What if need long-term care? What about Medicaid?
- Memory – Not just a “senior moment” any more; you can’t remember where you left things, names, or what you did yesterday, etc
- Telling doctors your symptoms – The Dr. will make a record. The insurance company, MVD, your kids or the trustee under your Living Trust will take action. When you are old, you don’t want a record. What is the Dr.s duty?
- Medicines – You can’t keep track of them and you don’t know why you are taking them. – If you sell your opioids, you may go to jail, but you need the money.
- Caring for children – What if you screw up. they can talk you out of anything; they hide from you; and, teenagers want money and to use your spare bedroom.
- Eye exams – Will this keep you from driving ? Cataracts operation? Blind!!!
- Hearing tests – You never did like people with hearing aids and now you aren’t wearing yours. You are isolated and you still can’t make out the words, especially in a noisy restaurant. Plus, hearing aids are expensive, get lost, break, don’t work right and you forget to take them off in the shower.
- Hiring a contractor – What if he cheats you? How do you know what you need? Do you really need what he says. It is important to act like you are competent, so he doesn’t think you are dumb
- Travel – What if you get lost? How do you get the too-big suitcase in the overhead bin? Do you really need a wheel-chair? Plus, all the usual fears in this day of terrorism.
- Losing things – You put things under other things, or other things on top of the soon-to-be be lost things. Then you can’t find them and have to ask a kid, spouse, friend or stranger for help. And, you feel stupid. Every time you lose something, you know it is dementia.
- Dementia – You have to be really careful here. If you have Alzheimer’s, it is all in your mind; you forget that it won’t be your problem any longer; it will be someone else’s. The fearful time is just before you develop a full-blown case of some form of dementia, and you know something is wrong, but not what but you know you can’t really do anything about it.
And, of course, there are a lot more fears,
THINK OLD!
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ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL ACCOMADATIONS – cautions for seniors!!
Posted: June 9, 2017 Filed under: geezerAdapts, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: Accomodations, AirBnB Leave a comment »More and more seniors seem to be looking for alternative travel accommodation options. Today you have bed & breakfasts, Airbnb, Couch-surfing, hostels, refugios, and college campuses. Old people should ask a few questions and consider what they will be comfortable with. Since I turned 60, I have stayed in Airbnb’s, bed & breakfasts, hostels, refugios, houses and condos all arranged for in advance and at a distance, usually on websites. I have a few suggestions.
1. Will there be other guests? Are you comfortable sharing the facilities with strangers? Is the owner on premises?
2. Are there stairs? Does this give you a problem? Railings, carpeting, clutter?
3. Private bath? Do you have your own bathroom in your room? Does a bathroom outside your room have a secure lock? How many people use it?
4. Clean? You don’t need too much of someone else’s dirt at your age.
5. Kitchen? Can you cook? Store food? How many are cooking/cleaning at the same time?
6. How many people are you sharing with? Will you be comfortable?
7. Security? Bedroom? Bath? Entry doors?
8. Parking? Room for all the cars or do you have to walk in the dark?
9. Heating and cooling?
10. Access to owner/manager?
11. TV? Radio?
12. Towels/linens?
13. Bedside lights?
14. WiFi? Password?
15. Surroundings? Restaurants/pharmacy/urgent care/transportation/??
16. Photos – on webpage?
17. Comments on web page – read these and look for the negative ones.
18. Cork screw – Did you ever try to open a bottle of wine without one? Glasses, plates, silver, sharp knife, can-opener?
REMEMBER: You are old. You are interested in Comfort/Convenience/Security. You don’t want to stay in a place where you are uncomfortable.
Do:
1. Check out the web page.
2. Call the owner/manager and go over the specifics that are important to you.
3. Google Map the place – check out what is around there.
4. Say no if you feel uncomfortable; just don’t book.
5. Hope for the best!
Always have a PLAN B!
THINK OLD!
