RUSSELL, Man. – Growing old isn’t difficult if one accepts advice from Dorothy Hill.
The public educator for Manitoba’s Seniors Directorate told the recent Manitoba Women’s Institute meeting that women should “take each day and make it so special and full of joy so at the end you can look back at good memories and say: ‘I had a lot of fun and boy, I made a difference.’ “
While people can do little about the physical aspect of aging, Hill said they make a choice to “get old.” It’s a matter of attitude. Hill, a grandmother, said she plans to not be a “woosie old thing. I’ll lay on the beach and go golfing. I’m going to be the worst nightmare a government ever had – if there’s something to picket or sit in, I’ll be there. There are so many things I want to do when I retire.”
Read Also
VIDEO: Prairie crops on track for average yields
LANGHAM, SASK. – Western Canadian farmers will harvest an average crop this year provided cooler temperatures prevail and the region…
In her presentation, Hill drew on examples from her own life to show how seniors should be zestful. And she credited older volunteers for their work in rural communities.
“When the snowbirds all leave in the fall, our meals on wheels program falls apart. We welcome them back in the spring like returning geese.”
Figures from 1991 show seniors made up 13.4 percent of Manitoba’s population, 14.1 percent in Saskatchewan, nine percent in Alberta and 12.9 percent in British Columbia. But those over age 65 are the fastest growing segment of the population. Now, they are one in every eight Manitobans. By the year 2010, they will be one in every four citizens.
While that raises questions about the availability of health and other services, Hill said individuals can learn to become more resilient to changes and losses. Charts of Manitobans’ working habits and age of retirement show that men choose when to quit work, but women are often forced to work longer because of poverty.
Data also shows “male farmers won’t pack it in.” They keep farming into their seventies.
Hill also shared some amusing quips about senior life:
- “Real women don’t have hot flashes, they have power surges.”
- “I treat my daughter-in-law well because I don’t want her to return my son.”
- “Laughter is so important. It’s like internal jogging because it lowers blood pressure.”
n”Grandchildren are God’s compensation for growing old.”
