Turning 78: Adaptations and accommodations

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Jane, July 3, 2018

Another birthday….rather surprising to hear the number 78. I realize I have just outlived my mother who died at age 77. As always, I’m looking forward to the fireworks ahead, my special birthday treat.

I’ve enjoyed today’s phone, FaceTime and online conversations with friends spread around the country….feeling fortunate to share celebration with nearby family….glad to be here and feeling well enough.

I wrote in this blog eight years ago, about then turning 70.

Now some observations on turning 78:

Since downsizing and moving to the Dallas-Ft Worth Area fourteen years ago, to be near our family, I have learned my way around town and have developed new friendships. A city-girl at heart, I continue to enjoy exploring the endless possibilities in the DFW metroplex…now sharing discoveries with our teen-age grandchildren. I have a variety of activities that keep me as busy as I care to be, many of which keep me involved with other people…of all ages.

I greatly enjoy curating 70candles.com, and am inspired by the richness of the topics and conversations both currently and in our archives. I’m amazed at the geographical reach around the world of our blog. Be assured we will keep it going, even into our 80s. The masthead has been updated to say it’s for “women in their 70s…and beyond.”

I work on writing projects with my husband, Norman, and publish our work on Amazon’s CreateSpace…always a technical challenge for me…but oh, the satisfaction when I overcome each computer obstacle.

We both exercise several times a week, stay abreast of news and the distressing political scene, and stay in touch with our nearby children and three grandchildren.

I’ve declared this my summer of art, and will take a watercolor class, along with a friend. I’ve dipped in and out of art classes through the years, and find them engaging and fun.

I’ve enjoyed reading with my two book groups, but also choosing books of my own. Am laughing out loud at David Sedaris’ poignant but funny new book of short stories, right now.

I’ve found two friends who are happy to join me for evening concerts, and dance performances downtown. My husband is less inclined to attend those events, but is delighted that I have others to go with.

My recent endeavors over the last few years have included knitting scarves and hats upon request, learning to play ukulele and getting my granddaughter interested in playing, and, a new addition, visiting friends in rehab and nursing homes, with hope of bringing distraction, comfort and cheer.
I try to participate as a citizen in the political realm and have marched and signed petitions for causes that matter to me.

Adaptations and accommodations that come with aging have recently come into focus:

First, as my hearing declines, I find myself alerting and informing those I encounter of my need for volume, clarity and visibility. I use those wonderful closed caption devices at the movies and auditory amplifiers at the theatre. I spread the word to others I know who need that enhancement, that these devices are readily available. I need to have my hearing aids checked annually, and I return for tweaking if the settings are off target in volume or in specific frequencies. It really makes a difference when the tuning is right. I’m not shy about asking a restaurant to turn down their music while I’m there.

I’ve discovered the pleasure of a short afternoon nap, especially if I’ve awakened very early and have been to a rigorous exercise class.

My Saturday morning hour-long walk with a good friend has become shorter, she tells me as she consults her Fitbit. I seem to have slowed my pace somewhat, probably because of minor hip and Achilles’ tendon issues, although our conversation has maintained its breadth and depth. As we walk, I notice that interesting details on the sidewalk, are now closer than they used to be…as my height has gradually been reduced by 2 3/4 inches!

I sit more than I used to…reading more books, sometimes knitting…watching the news and Netflix with my husband…pleasant sitting.

I noticed when I took our three grandchildren downtown to see the Lion King, and for lunch at the theater, I welcomed their help. “That’s why you have three grandchildren,” one said when I thanked her for picking up something I dropped. I enjoyed having my grandson drive us down there, rather than having to drive myself.

Although I still do a shoulder stand and a plow, I don’t turn upside down anymore…not since my recovery from a most unpleasant bout of Ménière’s disease that left me dizzy for too many months. Thankfully that problem eventually resolved.

Things I no longer do, but remember fondly are skiing, ice skating, rollerblading, tennis and even bike riding. I’m concerned I wouldn’t hear traffic behind me were I on a bike. I noticed at a modern dance performance the other night I was an enthralled observer, but remembered when I used to empathically actually feel each dance movement as I watched such events.

