Saw this article in the Times about caring for infirm parents: click here
It was sad and made me ask: do we have "real" discussions with our children about caring for us when we get infirm?
I have only one child and he is in college - he had been in the military....He jokes that I need to stay in perfect health for at least another 10 years so he can have a life...also he was born when I was 39...another factor to take into account these days. many of my friends had kids when they were near or over 40 - meaning that our kids are still young when we are getting old....
I do know that if I were to be infirm, he'd do what he can to take care of me - and the dog and the cat - [he knows how attached I am to my animals] but it would be a burden to him....so we just joke about it. That's easy to do as we are both very healthy right now.....
It is a lifespan issue and one that is not well researched. But....as I asked are we ready? For me"no" is the true answer....
Happy New Year to all
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
Shortening the span of life for our kids
We are entering a new generation of obesity and now it's not just adults who are obese - it is expected that the number of children who are obese will hit 20% by the year 2010 - that's only FOUR years from now.
I heard or read somewhere that we are reaching that stage in obesity where this or the next generation of children will NOT have a longer life span than the parents...
Not only is obesity bad in and of itself, it makes all other medical problems worse....
I've been blogging about health and nutrition for a while now and hope the readers of this blog are among those who will not have obese children or grandchildren...It is something parents have control over during the child's early years...and good nutrition early on can never be a bad choice...
Please watch what your children and grandchildren eat and make sure they get exercise....
I heard or read somewhere that we are reaching that stage in obesity where this or the next generation of children will NOT have a longer life span than the parents...
Not only is obesity bad in and of itself, it makes all other medical problems worse....
I've been blogging about health and nutrition for a while now and hope the readers of this blog are among those who will not have obese children or grandchildren...It is something parents have control over during the child's early years...and good nutrition early on can never be a bad choice...
Please watch what your children and grandchildren eat and make sure they get exercise....
Monday, August 21, 2006
Life span lengthening
Well - 10 bridges and 36 miles of pedaling can be done! I left the starting point about 7:30 and crossed the finish line about 4 hours later.... took some photos and stopped for water and fruit along the way. After crossing the finish line I went over to the grass and took off my very wet shoes and socks - then met my son and celebrated with that beer! Exercise is good for the soul and for the body....keeps us keeping on .. I passed by many who were years younger than me....and now I am planing to do this again next year,,,and every year that I can.
Here are some photos:
boy did that beer hit the spot
Here are some photos:
boy did that beer hit the spot
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Summer
Well - it took some time - but my son and I have both settled into doing our own thing... It was hard for both of us to adjust to spending so much time near each other - different eating, sleeping, waking and TV habits. So I now have 2 TV's - one in his room, one in the living room....Meals are often done separately - and thankfully we each have a car....and we've worked out a 'mommy needs time to work' thing - just like when he was young : - )
Had a strange few weeks though of my going through some medical tests as I had passed out - it was worrisome to both of us - but it seems to have been dehydration and nothing more....but it did make both of us realize that we are each other's only family....and so the caring, reliance and worry do not get shared with other family members.
I'm fine and life goes on....but the relief is palpable
Had a strange few weeks though of my going through some medical tests as I had passed out - it was worrisome to both of us - but it seems to have been dehydration and nothing more....but it did make both of us realize that we are each other's only family....and so the caring, reliance and worry do not get shared with other family members.
I'm fine and life goes on....but the relief is palpable
Friday, May 26, 2006
Trying one of the new features of aging : )
My son, who has not lived at home in almost 10 years, is here for the summer between semesters. We had our obligatory arguments and actually we got his "space" organized his way. Luckily I have a separate structure known as a tenderhouse and he is happily settled in there. And now he is working part time and looking for more work to do.
I think I am lucky that we get along so well - but our long winded conversations - mainly about politics - have kept me up beyond my normal bedtimes and I am very off my exercise/work/fun schedule. I think we are past our rough spots and it will be fun and okay. But it's a learning experience. I teach about the lifespan and one newer topic is about grown children returning home. I shall have first hand experience about a piece of this - but I know it helps us both that there is a limited term to this arrangement. He will leave in mid August.
Having a child when you are older has some good points to it - I do things most others my age do not - because we had done them together - like skiing, working out, eating well..all the things have previously mentioned about how to grow older better. Although I read of women in their 50's and 60's getting pregnant; it is not anything I would suggest. If you did not have a child in your late 30's or in your 40's....find a child to play with - teens are okay but well they are teens - or find a young adult and go biking - hanging out with youth will help you grow older better....
I think I am lucky that we get along so well - but our long winded conversations - mainly about politics - have kept me up beyond my normal bedtimes and I am very off my exercise/work/fun schedule. I think we are past our rough spots and it will be fun and okay. But it's a learning experience. I teach about the lifespan and one newer topic is about grown children returning home. I shall have first hand experience about a piece of this - but I know it helps us both that there is a limited term to this arrangement. He will leave in mid August.
Having a child when you are older has some good points to it - I do things most others my age do not - because we had done them together - like skiing, working out, eating well..all the things have previously mentioned about how to grow older better. Although I read of women in their 50's and 60's getting pregnant; it is not anything I would suggest. If you did not have a child in your late 30's or in your 40's....find a child to play with - teens are okay but well they are teens - or find a young adult and go biking - hanging out with youth will help you grow older better....
Monday, April 10, 2006
Healthiness
I have recently been reading a lot of research on topics related to the lifespan - mainly as I am teaching that class.
The ones that stick in my mind are those related to obesity. We are becoming such an obese country that the airplanes are widening seats and now children's safety seat makers are having to make bigger seats for the bigger children. Then the newest research is that obese people do not even recognize that they are obese. Only 15 percent of people in this category view themselves as obese. And while the percent of women who are obese has stabilized, a growing percent of men and children are seen as obese.
We are told that obesity leads to many health issues and worsens others...yet we eat away. For many it is a choice - is supersizing and calorie adding good for you just because it is advertised and can be a cheap add on?
Do you know what a normal sized serving is? It's about the size of your fist! So next you are eating a meal look at your fist and then look at your plate....and think about your health!
The ones that stick in my mind are those related to obesity. We are becoming such an obese country that the airplanes are widening seats and now children's safety seat makers are having to make bigger seats for the bigger children. Then the newest research is that obese people do not even recognize that they are obese. Only 15 percent of people in this category view themselves as obese. And while the percent of women who are obese has stabilized, a growing percent of men and children are seen as obese.
We are told that obesity leads to many health issues and worsens others...yet we eat away. For many it is a choice - is supersizing and calorie adding good for you just because it is advertised and can be a cheap add on?
Do you know what a normal sized serving is? It's about the size of your fist! So next you are eating a meal look at your fist and then look at your plate....and think about your health!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Life goes on
As I am back to teaching lifespan development online- I was posting there and not here - ahhhhh.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that we are living longer and that the over 65 population will double in the next 25 years. We will see lower rates of disability in this population as compared to now.
Other findings were that more over 65ers are still working - because they want to - not necessarily because they have to. Granted many work because they need the salary and the benefits but many work because they like what they are doing.
I read somewhere that more people over 65 are taking up new careers - turning hobbies into businesses or going to school to learn a new profession. Why not? You might have another solid 20 or more years to do your "new thing."
When in my late 40's I went back to school I was not the only older person there - many of us were into our 2nd, 3rd or 4th careers.
With the possibility of living a much longer life than our predecessors, we can have a few careers in one lifetime.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that we are living longer and that the over 65 population will double in the next 25 years. We will see lower rates of disability in this population as compared to now.
Other findings were that more over 65ers are still working - because they want to - not necessarily because they have to. Granted many work because they need the salary and the benefits but many work because they like what they are doing.
I read somewhere that more people over 65 are taking up new careers - turning hobbies into businesses or going to school to learn a new profession. Why not? You might have another solid 20 or more years to do your "new thing."
When in my late 40's I went back to school I was not the only older person there - many of us were into our 2nd, 3rd or 4th careers.
With the possibility of living a much longer life than our predecessors, we can have a few careers in one lifetime.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I am worried
This is not my politikal posting - those can be found at lynnrants or illegitimis nil carborundum aka don't let the bastards wear you down - but I am worried about how people who are just being born or who are young are going to be able to afford to live a long healthy life.
Yes they have a longer life expectancy than those who are older but with the US debt growing as it is and with this administration cutting funds for education and research [among other things] I have serious concerns about anyone being able to afford to eat and have a house over their head - and I hate to think about those who might need medications or more than minimal health care....or surgery... Everyone of us now owes over $150,000 as our part of the US debt!!!!
For those of us who have already finished our education, own property and have jobs, it's still a whopping amount to owe - imagine a newborn - he/she owes as much and the debt will become due in that child's lifetime - even the USA can not keep borrowing forever.
Poverty, debt, poor housing, and lack of education are all factors affecting our quality of life which in turn affects our span of life. Congress is looking at a budget - so my worry increases!
Yes they have a longer life expectancy than those who are older but with the US debt growing as it is and with this administration cutting funds for education and research [among other things] I have serious concerns about anyone being able to afford to eat and have a house over their head - and I hate to think about those who might need medications or more than minimal health care....or surgery... Everyone of us now owes over $150,000 as our part of the US debt!!!!
