Monday, February 9, 2009

Intentional Aging

My father Max was incredibly vibrant up until his 94th year. Some of it was luck, some of it genes, but I think he also worked hard at it. I think of it as intentional aging--facing up to the process and doing the best you can at it. I talked with him about it and together we recognized some patterns. One was decreasing skills and coping patterns to respond to these. I plan to put in a lot about these on this blog. Some will be quotes from Max, who you must remember was in his '90s at the time of these conversations and who you will quickly note has a wry, "old-fashioned" type of demeanor. Each idea or strategy will be short and sometimes sweet, sometimes not. I hope that readers will respond by saying what works for them and what they will try.

The first thing that most people seem to face, or complain about, is memory. Even my 30 year old daughter says her memory is "not what it used to be."  Older people routinely state that it is their short term memory that goes away and that they can remember names of childhood friends but not where they put their sox five minutes ago. Here's what Max suggests: "I set up little mind games for myself. When people introduce themselves to me, I right away repeat their name out loud and then say it a few times in my head. At home I make lists in my head, then walk into another room and test myself if I can remember the list. I never liked crossword puzzles but that would be a good thing for people who enjoy that."

More on memory throughout this blog.
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2 comments:

  1. SCHELLY TALALAY DARDASHTIFebruary 11, 2009 at 1:23 AM

    Hi, Joan. A blog we can all relate to!

    I think the most important thing is to stay mentally active. Of course, many of us know that genealogy research provides the correct amount of (somewhat obsessive) mental activity as we learn new technology to find information, figure out relationships, connect the various dots in our research and talk to lots of people. It is outward directed activity and the multidisciplinary knowledge required means that we either are or should be interested in a diverse range of fields.

    Blogging is another excellent way to keep active. I am warning you, however, that it will take over your life, so be prepared :-)

    Schelly Talalay Dardashti
    Tracing the Tribe - The Jewish Genealogy Blog
    http://tracingthetribe.blogspot.com

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  2. Joan B.February 11, 2009 at 9:03 AM

    Thanks, Schelly.
    I agree on all counts. Staying mentally active is something I plan to talk about a lot. Of course, some aspects of that are beyond our control. And though not the genealogy expert you are (and something we all thank you for!), I have found that the genealogy search and find, both the process and the results, are incredibly rewarding and meaningful. I mean to write about that as well on this blog. Keep posted and keep commenting.
    joan

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