We’ve stopped traveling great distances. Now I watch and listen as others fly in and out of the country and the state, and I enjoy descriptions of their adventures. We’ve had our share of foreign exploration. Enjoyable now to watch the food travelers on TV as they venture far and wide….and Norman has learned some fantastic cooking ideas as a bonus.

We’ve made improvements in our home in the name of safety and fall prevention. A bar to hold onto in the shower, another by the steps from our garage to our back entrance, and at the front steps, two sturdy high gloss black enamel steel handrails. They look great and create a cozy stoop where I sometimes sit and read.

We still drive, and can’t quite imagine that privilege will ever cease, but know that eventually we might need to be transported by others. My husband who is several years older than I, and I, monitor each other whenever we’re on the road to be sure we’re still up to the task.

We live in a multi-generational neighborhood where we are clearly the oldest residents. People know us and we have neighbors we can shout out to in a pinch. When I left both the garage door and car door open the other morning, as I ran back inside to get my water bottle for exercise class, the young woman next door who caught sight of that, called my cell phone to be sure everything was okay. That was comforting. I like my role on the Architectural Control Committee of the HOA, as it keeps me involved in the workings of the community.

Oh…And I’ve decided to let my hair become white after years of coloring it. I kinda like it, though many have warned that I will become invisible and be dismissed by younger people…Not yet so far…

Time has flown since our move from Ohio to Dallas to be near our family. Our oldest grandson who was then five, is about to be a Sophomore in college. Since I can never remember (among other things) exactly what year we moved, I use his age to calculate our length of time here. We’ve always measured his height against my body. He is now nearly six feet tall and we laugh as he has to bend down to hug me.

All in all, I feel grateful and loved, and as I see more illness and death around me, thankful for still being here, to enjoy the good life I have.

Posted in 70candles, Adaptations and accommodations as we age, Aging, Attitudes about aging, Family matters, Men aging, Resilience, What we're reading, Where to live | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Transition

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Patricia, Age 81 1/2

Hi everyone,
I am probably the oldest of this group, and when I turned 70 years decided to leave my hair WHITE!! This was unconceivable to my friends (female) since I am chilean, my country is definitely managed by males, women ask their husbands, “should I?“ or “may I…?” Well I didn’t even consider that posibility.

So let me warn you of the effects of white hair (at least here):

YOU INSTANTLY BECOME INVISIBLE
YOU ALSO TURN TO BE INAUDIBLE
WHEN YOU SIT TO GET A CUP OF COFFEE, WAITERS (female and male) do not see you, they serve somebody in the table next to you….same thing at the supermarket. You stand in the cue for ELDERS, PREGNANT WOMEN,INVALIDS AND in front of you is a girl of 25 years. So I touched her shoulder, pointed at the sign and asked: to which of theses conditions you belong, I can see you are not an invalid, neither are you old, that leaves us with pregnancy, unless it happened in the last hour, you certainly do not belong in this cue, so we had a good laugh …

One good thing to happen is that somebody may give you their seat in the subway, open a door when they see me pushing hard and getting no where.

And when I want to get a cup of coffee or the bill, I wave a paper napkin, that certainly gets every bodys attention,

Regards to all
from Maitencillo, Chile

Patricia

Posted in 70candles, Ageism anecdotes, Attitudes about aging, HUMOR | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Summertime at almost 78

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Emily, Almost 78

I am up in Walton in my little house enjoying the
beauty of the area, and my friends up here. After mowing
the grass and doing violence to some invasive weeds, I sat
outside reading a book I might have read before, but that
will be determined later. It is called The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer, about six people (NYers) who met at a summer camp. The first thirty-five pages were about the
camp and their meeting.

I am going to Chautauqua tomorrow for a week, always a wonderful experience, and I picked up the book at the library this AM mainly because there it was facing front, and someone said it was good.

I discovered yesterday that almost 78 might be too old to paint rooms. I started, and after two hours, had to lie down for a while. Went back to it and stopped when I was scarily tired. I was somewhat surprised. I slept for a while, then fed myself
determinedly, and then decided to ignore the project til
after next week, lest I give up the ghost before it
happens. Isn’t good sense supposed to come with all those candles?
Emily

Posted in 70candles, Adaptations and accommodations as we age, Aging, Attitudes about aging, Our bodies, our health, What we're reading | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gathering memories and stories

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Sandy, Age 74

I was born in Rochester, NY – the granddaughter of four Italian Catholic immigrants. At age 4 months, I became ill with polio which resulted in paralysis of my lower right leg. At 18 months of age, I went to a convalescent hospital for 6 months of rehabilitation following an experimental surgery. In those days the medical community determined that it was best for hospitalized children not to see their families since those visits invariably caused trauma to the children when the families left them again after “visiting hours”. I am told my parents were able to come for one hour on Sunday and watch me through a one-way mirror but I never saw them until I was returned to my home. (Just a note on the quaint practices of medicine in the 1940’s!)

