Older Adults and Youth: Connecting the Past and the Future in the Present

 

Image by COD Newsroom
via Creative Commons

I have observed a stereotype that older adults talk about the past with the evaluation that they do so too much.  When someone is 80 years old, they have a lot more past behind them than future in front of them. 

Personally, I enjoy talking to people who have skill sets and a knowledge base that I do not have.  It’s fascinating to hear people report on time periods, places, and events that I have never experienced.  Older adults function like living libraries. 

I have worked in higher education for over four decades, and I have noticed that young adults tend to talk a lot about the future. They can spend a lot of time sharing their plans on what they are going to do.  They have a lot more future in front of them than past behind them.

Over the years, the age difference between the traditional college-aged student and my age has widened gradually. I could be impatient about the blueprints they have to build castles—seemingly in the air. However, I learn a lot about the rising generation and some of the growth industries and technologies that I have not studied.  Young adults are the stewards of the future, including my future. If I live long enough to achieve frailty, I will be dependent to a large degree on people younger than I.    

Drinking More Water

 

Image by Kate Ter Haar
via Creative Commons

Oh, I did everything to ensure that I gained weight during the first half of this year: 

• I did not drink enough water. 
• I stopped lifting weights. 
• I decreased my exercise regime from 12 classes a week to 2 classes a week.
• I ate a lot of carbs. (I made sourdough bread every day during the month of April.)
• I lounged around in bed and ruminated about the difficulties of moving. 

So it was no surprise that I stopped fitting into many of my more tailored dresses and many of my "perfect fit" jeans and slacks. 

I am too cheap to buy a new wardrobe, so I am rededicating myself to a better diet and a more rigorous fitness routine. 

Waterllama Report
for 4 Weeks

I downloaded an app to remind me to stay well hydrated. Central Utah has a very dry climate, and I was eating too much in order to get hydrated. I should just drink water! 

I'm trying to drink 64 ounces at minimum during each day. 

My goal is to drink at least 32 ounces of water (light blue) out my total goal of 64 ounces of liquids. 

For the other 32 ounces, I am trying to drink beverages that are more hydrating, such as low-glycemic Gatorade (medium blue), sparkling water (same light blue as water), herbal tea (green), and milk (gray).  

Juice and yogurt count, too. (The yogurt is pink on the chart to the left. I did not have juice over the last four weeks. I prefer to eat an orange or an apple than drink its juice.) In the winter I will eat more soup, which also counts, but not as much as water! 

I do sometimes drink protein drinks (dark purple) and diet sodas (light lavender), but I try to keep those to a minimum since they are less than 90% hydrating according to my Waterllama app. 

I was snacking as a way to pull water out of granola bars and bread. That was not very efficient, and this was going to sabotage my A1c! 

I am eating less now that I am properly hydrated. 

Related:

Age-Related Risks for Dehydration

Remarkably Bright Creatures: Book Review

 

Published 3 May 2022

In her 2022 novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt creates a story of people who are looking to belong, looking for what is lost, and finding connections in unexpected places.  And the story is facilitated by an intelligent, observant octopus named Marcellus. 

Marcellus lives in the Sowell Bay Aquarium where a widow named Tova works.  Tova is entering late life and dealing with some challenges to her health. She is also spending a lot of time reviewing her life and wrestling with some regret.  She does not have a lot of social connection; however, she meets a shopkeeper from Scotland and conducts some awkward low-level flirting with him. 

Tova's story alternates with Cameron, a man leaving his twenties without having a solid job or strong social connections. His mother abandoned him, and he has had trouble dealing with his mother's shortcomings so that he can progress with his own life. 

I admit that I was more interested in the octopus and in Tova than I was with Cameron initially. I feel as though I have observed a lot of young people who are drifting and lost. However, I finally found a way to connect with Cameron and care about his well being. This happened when he (mild spoiler alert) got a job at the aquarium where Tova works and Marcellus lives. 

It's a gentle read that deals with some heavy themes: love, loss, family, aging, purpose, regret, forgiveness and more.  It's 300 plus pages, but it was still a quick, engaging read. 

Related: 

Books on Aging

Late Life Happiness Boost: U Shaped Happiness Curve

 

Image by Smithsonian Institute
via Creative Commons

There are many researchers of the human life span that question the phenomenon of a "Midlife Crisis." However, there are researchers seeking to establish that people tend to experience a dip in happiness in midlife that creates a U shape: measurable happiness in ones 20s, a dip in their 30s to 50s, and a boost in their 60s and 70s.  

The Economist published a 2010 article. There is a paywall, but you can view a graphic that illustrates the concept. 

Midlife is a time where many adults are overburdened with responsibilities: they are trying to work for promotions; they have children at home who need their time and attention; they are trying to adjust expectations for their marriages, which can lead to divorce or newly negotiated roles within the family system; they are comparing their visions for their life with the realities of their life; they are hitting their limitations, which not only includes financial limitations but limitations to their character and health. 

Managing expectations vs. reality is sobering if not terrifying.