A MONTH ON THE BEACH – a senior’s perspective -PREPARATION
Posted: September 5, 2016 Filed under: geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized, Why Am I Here? | Tags: beach, Florida Leave a comment »
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida – Hurricane Hermine
We are spending the month of September on the beach in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. My wife was raised on Long Island and grew up around beaches; but after 50 years in New Mexico is not sure she wanted to live East. Her parents lived here for 45 years so she is familiar with the area.
At 76, moving to a new place, even for a month, requires a “senior’s” perspective.
We need a purpose. We don’t swim, golf, play tennis, or do any of the usual things. We walk, do yoga and read. We like to eat out; and, most importantly we like to sit on the balcony and watch the gulf – especially if there is a hurricane. September 2016 is perfect. We rented a 4th floor condo overlooking the gulf and Hurricane Hermine hit on September 1.
The plan is that my wife will paint and I will work on geezer2go!
I hope to tell you about our experiences; day-by-day, with a 5 day lag for editing. The blog will continue its “senior twist.” I will suggest some providers, but don’t be limited by what I suggest. Use your own common sense.
Being old and fearful, preparation is everything:
- Money – cash in a money belt, two credit cards, and a debit card. Take a few blank checks with you. If you need something notarized, Bank of America will do it, at least if you are a customer.
- Prescriptions – Enough for a month with extra in case you overstay. Contact your pharmacist to arrange to have your prescriptions filled at a chain drug store where you are going if you run into problems.
- Uber – Join and experiment with Uber in advance. It is quick, cheap and safe. You don’t have to worry about a tip. See my Uber Blog.
- Airplane tickets – SouthWest. They have a senior fare, if you cancel, you get a credit, there are two bags free, and since they don’t transfer bags to other carriers, they don’t seem to lose them. Get your boarding passes on-line exactly 24 hours before your flight.
- Chargers – I only blog to old people who know how to use the internet. You need chargers for smart phones, computers and i-pads. If you do forget chargers, stop by a hotel/motel. They usually have extras that people left behind. Tip the desk clerk.
- Back-up numbers – A list of phone numbers that you need. Kids, neighbors, place you are going, favorite restaurants, etc. You can never find a phone book, and if you do, it is out-of-date.
- Auto-pay – All deposits including social security, dividends, etc. should be made electronically. You should use e-bills. If you can’t, estimate the amount that you might owe while gone and pay ahead.
- Wi-fi – make sure that where you are going has wi-fi. Even at 76, you need it. If you don’t have it, or if it is bad, learn how to use your smart phone personal hotspot. I have T-mobile and for a few bucks a month was able to hook-up my computer at places without wi-fi.
- Rent Car – Rent it off airport. Cheaper and you avoid driving on the maze of roads around most airports; especially Tampa. Enterprise as it has a free pick-up service. You can use Super-shuttle to get from most airports. You may also be able to use Uber. Try CostCo Travel for good rates.
- Join Silver Sneakers – Free and nation-wide. Access to thousands of exercise classes, yoga classes, Pilates classes and YMCA’s.
- Sick/hurt – Unless it is serious, remember urgent care facilities or the CVS Pharmacy Minute Clinics. Quick, they take Medicare and you can reserve your place in line, on-line. For minor injuries. More importantly, they can recognize serious problems and get you help.
- Packing – I am old. I need less clutter. I travel with a carry-on bag, which I check. For Florida, 7 t-shirts, 7 underpants, sandals, shoes, 3 socks, 3 handkerchiefs, 7 short-sleeved shirts, hat, umbrella, plastic rain poncho, shorts, 2 pair light weight travel pants. I will use the washer/dryer/laundry 4 times. I check the bag so I can get around in terminals and don’t worry too much if I lose it. I also have a brief-case with a notebook, an i-pad, with 600 kindle books and my favorite magazines, and my cell phone. Plus the chargers. What else do I need. Certainly not 3 large suitcases.
This is my preparation. I have high-lighted the web pages of my sources so that you can check them out for yourself. When you are old: TRUST, BUT VERIFY!