I went to Catholic school and in the summers to Rotary Sunshine Camp for handicapped kids. When I was 8, my father was killed and my mother injured in a car accident. My brother and I were cared for by various aunts and uncles on both sides of the family while our mother recovered. After a year our mother remarried and our newly remade nuclear family moved to CA. leaving aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and traditions behind. Alas, Mother missed her family and step-father would do anything for Mother so we moved back to Rochester. But winter is hard in Rochester and Mother was having none of that so we moved back to CA, a different city. Alas, Mother missed the family so we moved back to Rochester but what do you know…. Winter was still hard in NY so for the last time we moved back again to CA.! By this time I was a teenager and I soon fell head over heels in love. We married when I was 18, had our beautiful baby girl when I was 19. I had postponed going to Nursing School and loved being a wife and mother. My husband left me for another woman when I was pregnant with our third child and after this child was born, I went to Nursing School.
My second marriage was to a very good man who loved my children and me. He was a great Dad to our 4 children but the marriage began to unravel and after 10 years we parted on good terms. By this time I had worked and gone to school enough to earn an A.A. degree in Nursing and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a certificate in Neonatal Nurse Practice. I wanted a Master’s degree. So I moved to Washington with my three sons to go to school again. In Graduate School I met and fell in love with the woman with whom I have shared the last 35 years of my life. This was a total shock to me as I had never had any sense at all of being attracted to women as lovers. The 1980’s were a challenging time to be in a same-sex relationship, especially if you had minor children but I was fortunate in that both ex-husbands and the children themselves adjusted and supported our relationship.

My Nursing career focused on premature infants and their families and I truly loved the work. I always considered it a privilege to share the lives of these babies and families in their hardest challenges and greatest joys. Unfortunately, the late effects of polio cut short my career and I had to retire at age 52. By this time, however, I had amazing, wonderful grandchildren! They filled me with complete joy and purpose – especially when they were very young. As they grew older and no longer needed a babysitter or had time for things I could do with them, I began to really suffer from depression. I did some volunteer work in our local hospital and while I loved being in the hospital environment, I simply couldn’t manage physically.
After leaving the volunteer position, I decided that what I needed was to care for something. We got a puppy and she became my life-line. I was once again needed and forced to smile and laugh a hundred times a day as I watched the antics of this little bundle of fur.

My wife continued to work until recently and we are now adjusting to both being retired and being at different life stages (she is 12 years younger than I) and different physical abilities. She is getting in some well-deserved travel with friends and my adult children. The little bundle of fur became a 7 year old Schnoodle who goes to Agility class with my wife and is learning to be a Therapy Dog with me. I have become a quilter and a gatherer of memories and stories. And I still love being a homemaker, a wife and a mother.

Posted in 70candles, Caretaking, Family matters, Grandparenting, Our bodies, our health, Share your story, Work life and retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Life’s a trip!

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Monica, Age 71

This is the first time I’ve been on a blog. Since turning 70 last year, my health dramatically changed. In October, I fell and ended up with 2 injured shoulders. I am currently recuperating from rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder and will need a shoulder replacement on the left side. Also, I found out I have 3 herniated discs in my lower back and one compound fracture just above them. Before I had the rotator cuff surgery, I had to have an EKG. From this, it was discovered that I have atrial fibrillation. This past week, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea which may be causing the a-fib.

I am stunned by all of this, especially, the heart stuff. This growing old is taking its toll on me. Facing mortality is one thing; being disabled is quite another. They both keep me fully anxious! Oddly, I am in a pretty good space, otherwise. I am happily married, work 3 days a week, love to read , cook and travel.

