Q:My husband and I will be 55 this year. So far, we have been in fairly good health, despite smoking, and we would like to keep it that way so that when we finally retire we can enjoy ourselves. Do you have any tips for us?
A:I think it is great that you are anticipating your aging years when you are so young. Just do not get carried away.
There are no nirvanas, no fountains of youth and no guarantees that you can fully prepare yourselves for some of the challenges that come with aging.
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What you can do is work with your family doctor to pick up and treat little health issues that are a bit of a nuisance now but that could turn into major problems later on.
I hope you and your husband will do something about your smoking.
The federal health department found that while many people who smoked seemed to feel healthy between the ages of 45 and 64, the same could not be said for people older than 65.
Those who smoked, or had quit for less than 10 years before their 65th birthdays, often had severe health problems. Apparently the full impact of the harm caused by smoking peaks with people’s ages.
Apart from smoking, the health department has identified four other issues to consider as you get older.
Nutrition
Obese people are seldom healthy at any time, but even less so as they reach retirement. Your local public health office will have copies of the recommended food guide to help you manage your diet controls.
Don’t forget that your digestive system loses its efficiency rating as you get older. What you eat now within reason becomes unreasonable later on.
Your concern is not just with calories and what they might be doing to your waist line. You are also looking for the right nutrition to help you get the energy you need to jaunt over to your local senior citizens centre.
Participation
All of us know that getting mobile and active becomes even more difficult once a person starts to hibernate in front of a television set.
Your body was designed to move you around. If you betray that intention and become inactive, your body could betray you and become unhealthy.
Contributions to others
At any age, you need to sense that you are significant and that you can contribute to the well being of others, whether it is community projects, your church or your family.
That is what gets you up in the morning and into your community and the satisfaction of helping is what puts you to sleep at night.
This is as true with aging as it was earlier in your life. The only difference is that you may not have quite as much energy as you once had and you will have to occasionally limit your commitments. Just make sure you use whatever energy you have.
Safety
Emergency wards tend to be overwhelmed with older people who have fallen. Most of the falls happen in peoples’ homes.
Make sure that your bathroom floor is not slippery when it is wet, that you have railings on your stairs or wherever they’re needed and that there are no hidden and darkened corners to trip over.
What the health department doesn’t mention is that you and your husband would do well to ensure that you have a loving and helpful relationship with each other.
The more you remember what a gem you have for a partner, the more excitement you will find in your journeys through this next part of your lives.
Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan. Contact: jandrews@producer.com.