VOTING BY OLD PEOPLE – Keep it simple – registration and the absentee ballot
Posted: May 3, 2016 Filed under: geezerLearns, New Mexico, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: absentee ballot, old people, voter registration, voting Leave a comment »Voting was simple when you were young. Now that you are old it can become more complex. It can even be stressful. You have to register; you have to remember election day; you have to get yourself to the polling place; you have to wait in line; and, you are aware of the people lined up behind you as you try to read a ballot with small print – and, you forgot your magnifying glass. In addition, you don’t really know who or what to vote for. The language of issues on ballots make no sense.
People who are over 65 seem to turn out to vote more than other age groups, but the percentage was still only about 45% in the last election.
For old people, voting is important. Politicians are constantly looking at Social Security, Medicare and the Older Americans Act. If you don’t vote, you have no one but yourself to blame for what happens. You are part of a major voting block. You need to make your wishes and the wishes of other old people known.
There are five simple steps to voting when old. I will use New Mexico where I live. I will give you key words, so that you and your grand-kid can search out the rules in your state. There are no old age voting requirements that I am aware of. If you have been adjudicated incompetent, you will have a problem. If you have been convicted of a crime you may have a problem.
The goal is to vote at home, take your time and not feel stressed.
- Register – by mail if you can. If not, find out how to do it in your state or call the party you support. They will help you. Make sure that you have the necessary identification.
NM mail-in voter registration form.
- Identify the candidates and issues. Check the newspapers for a list of candidates and issues. Or, go on-line.
- Find someone whom you trust to help you, if necessary. Just make sure that it is you that is voting, and not someone else.
- Order an absentee ballot – You can download the ballot in NM and then just send it in.
- Vote at your leisure and mail in your ballot to the county clerk for your county.
Finally encourage all the old people you know to do the same. At the assisted living facility, get the ombudsman to help you if your kids or friends can’t.
The important thing is to vote. You are part of a vulnerable class of voters; and, your rights will be at stake.
Search in your state:
“voter registration +name of state”
i.e. voter registration form + Arizona
“absentee voting +name of state”
Note that registration and absentee balloting differ by states, so check yours out. Check out the competency requirements and the deadlines.
VOTE
THINK OLD!
TROLLEY IN INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, FL; OLD PEOPLE LEARN!
Posted: April 11, 2016 Filed under: Aging-in-place, geezerLearns, geezerQuests, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized Leave a comment »
Indian Rocks Beach, FL Trolley
Old People have a love/hate relationship with cars. They want the freedom to drive, but are also afraid when they do. They don’t like to drive after dark, on freeways, in busy traffic and in strange places. They live in fear that their kids are going to ride with them; and, then want to take away their licenses.
Old People should plan ahead and learn to move about without cars and without fear.
We were recently vacationing for two weeks in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. Our Airbnb home was a block and a half from the beach in a quiet neighborhood. It was perfect for four of us. Of course, each couple rented a car. How else would we get around? But at 75, I started thinking down the road. (No pun intended.)
We could walk to the beach, walk to restaurants and walk to small shops for essential supplies. UBER was available for longer journeys; like the grocery store. The Indian Rocks Beach Library was only a block and a half away, complete with computers, wi-fi and a small bookstore with 25 cent paperbacks.
On Gulf Blvd. the Suncoast Beach Trolley runs every half-hour from St. Petersburg Beach to the bus terminal in downtown Clearwater. It is easy and cheap.
The PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) senior fare is $2.50 per day or $35.00 for a month of unlimited travel. Each Trolley has free wi-fi, so if the place you are staying doesn’t have free wi-fi, you can just ride the bus with your computer all day for $1.
It is a good deal, takes more time than a car, but…. I may soon be old. Parking is another problem, but that is for another blog.
My Indian Rocks Beach experience can be applied anywhere.
Any city that has a bus, trolley or cable car line, probably has a senior fare and a pass good for one-day to a year. In San Francisco, a pass good for bus, cable car and street cars within San Francisco is $15 per month.