When I was young (and younger), I was a mischief maker, an imp, a trouble maker. I was the kid parents didn’t want their kids to play with. I was never disrespectful; I was full of an anxious energy. I was expelled from 2 high schools and one college. When the 60’s hit, I fell into the whole hippie scene. To this day, I smoke pot every night and drink (mostly wine) a few times a week.

My medical issues have put a crimp on traveling, but I am learning how to accommodate them. For example, I mail my suitcase to the address of where I will be staying. I also request a wheelchair at each airport. These two changes have made it doable for me to visit my family and friends back East. I am so grateful for them!

Also, I am leasing a new car that has an automatic transmission! I cannot tell you how switching from a manual to an automatic has improved my day-to-day life. One other item – a placard for disabled drivers! Parking close to my workplace has resulted in my being in so much less pain.

My exercise routine is pitiable. I do my physical therapy exercises and go to P/T twice a week. To support my back, I need to use my abs for moving my torso, instead of relying on back and leg muscles.

Because I don’t feel sick (no fever, sore throat, etc.), and when I sit, the pain decreases significantly to the point of being easily manageable, I feel like I am taking advantage of someone or thing.

Another thing that I’ve become insecure about is appearance. It may seem shallow, but I love clothes and shoes, especially sandals and boots. Thankfully, there are so many shoe makers that make attractive, trendy comfortable shoes. They cost more, but they allow me to feel stylish and comfortable. Brands I buy are Born, Easy Spirit, Sofft, Clarks, etc. I like some height (I’m now 5/2″) but don’t wear anything over 2 inches high. Clothes are more problematic for me. What does a short, slightly plump 70+ year old wear???? I still love jean, leggings, cropped pants, skirts that hit just below the knee to midi length, summer dresses that are below the knee, preferably midi-length. Maxi dresses make me look like a fire hydrant (Johnny Pump in Brooklyn!).

It’s the wanting to enjoy each and every day of my life while facing mortality when that thought creeps into my mind. Every decade has it’s trials and tribulations and I am as ill-prepared for the 70’s as I’ve been for all the other decades I’ve had the good fortune to live. Ageing forces one to be humble.

My marriage is in a really good place. During my recovery, my husband has taken such wonderful care of me. We grow closer every day and laugh a lot. As with any marriage that has lasted 26+ years, we’ve had our life challenges – job losses, unemployment, cancer, deaths of loved ones. We seem to come out the other end closer and more in love, if that can be ;possible.

I am close with my family, which is a large one. I have a few extremely close friends from high school and college, and a few more great friendships have developed over the ensuing years.

When I look back over my life, I realize that I have everything I ever wanted – to live in California, to be with my husband and to have had a rewarding, exciting career. More money would be nice – I could travel in style!

Throughout my life, I hope I have helped others to achieve their goals, to get through a difficult time, to offer a shoulder upon which to cry, feel joy and glee, and to laugh….often.

Years ago, I went through a very difficult time in my life and I promised myself that I would try to help anyone else who I encountered who was going through something similar. I hope I have been observant enough to see a need in others where I could reach out to help.

Many of my friends and family members regret things they’ve done in the past, mainly life-altering decisions or choices that became life altering. I’ve searched deep into my heart and soul and I do not find I have regrets. Yet, I am filled with constant anxiety. Life is a TRIP!

Posted in 70candles, Attitudes about aging, Caretaking, Family matters, Our bodies, our health, Resilience | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Greetings from Chile!

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Patricia, Age 81

Hello, I am an 81-year-old woman, in good health (with a few exceptions, normal like car with a lot of miles).
Married, twice, two sons, two grandchildren. I live in Chile, by the sea side, a small place called Maitencillo, 60 kms from Valparaiso…this place is probably more famous.

I have two dogs, a male and a female, one black one white. Worked my whole life and lived in Santiago, and owned this house where we spent our weekends.

Traveled a lot, being to the USA several times, I have a brother who lives there. In general, looking back, I have enjoyed my life, laughed a lot, something I still do.
I love reading, watch the sea side while we have a cup of coffee on Saturdays,(coffee shops only open on weekends). This place is flooded with people on long weekends and summer, and the peace returns.

