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Getting Older

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    Getting Older

    Let's face it, we're all getting older. Mimi commented that what was once a simple job of changing a fluorescent light was too much for both her and her OH, for different reasons, and she sensibly asked her DS to do it for them.

    What jobs do you find harder as the years roll by? What do you ask for help with?

    I find the most tiresome thing is not having as much strength in my hands, especially my thumbs. Opening jars, anything that needs a firm grip to turn it, lifting even light-weight things with one hand etc all cause me problems. A good example is the teapot! I used to be able to lift it and pour the tea out with one hand, but now I have to support the weight of it with the other, and because it's hot I have to use a tea towel to hold it with! Carrying things up and down stairs is another problem, even light but bulky items like a washing basket.

    I'm lucky my knees give me very little trouble, but kneeling down makes one of them hurt if I kneel on a hard surface.

    My current hearing aids are very good, but without them I'm constantly asking people to repeat what they said. And, of course, I sometimes forget to put them in in a morning and wonder why everyone's whispering!

    "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

    (Marianne Williamson)

    #2
    I don't have trouble with my knees or walking. Fortunately i can do all my own housework.
    They only job i can't do,is cleaning the tops of the kitchen units. We have paper on the tops,but i still like them washed now and again.
    Thers many a time when i think to myself,i don't feel any older than when i was 60,thats 11 years ago.
    Sometimes I forget to like posts,but that doesn't mean I don't like them.

    Comment


      #3
      Arthritis in my knees and bad back generally mean walking and even standing for long can be painful.
      I need distance glasses to drive and watch Tv cinema or theatre.

      I need a comfortable bed to sleep in.
      Oh for the days of seeing everything with no glasses, walking miles every day and not even giving the comfort of a bed a second thought!
      “A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.” – Unknown

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        #4
        Can’t kneel down arthritis and displaced knee cap means I have to get down on my bum then there is the trouble getting up again ,
        My hips lock I have to shuffle to somewhere I can heave myself up on .

        Fingers don’t work , again Arthritis and lack of feeling in the tips prevent picking small things up ,
        Cant thread a needle without glasses and even then can’t hit the hole because of tremors ,

        Lack of strength is so frustrating I absolutely hate that.
        needing glasses to read anything even in the supermarket and computer when I once had perfect eye sight,
        Jars and bottles are a nightmare or ring pulls .

        Tremors prevent me picking a hot cup up safely or eating anything that can fall off my cutlery like peas soup etc without sharing it with everything and everyone Although that can be very funny at times 🤣🤣🤣

        I hate having to ask for help but sometimes have no option
        No getting old is no fun .



        Im not fat just 6ft too small

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          #5
          I am a lot older than all you ladies but I don’t have arthritis. My problem is mainly I get tired very quickly now and i still have the tendernitous in my shoulders but I hope to get rid of that. I can’t get down on the floor now, well the problem is I can’t get up unless I crawl to somewhere to pull myself up. Like you Daisy, when I am not going out I forget to put my hearing aids in. I don’t climb on steps any more and as for cleaning the tops of my kitchen cupboards, a real no no. I also find changing the bedding a real challenge. But then I am 84!
          What is life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare

          Comment


            #6
            Plant
            We change MILs bedding she’s 89 this year does most things but she can’t do bedding , it’s far too heavy x
            Im not fat just 6ft too small

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              #7
              OH and I make the bed up together. It's always a struggle as Eva likes to help, but I was saying to OH when we were in combat with the 10 tog duvet and cover that I'll be glad when the weather warms up so we can use the summer weight duvet again. It's so much easier! Like you, Gem, I treasure our nice comfortable bed, but wish I didn't need to get up a couple of times a night for the bathroom!

              My eyesight on the other hand, is better than it's ever been after having cataract surgery about 10 or 12 years ago. I've got glasses which I wear for driving and reading very small print. I do get through gallons of Optrex though as they are quite dry.

              Nanto, there are a few jobs around the house I find difficult just because I'm not tall enough. I can't clean up to the top of the cooker hood because I can't reach, even standing on the step stool. Same with the window over the kitchen sink. I climb on the work surfaces to do the other kitchen windows, so they're ok. The other thing I've found I can't reach is part of the glass panels in the bannisters on the stair side. I can't reach from the actual stairs and can't reach over the bannisters to clean from above.

              Plant, I'm not much younger than you, (nearly 80) and I find I get more tired than I used to. Some days are fine, others aren't!


              "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

              (Marianne Williamson)

              Comment


                #8
                My knees are OK but I won't kneel down as it puts pressure on my arthritic toes plus the sight of me getting back up is a performance not to be missed
                Can't unscrew tops off jars , bottles etc OH has to do that
                I never lift anything heavy because of prolapse bladder and bowel also my back is likely to 'go' at any given time
                I no longer wear a watch because I can't see the display, it's too small


                Apart from that I consider myself very luveryI have reached the age of 68 without any serious health issues, just the normal niggles we tend to get through out life.
                Bring me sunshine in your smile.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Mimi, we could probably do a good double act getting up off the floor - a trio if we include Oma!
                  "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are. "

                  (Marianne Williamson)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Add me to the list Daisy, with arthritis in foot, knee and shoulders it is not an easy task getting up off the floor! I have no strength is my hands either Mimi, I had to open a jar the other day and it took me ages, I use something at the gym, if it is my height I don't have to adjust it, if I have to adjust it one of the trainers comes and does it for me, yesterday one of the young men saw me struggling to adjust it and came to my rescue.

                    Apart from all that, I carry on!!!

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                      #11
                      We have beanbags in the children's library. In the teenage area they are the easiest way for me to sit to sort out on the the shelves. Easy to get into hard to get out, of. Thank the lord the teenage area is a nook that you cant easily see into, as getting up isn't pretty
                      “A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.” – Unknown

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I can’t get up from the floor, I have to crawl to a place where I can lever myself up onto a chair.
                        What is life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Similar here Plant!
                          “A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty.” – Unknown

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Most of the above refers to me too! I think the worst offender is my energy levels. Pathetic.
                            I often wonder what I would do if I couldn’t open something vital and I was on my own. Even operating the gadgets that open things doesn’t always work for me. 🙄
                            I now avoid standing on a chair to reach things as I just can’t trust my knee when I want to get down.
                            I’m just glad I can get about though. 😁
                            Women are like tea bags; you never know how strong they are until they are put in hot water.
                            Eleanor Roosevelt.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              My kitchen windows inside are telling me they need cleaning but I have to stand on an extending stool then put one knee on the worktop. I have told myself not to do it again so I am waiting for a warmer day so I can open them wide and do them from the outside.
                              What is life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare

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