In Albuquerque. New Mexico the senior pass is $12 per month if you are over 62.
You can check out any city you are going to by doing a Google search:
bus+name of city+schedule
This will lead you to the appropriate web page.
One work of caution, at least in Indian Rocks Beach, the bus stop sign that gives you search message sites doesn’t work. I sent a message and scanned in a code. Didn’t work. So, I waited on a bench, and pretty soon the trolley came.
THINK OLD!
AGING IMPOSSIBLE! – redoing an old person???
Posted: March 17, 2016 Filed under: AGING, Aging-in-place, geezerAdapts, Life Style, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, aging in place, elder, elderly, elders, geezer, geriatric, lifespan, living-in-place, mature, mature adults, old age, old people, older, older adults, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »
Geezer Impossible
Restaurant Impossible is one of my favorite TV shows, so of course it got me thinking. Why couldn’t Robert, or someone like him, come in and redo me?
Like the restaurants on the show, I am a mess after 75 years. I am out of shape. My finances are a mess. I don’t even know what all the pills I take are for.
I am in need of redoing! I need to be rehabbed. So, I wrote to Geezer Impossible and offered myself!
I am out of date; although a plus is that I have donated all my stained, checkered pants with zippers that don’t work to Good Will. I now wear relaxed fit jeans. Not much of an improvement, but a start. Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ), I am not, yet….. And, the fifty’s may come back.
I need a team to come in clean me up, shape me up, revise my life style, perhaps come up with a new style or at least a theme. Make me a modern “old man.” Are there “theme” old people?
Robert could meet with my family, friends, advisors, etc.; find out what they were doing for me, put them on notice that they need to shape up, then go to work on me.
He could have a group of experts; perhaps a doctor, a financial planner, a lawyer, a geriatric shrink and of course a dietician.
The result would be a new old man; with a modern theme. Instead of walking me through the door of a restaurant, Robert could walk my family through the door of my new living space and show me off. They could all marvel at how old people could be rejuvenated.
It might be necessary to do a series of old people makeovers to determine if this was a viable process. Data is important; and, of course we would need follow-up. How long could I endure my new theme.
The redo might be franchised. Old People Impossible, make overs for those over 75. Maybe even a TV show, preferably in the late afternoon, with wine.
After writing this, I woke up!
Geezer awakens!
THINK OLD!
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS – 10 sites for seniors
Posted: March 14, 2016 Filed under: AGING, geezerLearns, geezerTips, New Mexico, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, Education, elder, elderly, geriatric, learning, lifespan, old, old age, old people, old person, retirement, senior, senior citizen, study Leave a comment »ADULT EDUCATION is the best part of aging. Whether for pleasure or to understand your daily activities, you need to make use of the sources available to seniors. An added bonus is that most aging studies encourage you to keep your mind active and to be involved. This does not mean TV; this means developing an interest, searching out the sources and gaining expertise,i
This blog was written as part of a University of New Mexico Continuing Education six-week course.
UNM Blogging Classroom
The course is: Blogging Your Way to Writing Success. It met once a week for two hours and was taught by an excellent instructor who is a professional blogger, journalist and writer. The cost is $75 and it meets during the day so you don’t have to worry about driving after dark. Parking is easy. The students are my age or a bit younger. It is a non-threatening course.
What other courses are there for old people? The following list is a list of courses in or near Albuquerque. If you click on the underlined word, you go to the web site for Albuquerque. Use the “search” terms to find classes near you; or make up your own search terms. Every town has classes, even if it is only the Historical Society of Villisca, Iowa. Any town you visit can give you a learning experience.
Either click on the underlined word/s or search the words listed.
- Oasis Search: Oasis.org + your town
- Osher Search: Osher + your town
- UNM Continuing Education – Search: Community colleges or continuing education + your town
- University of New Mexico – Search: College or university + your town
- Coursera – Search: Courser.org
- National Parks New Mexico – Search: National Parks – lectures or classes + name of park
- Albuquerque Public Library – Search: Library + town
- Meet up – Search: Meetup + town
- Groups like genealogy society, camera clubs, historical societies, Friends of the Camino de Santiago etc – Search: key word + your town.
