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April
Seniors Have Issues too
Oh sure, finally retired, work days are a thing of
the past, and life and each day is just a beautiful
rose blooming sunny day in a senior’s life.
There’s a house paid for, money in the bank,
and plenty of time to fly around the world if they
want to, and the same health as when they were
babies, that is, lively and full of energy, and
someone always there to attend to it. It is
wonderful, but there are some problems. You
can’t spend good memories and health does
fade.
Do you have difficulty in opening one of those
child-proof aspirin bottles and life-saving meds
the doc has prescribed? They should also call them
senior-proof bottles. Trying to squeeze that little
white cap and turning it at the same time is not a
major execution for most of the human race, except
kids of course, but for a senior with achy hands
and diminishing muscle strength it can be a chief
chore; especially if the goal is to cure a
headache. And then try opening a new jar of pickles
or mustard, the cap is always built tight so that
only a steel worker in Pittsburg can open it. A few
swear words come out at these times, damning the
bottling company for them punishing the weak and
their sadistic humor.
Then the front stairs on the house were a
wonderful trip when one first moved in. It was a
nice rise to the front door, a big porch from which
a view of the neighborhood and far off in the
distance a nice view of a mountain range, and maybe
a body of water. And now, and now, it is like
climbing Mount Rainier every day just to get to the
mail box and back, or bring in the groceries from
the car. Yes, they could use the driveway and use
the back door, but the stairs are just as high
there and not at safe. A major fall there would go
unnoticed and unattended for after a header down
the stairs with a bag of groceries. One fallen
might be found at the next backyard BBQ?
And, “Oh sure your rich, Dad, can you lend
your little daughter/son some money to pay the
bills? And maybe buy me a new car?” Domestic
problems in an extended family can aggravate the
problem of a financially borderline senior citizen.
Should any of the children be wallowing in a state
of poverty, the senior citizen becomes physically
and mentally loaded up with intense and continuing
pressure out of being totally helpless to come to
the financial rescue of a grieving son or daughter.
You have a little money coming in and a little in
the bank, but all-in-all just enough to get by and
have some fun once in a while; but not enough to
support a family again. “Sorry, my big little
man/woman, you are on your own these days.” In
this case it might be wise to follow the advice of
that old man, Plato, “Let parents bequeath to
their children not riches, but the spirit of
reverence.” That’s it, give them a little
respect and be awed at their positive
accomplishments, but no cash.
Financial hardships can be avoided if a senior
citizen, during the period of economic activity and
utility, that is when younger, had deliberately
exercised foresight, focus, and simplicity, a
discipline that consistently upholds the importance
of modest needs. The idea here is to build a
sustainable wealth of lifetime resources to address
the financial requirements for the person dwelling
in the twilight zone, retirement, time of life.
‘Preparing and planning’ are the key
words here’.
A healthful life is like a well-oiled and fed
machine, with its fundamental parts continuously
maintained so that it can perform normally, or at
peak efficiency, beyond its anticipated useful
life, that is into retirement. The onset of sudden
serious health problems can be substantially
alleviated, if not totally avoided, if maintenance
and checkups are continued on a regular basis. This
holds true if the senior citizen, at the time of
his or her prime, has led a clean, discreet,
active, family-based, helpful, and interconnected
life, a discipline that builds premium on fitness,
integrity, peace, humility, and friendship.
“Good luck with that wishful thinking,”
say many seniors, “but I’ll try better
now!”
An issue by one definition is a matter that is
in dispute between two or more parties; in this
case, seniors and life. There is no escape hatch
here, just a rocky road that must be traveled.
©2013, Patrick
Kennedy
* * *
Man arrives as a novice at each age of his life.
- Nicolas Chamfort
Patrick
M. Kennedy (P Manvel Kennedy) has been a
professional writer, editor, and graphic artist for
over 30 years. He is the author of three books:
More
Fun with Retirement: A coffee break for
seniors,
How
to Have Fun with
Retirement, and
Being
a Senior Citizen: You rnew phase of life with
many questions looking for
answers. and his
latest book: More Fun with Retirement: A
coffee break for seniors. He currently works from
Boise, Idaho. In the past he has worked from
Seattle, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas. He keeps busy
because he knows it is important when writing or
editing any material with a particular objective in
mind, for either personal use or business goals, to
present ideas with quality, clarity and accuracy.
He can do that, and he does most of it himself, but
he occasionally must call upon qualified associates
for assistance.
"My Resume shows me as an
experienced professional writer and editor who
specializes in the English language. With years of
professional experience in the
writing/editing/graphics field, I offer quality
services to both individual and business clients,
with prompt and accurate solutions designed to meet
their needs, and online editing services and
writing services for easy and quick results.
www.abetterword.com
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