Patrick
Kennedy
 

April
Seniors Have Issues too


Oh sure, finally retired, work days are a thing of the past, and life and each day is just a beautiful rose blooming sunny day in a senior’s life. There’s a house paid for, money in the bank, and plenty of time to fly around the world if they want to, and the same health as when they were babies, that is, lively and full of energy, and someone always there to attend to it. It is wonderful, but there are some problems. You can’t spend good memories and health does fade.

Do you have difficulty in opening one of those child-proof aspirin bottles and life-saving meds the doc has prescribed? They should also call them senior-proof bottles. Trying to squeeze that little white cap and turning it at the same time is not a major execution for most of the human race, except kids of course, but for a senior with achy hands and diminishing muscle strength it can be a chief chore; especially if the goal is to cure a headache. And then try opening a new jar of pickles or mustard, the cap is always built tight so that only a steel worker in Pittsburg can open it. A few swear words come out at these times, damning the bottling company for them punishing the weak and their sadistic humor.

Then the front stairs on the house were a wonderful trip when one first moved in. It was a nice rise to the front door, a big porch from which a view of the neighborhood and far off in the distance a nice view of a mountain range, and maybe a body of water. And now, and now, it is like climbing Mount Rainier every day just to get to the mail box and back, or bring in the groceries from the car. Yes, they could use the driveway and use the back door, but the stairs are just as high there and not at safe. A major fall there would go unnoticed and unattended for after a header down the stairs with a bag of groceries. One fallen might be found at the next backyard BBQ?

And, “Oh sure your rich, Dad, can you lend your little daughter/son some money to pay the bills? And maybe buy me a new car?” Domestic problems in an extended family can aggravate the problem of a financially borderline senior citizen. Should any of the children be wallowing in a state of poverty, the senior citizen becomes physically and mentally loaded up with intense and continuing pressure out of being totally helpless to come to the financial rescue of a grieving son or daughter. You have a little money coming in and a little in the bank, but all-in-all just enough to get by and have some fun once in a while; but not enough to support a family again. “Sorry, my big little man/woman, you are on your own these days.” In this case it might be wise to follow the advice of that old man, Plato, “Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.” That’s it, give them a little respect and be awed at their positive accomplishments, but no cash.

Financial hardships can be avoided if a senior citizen, during the period of economic activity and utility, that is when younger, had deliberately exercised foresight, focus, and simplicity, a discipline that consistently upholds the importance of modest needs. The idea here is to build a sustainable wealth of lifetime resources to address the financial requirements for the person dwelling in the twilight zone, retirement, time of life. ‘Preparing and planning’ are the key words here’.

A healthful life is like a well-oiled and fed machine, with its fundamental parts continuously maintained so that it can perform normally, or at peak efficiency, beyond its anticipated useful life, that is into retirement. The onset of sudden serious health problems can be substantially alleviated, if not totally avoided, if maintenance and checkups are continued on a regular basis. This holds true if the senior citizen, at the time of his or her prime, has led a clean, discreet, active, family-based, helpful, and interconnected life, a discipline that builds premium on fitness, integrity, peace, humility, and friendship. “Good luck with that wishful thinking,” say many seniors, “but I’ll try better now!”

An issue by one definition is a matter that is in dispute between two or more parties; in this case, seniors and life. There is no escape hatch here, just a rocky road that must be traveled.

©2013, Patrick Kennedy

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Man arrives as a novice at each age of his life. - Nicolas Chamfort

Patrick M. Kennedy (P Manvel Kennedy) has been a professional writer, editor, and graphic artist for over 30 years. He is the author of three books: More Fun with Retirement: A coffee break for seniors, How to Have Fun with Retirement, and Being a Senior Citizen: You rnew phase of life with many questions looking for answers. and his latest book: More Fun with Retirement: A coffee break for seniors. He currently works from Boise, Idaho. In the past he has worked from Seattle, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas. He keeps busy because he knows it is important when writing or editing any material with a particular objective in mind, for either personal use or business goals, to present ideas with quality, clarity and accuracy. He can do that, and he does most of it himself, but he occasionally must call upon qualified associates for assistance.

"My Resume shows me as an experienced professional writer and editor who specializes in the English language. With years of professional experience in the writing/editing/graphics field, I offer quality services to both individual and business clients, with prompt and accurate solutions designed to meet their needs, and online editing services and writing services for easy and quick results. www.abetterword.com



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