Staying Independent…

It seems a bit odd to realize that what we’ve been all our lives – independent human beings who could make life choices – can begin to develop edges, twists, and turns once we get past a certain age. Those edges, twists, and turns can turn into real challenges to our independence.

In many cases those challenges can be overcome. That might require no more than our willingness to be flexible. Or it might require an army of supporters to support us.

Examples:

After a fall playing pickle ball, an older woman who has played tennis all her life finds herself in a wheelchair because her leg is broken. There’s a good chance that leg will heal and she will be able to play pickle ball again! But her HEAD – her attitude and her fears – may get in the way of that healing unless she reaches out for support. Further, her bedroom is on the second floor of her house. How will she manage?

She finds support. She reaches out to an accessibility specialist who can help her configure her home – even if only temporarily – while her leg heals. She begins to think about starting a pickle ball group for others who, like her, are in a wheel chair. In general, she is flexible enough to adjust, and even find new ways to fix her life to work WITH her challenges instead of against them.

An older man who lost his mother to Alzheimer’s now fears he, too, will develop dementia. Rather than giving in to the fear (its own hazard to the man’s health), he looks for ways to overcome those fears. He discusses them with his doctor, sees a neurologist for a baseline test, does word puzzles, walks three miles every day, and then signs up to take Spanish lessons! He adjusts his life to his situation.

In both cases, choosing to focus on flexibility in their approaches to aging have benefited these older adults. They chose to move forward by pivoting in reaction to their new realities. Good on them!