Chapter One

No one prepares you for it, and, suddenly, you start to realize that you can't do certain things that you could do with ease months ago; it will be gradual at first; and suddenly you find yourself getting winded, you can't climb stairs with ease, you can't bend as easily, and you have pains where you did not get them before. 

Since you are used to keep going and, knowing it will pass, you also notice it takes longer in your recovery time; it will increase gradually and you say to yourself, "must be I am getting older."

But those are words you have heard others say, perhaps your parents, and you repeat them not really understanding them, and you go on until finally you have have to say, "golly this hurts" gollly, this pain is not going away."

These are the first steps toward your accepting, coming to grips with "growing old."

It might be for your own demise, or it might be for a close relative or others; this book is a guide for how to help them through it. And it will be a guide for our children and other young relatives. How to stay stay young and grown older with grace and vigor.

Sound Body in A Sound Mind. 


Most of our lives have been about changes and, growing older is another change coming upon us, and, how we react to it is often how we deal with change ordinarily.

Chapter Two

The first shock is to understand that your life could be over. That is shocking because we go on never thinking that it will be over, the end of life is now in sight.
Friends, younger than we die, and we have to confront it.

What to do?

We could refuse to think about it, deny it altogether, or we could prepare for it. We allow ourselves to become anxious about it, we could deny it with our behavior, act out with family, friends and neighbors, and, most often resign ourselves to it because the culture screams only the young are real and valuable, and, the older are past their time.
Dying, often, feels like failure.

So we ask ourselves what to do and most importantly what comes after, if anything.

Are we Christian, Muslim Buddhist, Hindu: we often look to our faiths for consolation. However we resolve the “hereafter” it often promises life everafter with the deity, or dissolve ultimately back into the Universe, into Nirvana.
Or is it the end; there is nothing after that?

Personally, I have resolved there has to be something after but, what could that be?

I believe in reincarnation.

In fact, I have met and married someone with whom I shared a re-incarnated life with. We had mutual memories spontaneously recanted.

Amazing.

I have about seven reincarnations I can recall and have written about them on this site. There is little doubt in my mind.

However, in the reincarnated view, the purpose of any given life is also part of a larger story. I have come to the conclusion that each life is to teach us a lesson while here on earth and learning what that lesson is for you, what life is about.

Sometimes you learn that lesson and you move on, or you often have to repeat that with another reincarnation.

After many,  or several of these reincarnations, and we learn lessons we need to and l subscribe to the idea that we move beyond our material plane and onto another dimension or plane.

In fact, CERN is precisely trying to discover these extra dimensions. In fact, most of science believes these extra dimensions exist and are actively seeking to discover them.

I have written about these scientific views on this site.

Now, if I believe I die and there is nothing after, there is little to think about.

Or. if I am spiritual there is much to think about spirtually.

But, either way. we have to think about how to prepare, in either event, practically about how to wind up our affairs here on earth.
 
The next chapters detail what is involved.

Chapter Three

My grandmother, next to her last words:

“Dying? Really don’t have time for it, so much to do. Well, maybe just this one time.”

My grandmother: she was a funny lady.

Preparations will depend upon how you end up dying. Taking control is how you reduce it's frightening aspects.
First, imagine you die suddenly.  

You might die suddenly, a stroke, or in your sleep, or, perhaps in an auto accident or in many possible scenarios.

What should you do now to prepare for the Big Sleep?

Initially prepare a Last Will and Testament

Even if you conceive of yourself as having few possessions you should do a Will anyway and here is why.
If you don’t have a Will then the state can step in and take your possessions or deny them to your relatives and family and we don’t want that.

For example, if you a car, beneficiaries to your life insurance policies, ideas as to how your possessions are to be allocated and to whom, [no unseemly fights at the grave site over who gets your possessions.}

Your death can set off ungodly fights and family bitterness and recriminations. Best to have that settled before hand in your will.
You can get a will done quickly on the internet for about 100 dollars. Then store it in a safe place and identify where the location is to a trusted family member.

Prepare with relatves what is called a DNA {A Do Not Resusciate Agreement,} where in advance you agree that all attempts will be made to resuscitate you if you are in a comma, or no attempts will be done so. Have a relative sign it or agree to it. 

Do an inventory of what you possess and how you would like it to be handled.

Identify where it is located and who is to handle it's disposition; and how you want them to dispose of the items you have.

Some of those items may have sentimental value and you want them to go to specific people. You should also specific how your funeral services should go. I like a closed casket and cremation, since I plan to come back spiritually.
I would like people to party at my going away party, please no solemn services with crocodile tears by some.
Please have a good time, remember me fondly.

I have a number of writings {over 800} and I need to specify how the rights and income from those writings are to be disposed of and to whom the proceeds might go.

You might have bank accounts and you will need to identify automatic deductions when and to whom and where the funds could be released to, especially if you have life insurance. Who is the beneficiary there in that event?