Wish you all lots of fun, smiles, laughter and friedship, from a very very far away place.
Patricia

Posted in 70candles, Aging, Attitudes about aging, Share your story, Where to live | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Jane Brody’s 2016 “Aging in Place” New York Times article

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Today is the second anniversary of the publication of this, the second in Jane Brody’s two-part New York Times series on adjustments to aging. It features our 70Candles! book, and a topic of great importance to women our age…where to live.  We share it once again for those who might have missed it and for those who may enjoy reading it anew.

To join the ongoing conversation about ‘Where to live’ on our 70Candles.com blog, find that category on the right side of the blog site and see what others have to say.

PERSONAL HEALTH
Jane Brody on health and aging.

When I asked the other three members of my walking group, all of whom are in their mid to upper 70s, whether they had any concerns about future living arrangements, they each said they had none despite the fact that, like me, they live in multistory private homes without elevators and, in two cases, without bathrooms on every floor.

My Los Angeles son asked recently what I might do if I could no longer live in my house, and I flippantly replied, “I’m coming to live with you.” The advantages: I’d be surrounded by a loving and supportive family, and the warm weather is a benefit for someone like me who becomes increasingly intolerant of the cold with each passing year. The disadvantages: I’d lose a familiar community and a host of friends, and his house, unlike mine, is on a steep hill with no nearby stores; if I could no longer drive, I’d have to be chauffeured everywhere.

Probably my biggest deterrent would be relinquishing my independence and the incredible number of “treasures” I’ve amassed over the last half century. The junk would be easy, but parting with the works of art and mementos would be like cutting out my heart.

I suspect that most people are reluctant to think about changing where and how they live as long as they are managing well at the moment. Lisa Selin Davis reports in AARP magazine that “almost 90 percent of Americans 65 or older plan to stay in their homes as they age.” Yet for many, the design of their homes and communities does not suit older adults who lack the mobility, agility and swiftness of the young.

For those who wish to age in place, the authors of “70Candles: Women Thriving in Their 8th Decade,” Jane Giddan and Ellen Cole, list such often-needed home attributes as an absence of stairs, wide doorways to accommodate a walker or wheelchair, slip-resistant floors, lever-style door knobs, remotely controlled lighting, walk-in showers, railings, ramps and lifts. Add to these a 24-hour help system, mobile phone, surveillance cameras and GPS locaters that enable family members to monitor the well-being of their elders.

In many communities, volunteer organizations, like Good Neighbors of Park Slope in Brooklyn and Staying in Place in Woodstock, N.Y., help older residents remain in their homes and live easier and more fulfilling lives.

While many young adults chose to live and bring up children in the suburbs, a growing number of empty-nested retirees are now moving to city centers where they can access public transportation, shop on foot for food and household needs, and enjoy cultural offerings and friendly gatherings without depending unduly on others.

One reason my friends and I are unwilling to even consider leaving our Brooklyn community is our ability to walk to supermarkets, banks, food co-ops, hardware stores, worship and recreational facilities, and get virtually everywhere in the city with low-cost and usually highly efficient public transportation. No driving necessary.

We also wallow in the joys of near-daily walks in a big, beautiful urban park, remarking each time about some lovely vista — the moon, sunrise, visible planets, new plantings and resident wildlife.

Throughout the country, communities are being retrofitted to accommodate the tsunami of elders expected to live there as baby boomers age. Changes like altering traffic signals and street crossings to give pedestrians more time to cross enhance safety for people whose mobility is compromised. New York City, for example, has created Aging Improvement Districts, so far in East Harlem, the Upper West Side and Bedford-Stuyvesant, to help older people “live as independently and engaged in the city as possible,” Ms. Giddan and Ms. Cole wrote. In East Harlem, for example, merchants have made signs easier to read and provided folding chairs for seniors who wish to rest before and after shopping.

In Philadelphia, a nonprofit organization, Friends in the City, calls itself a “community without walls” designed to bring members closer to the city’s resources and to one another. It offers seniors a daily variety of programs to suit many cultural and recreational interests.

Also evolving is the concept of home sharing, in which several older people who did not necessarily know one another get together to buy a home in which to live and share responsibilities for shopping, cooking, cleaning and home repair. For example, in Oregon, Let’s Share Housing, and in Vermont, Home Share Now, have online services that connect people with similar needs, Ms. Giddan and Ms. Cole report. There’s also an online matching service — Roommates4Boomers.com — for women 50 and over looking for compatible living mates.

