Aging Gracefully

“What’s your secret?” That’s my question to every older patient I meet that in my eyes is aging gracefully. I define aging gracefully as the good fortune to maintain satisfying lives with minimal disabilities and medications beyond their 7th decade. I have a few such persons in my practice. They always seem to chuckle when I ask. Most are very active and have a positive countenance.  They usually have a hobby or activity that brings them great joy. Most exercise and eat a relatively healthy diet. The ones that don’t, contribute their good fortune to genetics alone.  One gentleman put it simply, “family.” I pondered this one for a while. Did he mean that his family brought him joy or caused him little stress?  I’ll have to follow up with him.

I once heard an older guy say, “Whoever said your olden years were your golden years lied.” Your best chance of truly enjoying your golden years is to take care of your body before you get there. The consensus seems to be a healthy diet, regular exercise and enjoyable activities contribute the most to aging gracefully.

The Department of Health recommends 2.5-5 hours per week of moderate-intensity exercise and 1.25-2.5 hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise. This includes brisk walking, riding a bike, dancing, pushing a lawn mower, etc.  Most moderate-intensity exercises can be converted to vigorous by increasing the effort involved. Vigorous means you’re breathing hard and fast and your heart rate is elevated.

Diet also plays an important role in how people age. High glycemic foods can not only spike your blood sugar but also increase your waistline. Eating well is about more than just your weight. Eating well can protect you from heart disease, diabetes, etc. If you want to learn more about healthy eating and get some delicious health-conscious recipes visit my page drmandykay.com/healthy eats

Your mental health is almost as important as your physical health. It’s vital  to do things you enjoy and spend time with loved ones. According to the National Institute on Aging, people who engage in hobbies and leisure and social activities are happier, experience less depression, and live longer.

Some say it sucks getting old. To which I always respond, “it beats the alternative.” It may not be fun getting old for some but it definitely beats dying young.

COVID- Primary Care Perspective

“Do you directly/personally know anyone that has had the COVID 19 virus?”  This was posted by one of my Facebook friends as a poll. She didn’t elaborate on the question and really only wanted yes or no answers.  I was curious, so I checked the comments. Everyone said yes. Whenever I’m in the grocery store or restaurant I’ve found myself one of few with a mask on.   As I see people out without their masks, I wonder if they’ve been impacted by this devastating virus at all.  In my rural outpatient family practice we have been dealing with this virus for over a year and a half. Several patient’s testing positive and losing more than I care to say. My heart goes out to the physicians, nurses, house keepers, ect in the hospitals and emergency rooms.  COVID-19 is directly in their face every day. They have watched countless patient’s die alone. They’ve held hands and iPads struggling to hold back their own tears as they watched patient’s tearful final goodbyes.  I can only imagine the exhaustion they feel as they leave the encapsulating halls to be confronted with the anger and hostility of fellow citizens regarding masks and the vaccine. My child’s school refuses to implement a mask mandate. And as of a few hours ago they have actually relaxed the quarantine plan to only those that are symptomatic. As I write this frustrated that I feel that I have to pit my son’s education against his safety and the safety of the entire family, I receive word that another of my beloved patients is in the hospital dying from COVID-19. Fatigue in the medical community has set in. Many hospitals are facing staffing shortages as a result. Medical training teaches us to keep pushing past fatigue. We are able to do this largely because we know at some point we will complete our training. There are brighter days up ahead. What do we do when we can’t see that glimmer of hope? What do we do when the very ones we have waded out to save are fighting us by refusing to wear masks, get vaccinated or practice social distancing? What do we do…?

Geriatric Mother​

“Having babies is for young women.” I remember that phrase stated by my favorite OB attending in medical school. Medical training/life however prevented me from having my babies young. I had almost given up on having children when I turned 35. According to the literature its at this age the risk of complications rise drastically. As fate would have it however my son was conceived on a trip to celebrate my 35th birthday. Other than fatigue and headaches the pregnancy was a breeze. The delivery however was looooonnngg and painful. Did I mention it was painful? Surely that must have been why professor made that statement. I was convinced that when  younger women labored to deliver their babies it must not have hurt this much. Because who in their right mind would sign up to endure this pain again. My mom said I’d forget all the pain when I held him…I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong my beautiful baby was/is definitely worth it. But did i mention it was painful?
 
After 2 years with my precious boy baby I was pregnant again. Was i trying…no. But if you’re NOT trying not to then you’re trying to.  So maybe I did forget about the pain for a bit.  But when I saw those two lines it all came back to me. I was excited however for many reasons. My boy baby would have a sibling to play and navigate this world with. Let me add emphasis on someone to play with because I” be honest, as a geriatric mama I don’t always feel like playing after a long day of doctoring.  Maybe decreased energy when you get older is what my professor was referring to. When I was younger I had more energy but less time to play. I was able to focus solely on my studies. Now I can devote my afternoons to playing. And though I may not always feel like getting down on the floor I put forth the effort to be present aka play because I want to cherish each moment with them. I think one of the best gifts of being a geriatric mama is that you are more apt to appreciate the gift of beautifully healthy children.