- Senior Classes – Albuquerque – Search: senior classes + your town.
Drop by any senior center for a list of their classes, trips, books, cheap food and information.
This is only a short list. The trick is to search the name of the town and what you are interested in.
This is how you should live and travel.
THINK OLD!
ROBOT CAREGIVER FOR OLD PEOPLE
Posted: March 11, 2016 Filed under: AGING, Aging-in-place, COPING, geezerAdapts, Life Style, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, assisted suicide, caregiver, elder, elderly, geriatric, lifespan, old age, old people, outsourcing, retirement, robot, senior, senior citizen, tipping point Leave a comment »
TIME FOR THE GEEZER’S SHOT!
I have been reading a lot about robots and old people lately. We have a surplus of old people and a shortage of caregivers. Is a robot caregiver the answer? At 75 future care is a constant thought; for me and for my friends. I thought about a robot in my future over coffee on Tuesday morning. Like most of my thoughts, these are irreverent.
- A robot changing my diapers. Picture me, lying on a bed, naked from the waist down, with a robot, wiping me and putting on a new diaper. How would a robot hold me in place? It’s bad enough changing a baby, imagine a robot changing me! And, don’t forget the security camera that the robot is required to wear is going all the time.
- Could the robot identify strangers who came into my home? Then what?
- Could a robot prevent falls?
- A robot could probably take my vital signs; a smart phone can do that now with a little help.
- Can a robot cook? Thaw and heat a meals-on-wheels selection? Probably.
- Clean? I hope so.
- How will a robot react with other people around?
- Will a robot like my dog? Will my dog like the robot?
- How much would it cost to make my home robot friendly? Could I find a place where the robot couldn’t find me? If so, it would probably dial 911.
- Could I short-circuit a robot? Probably it would dial 911 if I did.
- What are the ongoing maintenance and repair costs of a robot?
- What are the costs of monitoring the robot and maintaining a call center to deal with calls from the robot?
- Would a robot scare me? Think of Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey – before the time of most current robot designers.
- Could a robot bathe/shower me without drowning me or short-circuiting the robot?
- Heavy lifting would be plus. A robot could save a lot in workman’s comp. claims or the necessity of hiring two caregivers for someone of my weight.
- Theft. Identify a stranger? If the robot was stolen, we could probably locate it using our i-phone.
- Could the robot take the place of my geriatric psychologist; listen to me, counsel me?
- Could the robot provide comfort to me when I slip into Alzheimer’s? Or would I have to have two robots?
- Paying bills? Is my robot trustworthy?
- The robot could probably sign in to Skype and give my kids several views of what I was doing at any given time. It could also provide a security video that was not erased for thirty days and which my kids and my doctor could access along with a running record of my vital signs, urinalysis results, weight, diaper changing, etc.
- The robot would be perfect for the new driverless cars.
- The robot could dial UBER.
- The robot could get together with SIRI and order anything I needed.
- The robot could exercise me; whether I wanted it or not. Picture a robot designed to exercise me; and, me, not wanting to exercise.
- The robot could be programmed for Robot Assisted Suicide; however, this might violate the First Law of Robotics.
- The robot might have a copy of my advance directive and not consult with me.
- The robot could file my taxes.
- If I have Alzheimer’s; can the robot deal with that? The robot is very logical; I would just be street-smart.
- How would the robot deal with my girl friend? Could I program it to stay out of the bedroom?
- If I needed surgery, could the robot do it?
The above are just the thoughts of an old man who might be a perfect candidate for a robot caregiver. Most people don’t realize that they are old until suddenly they reach the “tipping point” at which time, they are there.
At least, I have a number of ideas for future blogs. So, stay tuned.
Maybe I should just go with a therapeutic robot from Parorobots.com to pet:
A comfort robot instead of a comfort dog for the elderly in Japan??
THINK OLD!