Of course, there are still many older adults, widows and widowers in particular, who for financial or personal reasons move in with a grown child’s family, sometimes in an attached apartment or separate floor. Host families may gain a built-in babysitter, and children can develop a more intimate relationship with grandma or grandpa.

For those with adequate finances, there is no shortage of for-profit retirement communities that help older people remain independent by providing supportive services and a host of amenities and activities. Some have extensive recreational and exercise facilities, as well as book and craft clubs, discussion groups and volunteer opportunities. Some take residents to theatrical productions and museums and on trips to nearby attractions.

I confess that retirement communities that house only older adults are not my style. I can’t imagine living in a place where I don’t see and interact with children on a daily basis. I find that nothing cheers me more than a smile or comment from a toddler. I guess I take after my father, who used to flirt with every child he noticed in a car near his. But I realize that, just as some people are averse to dogs, not everyone enjoys the companionship of a high-energy child.

For older people likely to require help with the activities of daily living, there are many assisted living facilities where residents can get more or less help, including aid with medications, feeding and ambulation, according to their changing needs.

And should I ever have to leave my home, Ms. Giddan and Ms. Cole point out that there is a new and growing cadre of professional organizers and moving managers to “help people sort through accumulated belongings, distribute and disperse what won’t be needed in the new setting, and assist with all stages of packing, moving and then unpacking, and staging the new home.”

Posted in 70candles, Looking ahead, Older women connecting, Where to live | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spinal fusion recovery

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Diana, Age 72

I discovered 70candles.com about six months before I turned 70. I was so grateful to have found both the book and the website, because as I approached 70, although I felt a measure of satisfaction with my life I also had some apprehension as to how life would unfold after this “landmark” birthday. My sense was that time was limited for all the things I still wanted to do and accomplish.

When I turned 70, the future looked bright. I was active and in apparent good health. I looked forward to many years of a happy retirement with lots of time spent on traveling and hobbies. Now 72, I have recently had spine surgery (March 26, 2018): a laminectomy and a lumbar spinal fusion. My L5S1 nerve was compressed, causing weakness and foot drop in my right leg.

I’m grateful that my recovery from surgery seems to be going well at this point. Fortunately, almost six weeks post surgery, I have no pain, only some low back muscle soreness now and then if I sit too long in one position or try to do too much. The symptoms of nerve weakness in my right leg are still very noticeable, but I’ve been told that it may take up to a year for full nerve function to return. I am able to get out to local parks every day to walk as much as my leg will tolerate, but other activities, such as working out at the Y, cycling, etc., are restricted for the first six months.

I had been in the habit of thinking of myself as one of those seventy something women who would be active right through her nineties, but, now I realize I may have to live with a certain degree of disability and also the likelihood of possible future surgeries.

I would love to hear from other women who have undergone spinal fusion surgery and recovery. I would so appreciate if you would share your stories, your advice, your encouragement.

Thanks to everyone for their blog posts. I am so glad we all have this wonderful resource and can share our joys as well as our sometimes formidable challenges with each other.

Posted in 70candles, About turning 70, Aging, Our bodies, our health | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Caregiver for older parents

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Anonymous, Age 70

Well, here I am. I retired on July 1 almost 3 years ago and became very involved with my 93-year-old dad and my 90-year-old mom. She became very sick and was hospitalized 2 1/2 weeks into my “retirement” for the better part of 7 weeks, and my dad went into memory care in September. I subsequently moved in with my mom at her request in September when she was discharged. She was still quite ill. Then my Dad died in January. They knew each other for 75 years and were married for 70 of them. So, I retired from social work and became a full time care giver.

I’m sure there are others in similar circumstances so I’m not the only one. My brother and one sister are retired. Both married. I’m divorced for 20 years after 32 years married. Two sisters work full time still. I am not in a position to think about what I want for the next 10 years.

I don’t have a problem being 70. I just wait to see what happens tomorrow.

Posted in 70candles, Aging, Caretaking, Dealing with loss, Death and dying, Family matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do you feel orphaned?

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Blog Mavens

Anonymous, Age 71

Great site…..
I always wonder if others feel like orphans when our parents pass no matter what our age?

Posted in 70candles, Aging, Death and dying, Family matters, Older women connecting | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments