What were you most unprepared for when you got older ?

hollydolly

hollydolly

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I was unprepared for being invisible a lot of the time.. I mean , I don't mind it as a rule, because I'm a behind the camera and not in front of the camera type of person.. but sometimes it's shocking when I'm being totally ignored in a store for example..as tho' I wasn't even there.. .. In a lifetime where I've always been noticed pretty much first this came as a big surprise.. of course I don't stand there waiting to be noticed I speak up.. but I;m quite young looking for my age, dress well. and all of that, so I can't imagine how it would be if I was 90...

What about you ?
 

The inability to walk long distances, sometimes for hours. Me, who loved to walk, to hike. A cruel joke.

Also, if I may, being fearful. I've always been brave and tough. Now I'm a sniveling coward who lost her superpower!
 

My first thought was technology, but geez, yeah, being invisible sucks. I had no idea that we're pretty much not there anymore. People look over, under, around, through us. If not for having blue hair, nobody would notice me at all.

Back to technology. That's #2 on my unprepared-for list. The first time I retired was in 1990 (!), and at the time I was using a split-screen terminal to design digital long-distance telephone circuits to replace old analog circuits. Piece of cake.

Think about that: more than 30 years ago what was the latest, greatest, most up-to-date technology is now the IT dinosaur age.

It has moved way too fast to penetrate my shrinking brain...the shrinking brain that's protected by a skull covered with blue hair.
 
Fyrefox said:
I was unprepared for the reality of Ageism, that belief that you couldn’t possibly understand, relate to, or be capable of something because you were simply too old to do or “get it...”
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I know, that's the kicker isn't it...we who knew it all first... suddenly according to those younger.. we have never had it, will never know it, can't possibly understand it.. in fact shouldn't be left alone to brush our own hair without specific instruction..
 
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Pepper said:
The inability to walk long distances, sometimes for hours. Me, who loved to walk, to hike. A cruel joke.
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For me too. I used to race walk and run up down bleacher seats at a local football field. Worked out with free weights. Had a nice home gym in my house as well as belonged to a health club. So it is not like I never did anything physical. In 2000 I was working in a horse barn doing all the grunt work for 25 horses. By 2005, I was using a cane. :cry:
 
Pepper said:
The inability to walk long distances, sometimes for hours. Me, who loved to walk, to hike. A cruel joke.

Also, if I may, being fearful. I've always been brave and tough. Now I'm a sniveling coward who lost her superpower!
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Sorry to hear this Pepper.. why have you lost your courage little lion?.. is it because you fear pain from physical activity or more to it ?
 
@Pepper...I can relate. Used to be up for any adventure, why else move from Texas to GA without a job and kids/dog in tow at age 35? Then from GA to Germany at age 44 (but had a job waiting) without being fluent in the language. Now I've joined the sniveling coward ranks.

@katlupe I hear you, too. Used to walk at a very minimum of three miles/day. Now? Can I catch a ride to the back of the garden? Or at least to the mailbox?

@hollydolly And woe unto us should we dare to offer a suggestion to do anything to solve a problem at hand. After all, WTH could we possibly know or have learned over the years?
 
Georgiagranny said:
@Pepper...I can relate. Used to be up for any adventure, why else move from Texas to GA without a job and kids/dog in tow at age 35? Then from GA to Germany at age 44 (but had a job waiting) without being fluent in the language. Now I've joined the sniveling coward ranks.

@katlupe I hear you, too. Used to walk at a very minimum of three miles/day. Now? Can I catch a ride to the back of the garden? Or at least to the mailbox?

@hollydolly And woe unto us should we dare to offer a suggestion to do anything to solve a problem at hand. After all, WTH could we possibly know or have learned over the years?
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Nothing !!..according to the younger set.. and not necessarily the young kids... but in fact our now middle aged kids..the same kids we raised all by ourselves, who thought we knew everything.. now at the grand age of 40 or 50 something have decided we know nothing at all.. because '' you don't know what you're talking about , it's not like that these days'' :rolleyes:
 
Pepper said:
Also, if I may, being fearful. I've always been brave and tough.
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Isn't that the truth. I feel the same way. Especially now. I was the person who was not afraid of anything or anyone.

I now feel like a target. With the current criminal & mentally unstable element in the streets, I no longer feel confident that I could handle any situation that might come my way. It is unsettling.
 
A
hollydolly said:
I was unprepared for being invisible a lot of the time.. I mean , I don't mind it as a rule, because I'm a behind the camera and not in front of the camera type of person.. but sometimes it's shocking when I'm being totally ignored in a store for example..as tho' I wasn't even there.. .. In a lifetime where I've always been noticed pretty much first this came as a big surprise.. of course I don't stand there waiting to be noticed I speak up.. but I;m quite young looking for my age, dress well. and all of that, so I can't imagine how it would be if I was 90...

What about you ?
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And here I thought England was so good to its oldsters!
 
hollydolly said:
Sorry to hear this Pepper.. why have you lost your courage little lion?.. is it because you fear pain from physical activity or more to it ?
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Like @Kika I was always bold & forthright. Now I fear I would lose any battle I might fall into, so I just shut up. Except for here!

eta
I feel frail compared to most people. That has been the main reason for my reticence to go out much. Never was afraid of 'nuts' before, now there are so many & they're bigger than shrinking me! Lost a lot of courage along with those four inches in height.
 
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Lewkat said:
Downward spiral of energy level. I was always on the go, and not the case these days.
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were you not prepared for that Lois ?.. being honest.. at nearly 90 years old and a retired Nurse.. .. did you not expect that , I would have imagined you would have been more prepared than most tbh.. :)
 
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I think also that where we live in the world or in our respective countries, shape the way we feel as we age... for example if you live in a relatively crime free or low crime area you may feel more safe than if you live in a city or high crime area...

then again if you live in a rural area with no activities for someone your age.. and therfore no real contact with your peers face to face.. you may feel much older, and suffer more ilnnesses than those who live in area where there's much to do and easy access to hospitals and doctors..
 
I was unprepared for people trying to kill me. I think about all the men in WWII and Vietnam and to many of them, it was an every date event. My grandfather fought in WWII. He would tell me that you could hear when artillery shells were being fired at you and if you were lucky enough to have already dug your fix hole, you could get your head down. For those that didn’t, many if them were killed from being hit by shrapnel.
hollydolly said:
..and your next Joke please... sadly it's not funny, I shouldn't be laughing, we have a terrible track record for looking after seniors. We also have the lowest state pensions in the Western world..
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Do people get pensions from their place of employment at the time of their retirement, plus a government subsidy that was paid to the government during their working years?

Here in the U.S., we get a percentage taken out of our paycheck each payday called Social Security. We also build a pension from our place of employment. When we retire, we get a portion of our social security paid back to us monthly, plus a portion of our pension money from our employer. There is also a savings plan that most employers offer called a 401(k). The employee can save ‘x’ percentage of their pay and the employer will add maybe 6% (more or less) to that amount, so at retirement, the retired employee could receive 3 checks each money. One from social security, one from pension and one from their 401(k). Some retired people can earn more each money from their 3 checks than when they worked.
 
Been There said:
I was unprepared for people trying to kill me. I think about all the men in WWII and Vietnam and to many of them, it was an every date event. My grandfather fought in WWII. He would tell me that you could hear when artillery shells were being fired at you and if you were lucky enough to have already dug your fix hole, you could get your head down. For those that didn’t, many if them were killed from being hit by shrapnel.

Do people get pensions from their place of employment at the time of their retirement, plus a government subsidy that was paid to the government during their working years?

Here in the U.S., we get a percentage taken out of our paycheck each payday called Social Security. We also build a pension from our place of employment. When we retire, we get a portion of our social security paid back to us monthly, plus a portion of our pension money from our employer. There is also a savings plan that most employers offer called a 401(k). The employee can save ‘x’ percentage of their pay and the employer will add maybe 6% (more or less) to that amount, so at retirement, the retired employee could receive 3 checks each money. One from social security, one from pension and one from their 401(k). Some retired people can earn more each money from their 3 checks than when they worked.
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No, in answer to your question... most people don't get pensions from their companies unless they've paid into them, themselves with a top up from their employer.. most people on minimum or barely minimum wage could never afford to pay into a workplace pensions scheme

In the Uk we pay National Insurance contributions during our working life.. it's supposed to pay in part for our State pensions.. but despite that our State pensions are very small and everyone gets the same amount regardless of how much NI people have paid during their lifetime.. ( those who earn more pay more but don't receive more when it's retirement time) so all the state pension is now.. is around £9,000 per year that's all...for those who have paid full NI contributions and only if they paid a minimum of 35 years worth .. but that isn't the full story.. While employed if a person only worked part-time as many mothers did while raising their children.. then they paid a Reduced NI contribution.. which meant..and means still, that they get a very reduced state pension now in retirement .. that means there are literally millions of widowed and single women trying to survive on a state pension of around £6,00 per year with a pension credit top up of approx £96 per annum... with no Workplace pension .. and no other income from the state ..
 
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hollydolly said:
In the Uk we pay National Insurance contributions during our working life.. it's supposed to that means there are literally millions of widowed and single women trying to survive on a state pension of around £6,00 per year with a pension credit top up of approx £96 per annum... with no Workplace pension .. and no other income from the state ..
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Holy cow. There must be a lot of homeless old people in the UK! Or living in substandard housing without electricity or water.
 

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