For those of us who have already finished our education, own property and have jobs, it's still a whopping amount to owe - imagine a newborn - he/she owes as much and the debt will become due in that child's lifetime - even the USA can not keep borrowing forever.
Poverty, debt, poor housing, and lack of education are all factors affecting our quality of life which in turn affects our span of life. Congress is looking at a budget - so my worry increases!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Numbers
Life by the numbers? I just had a birthday - decided that at my "age" they do not count anymore unless they end with a 5 or a 0 : ). With each year that I have surpassed the age at which my father died, I do think more about lifespans. My father died at 56; my mother at 95.
My mother and father both lived through the influenza epidemic of 1918 - 1919, the one that killed 675,000 Americans. How quickly we forget that what we now call "the flu" was a leading cause of death. Back in 1906 - 1907, when my parents were born, the life expectancy of a child born then was about 48 years. By the time I was born life expectancy was about 65 and for children born in 2001 [ the most recent government stats] it is about 77.
As our life expectancy increases, what we can do with and in our lives expands. Back when people such as Alexander the Great were around, life expectancy was about 35 and so you got into your life's work very early - in what we now call childhood - and did your "thing" in your late teens and 20's. Alexander became king at 20 on the death of his father and died when he was 32! So he had 12 years of doing his grownup "job." Of course he had been in training since he was a child and ruled in his father's absence but the major war campaigns were in his 20's.
There was no period of finding oneself - there wasn't any time. Adolescence is a "stage" that came about as our lifespan grew. Now we can spend time in school figuring out what we want to do when we grow up - and some, and I do include myself, are still figuring out what we will do when we grow up.
With our growing spans of life - we can keep learning and changing. Or we can stagnate - the choices are ours.
My mother and father both lived through the influenza epidemic of 1918 - 1919, the one that killed 675,000 Americans. How quickly we forget that what we now call "the flu" was a leading cause of death. Back in 1906 - 1907, when my parents were born, the life expectancy of a child born then was about 48 years. By the time I was born life expectancy was about 65 and for children born in 2001 [ the most recent government stats] it is about 77.
As our life expectancy increases, what we can do with and in our lives expands. Back when people such as Alexander the Great were around, life expectancy was about 35 and so you got into your life's work very early - in what we now call childhood - and did your "thing" in your late teens and 20's. Alexander became king at 20 on the death of his father and died when he was 32! So he had 12 years of doing his grownup "job." Of course he had been in training since he was a child and ruled in his father's absence but the major war campaigns were in his 20's.
There was no period of finding oneself - there wasn't any time. Adolescence is a "stage" that came about as our lifespan grew. Now we can spend time in school figuring out what we want to do when we grow up - and some, and I do include myself, are still figuring out what we will do when we grow up.
With our growing spans of life - we can keep learning and changing. Or we can stagnate - the choices are ours.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Ages? Stages? Behaviors?
How is it that our lifespan gets defined?
We used to speak of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Now we have prenatal, early postnatal, postnatal, early and later infancy, early and later childhood, prepuberty, puberty, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, etc., etc.
How old are you? And - which stage/label fits you? Can we be in a few categories simultaneously?
What are ages? Those are the definitions by years or decades. You are a child, a teen, an adult. But then oops it gets odd...Are the 20's,30's and 40's similar? What about 80's and 90's?
What are stages? Usually these are certain times in life when "most" people do "something." For example, we can speak of physical development and say that most humans walk at about one year so we can talk about a walking stage or a talking stage.
But what happens when we go into areas like higher education? marriage? childbirth? careers? In the "old days" of psychology, "most" adolescents were in high school and many late teens early 20's were in college or in their career. Marriage was something that happened and in your 20's as was the birth of your 1st child.
Now we have people of all ages finishing high school and starting college. Careers are not always started in your 20's and retirement is not always in your 50's or 60's. Women are having babies into their 40's and even 50's.
People in their 80's are still out there skiing. In the ski areas nearest me, one gets a free season pass from age 72 on and recently I met an 82 year old when I went skiing. Can one describe that person as "old?" In one sense, the number, yes, but in another sense of agility and activity, no. So what is it that defines us?
Stage? Age? or Behavior?
How old are you? Here's an interesting questionnaire: http://www.realage.com
We used to speak of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Now we have prenatal, early postnatal, postnatal, early and later infancy, early and later childhood, prepuberty, puberty, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, etc., etc.
How old are you? And - which stage/label fits you? Can we be in a few categories simultaneously?
What are ages? Those are the definitions by years or decades. You are a child, a teen, an adult. But then oops it gets odd...Are the 20's,30's and 40's similar? What about 80's and 90's?
What are stages? Usually these are certain times in life when "most" people do "something." For example, we can speak of physical development and say that most humans walk at about one year so we can talk about a walking stage or a talking stage.
But what happens when we go into areas like higher education? marriage? childbirth? careers? In the "old days" of psychology, "most" adolescents were in high school and many late teens early 20's were in college or in their career. Marriage was something that happened and in your 20's as was the birth of your 1st child.
Now we have people of all ages finishing high school and starting college. Careers are not always started in your 20's and retirement is not always in your 50's or 60's. Women are having babies into their 40's and even 50's.
People in their 80's are still out there skiing. In the ski areas nearest me, one gets a free season pass from age 72 on and recently I met an 82 year old when I went skiing. Can one describe that person as "old?" In one sense, the number, yes, but in another sense of agility and activity, no. So what is it that defines us?
Stage? Age? or Behavior?
How old are you? Here's an interesting questionnaire: http://www.realage.com
Monday, January 02, 2006
Welcome 2006 and back to blogging
I'm glad we are into 2006. The last few months of 2005 was too busy for me...getting ready to teach again and having a friend in town - which meant skiing and a short vacation to the Olympic Peninsula. That and technology issues and well...enough with excuses :- )
My resolution is to do my blogs regularly - starting today- so here we go!
How do we study the lifespan?
Research comes in many forms - studying individuals or groups, short term or long term studies, and combinations of the forms.
How do we know what changes occur say from year 1 to year 2 or from 20 to 30 to 40, etc? We can study the same person for years or we can look today at a 1-year-old and also look at a 2-year-old or look at a 40-year-old and then a 50-year-old and measure the differences. Studying the same person over time is called longitudinal research. Studying the two different people is called cross-sectional research. Both are valid types of research.
Much of what we learned about development in the past came from longitudinal studies, mainly at universities, and which were funded for decades. Going back to the last post, can you see how the investigator can have a biased approach? Not to say they did or that the research was flawed, but when you study the same people over time you, as the investigator, are now part of that person's life and being the one studied is part of the persona of the people in the study.
Cross-sectional research is less affected by long term biases but the draw back here is that the researcher is studying two different children with all that entails. Getting two different yet "matching" groups of individuals is done statistically. Factors are matched as best they can be- such as family make-up, education levels of parents, type of neighborhoods lived in, etc.
All research has flaws and all researchers have flaws - we are all human. But the knowledge we have gained over the decades from all kinds of research and researchers has led to an understanding of child development.
Another caveat - gains in technology have led to gains in the study of humans. For example, when I was in college, child development was a relatively small field of research and there were few text books on the subject! When I was in graduate school, researchers were finding ways of studying infants; some were looking at perception and language development and very few were interested in fathers or old age! Now infancy, fathers, prenatal, early postnatal, and language and perception are major fields of study. And aging adults is the newest field of research and writing. Years ago a psychologist I knew said that only as the psychologists themselves aged would they start looking at the older among us!
Just imagine what we will know in the future.
My resolution is to do my blogs regularly - starting today- so here we go!
How do we study the lifespan?
Research comes in many forms - studying individuals or groups, short term or long term studies, and combinations of the forms.
How do we know what changes occur say from year 1 to year 2 or from 20 to 30 to 40, etc? We can study the same person for years or we can look today at a 1-year-old and also look at a 2-year-old or look at a 40-year-old and then a 50-year-old and measure the differences. Studying the same person over time is called longitudinal research. Studying the two different people is called cross-sectional research. Both are valid types of research.
Much of what we learned about development in the past came from longitudinal studies, mainly at universities, and which were funded for decades. Going back to the last post, can you see how the investigator can have a biased approach? Not to say they did or that the research was flawed, but when you study the same people over time you, as the investigator, are now part of that person's life and being the one studied is part of the persona of the people in the study.
Cross-sectional research is less affected by long term biases but the draw back here is that the researcher is studying two different children with all that entails. Getting two different yet "matching" groups of individuals is done statistically. Factors are matched as best they can be- such as family make-up, education levels of parents, type of neighborhoods lived in, etc.
All research has flaws and all researchers have flaws - we are all human. But the knowledge we have gained over the decades from all kinds of research and researchers has led to an understanding of child development.
Another caveat - gains in technology have led to gains in the study of humans. For example, when I was in college, child development was a relatively small field of research and there were few text books on the subject! When I was in graduate school, researchers were finding ways of studying infants; some were looking at perception and language development and very few were interested in fathers or old age! Now infancy, fathers, prenatal, early postnatal, and language and perception are major fields of study. And aging adults is the newest field of research and writing. Years ago a psychologist I knew said that only as the psychologists themselves aged would they start looking at the older among us!
Just imagine what we will know in the future.
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