So for now, this is home work. Garner the will, update your list of possessions, list and update your social media accounts, identifying how you want them to be handled, and send that document via email, or text message to a trusted famly member. Then, we come back to see if you forgot anything.

Summary Check List

Understand you should be proactive and not simply depart from us and leave too much to do for your family and even strangers after you are gone. Take control of your own death and don't let it just happen to you.

If you die suddenly, then these are the preparations you should do before hand while you are able and capable.

1. Prepare a Last Will and Testament

2. Inventory a list of your possessions and to whom you would like them to go to. Identify who will get these possessions and or inherit. For example, your autos: survivors will have to keep the car and the car insurance and the car payments or look to sell it.
But first they have to own the vehicle or possess it.. Reduce the hassle by arranging that in advance.
I
4. Inventory your social media accounts and how you would like them to handled. Some accounts can go on forever, unless you instruct them to be deleted.
 
4.Do a memo and send it to a family member in which all of the details we see above are updated regularly. This would be accounts, passwords, beneficiaries for everything from 401k, to Realtor deposits, to bank account beneficiaries, life insurance polices with whom and its beneficiaries.
Make copies, identify them store them and let family know where they are.

5.If you rent there might be a deposit due you or your heirs, or the account might need to be closed out. Check on that and include the information in your email updates to a given family member.

If there is a house involved then to whom does it go, or will it go for sale, and how will proceeds be divided?

6.You should also specific how your funeral services should go.

7. Pack your materials and have them ready to be disposed of, or ready to be shipped or moved. Label everything so your family will know what it is and how you want it to be disposed of.

8. Also prepare a hospital kit because you might be alone or not have the usual supports normally available.  Have it by the door or in your car remembering to take your cell phone, plugs, extra underwear, items you think you will need.

9. Prepare a budget with amounts you will need in case of disaster, especially if you are disabled or otherwise incapacitated . More on this later

10. Finally compile a list of predicable ailments you will encounter as you grow older, if male, prostate problems, glaucoma, liver and kidney aliments, hearing and eye problems are common as you grown older.

Read up on the internet because medical bankruptcy is the most common source of bankruptcy in this country. You will want to have a particular health plan in mind and, in place, before this happens to you.

So a budget with these considerations in mind is helpful, to see what your costs of living might be.

11. Develop healthy eating habits, and adopt an exercise routine everyday.  More on this later.

12. Water is your first line of defense. Invest in a water filter for both drinking and a filer for the shower. People dump all kinds of pharmaciticals down the toilet and chemicals the water companies put in your water don't help either.

A good idea is also to subscribe to a medical alert service because you might fall and not be able to get to a phone, or call others for aid. 

Protect proactively.
 
Keep in mind as my Dad advised: “A Sound Mind in A Sound Body.”

Chapter Four

Stage Two of your proactive plan will include hospitals, doctors and how you will handle them.

The first step is, if possible, live as close as possible to the hospital of your choice. Literally, if you live more that ten minutes away you can risk your life.
If you are stroke prone, have high blood pressure, close is better and potentially live-saving especially if you will require defribrilation to start your heart in the event of a stroke. And. you don't want to have a long ambulance ride in that event.

Close is better because you will have to move back and forth to the hospital for appointments and meetings. And close is more convenient.

Be sure you apply for a handicapped parking sticker/placard because it will make your life immensely better, not to mention for routine visits and criminnies if you have to drive yourself to the hospital and find yourself circling the block looking for a parking spot.

Close is better because you will have to familiarize yourself with the doctors there and the physical layout of the hospital, the personnel, doctors and staff. You can see them as your future community. You should get acquainted.

You should regard it as your new community because you will become more isolated as you grow older and making friends at the hospital is not a bad idea.

So, it is a new kind of social life, if you will, and moreover, if you are still driving, you will need a new source of healthy food and eating and the hospital diet is likely healthier for you.  So go by and see what is on the menu and see if meals there fit your budget. 

You need to be close to your local security office where you can get answers to your questions. The same for you local grocer and perhaps a Walmart or a 99c store. These things need to be thought about, in terms of where you live.

I fit my hospital into my exercise program. If the hospital has a fitness program, I take advantage of it. On rainy days the 5,000 steps a day, doctors recommend, I utllize the hospital itself on rainy days, or cold days or in summer on super hot days. 

Pre-interview doctors at the hospital and let him/her identify what ailments you are likely to encounter in the future from tests, and what you can do about it now to minimize it’s impact upon you. Have him/her outline a health plan for you which you will share with your family. They can help you stay on track with what the doctor tells you.

On the internet identify how well the hospital has done with what your potential aliments you might encounter as you grow older.
Look these up on the internet, and what is the track record of your hospital?. 
It might differ even within your zip code for different hospitals.
Be sure as well to look up the infection rates of the hospital you choose. Infections {HAI Hospital Acquired Infections} is a major issue in almost all hospitals today.

More and more anti-biotics are ineffectual from over use in the hospitals and in our foods. So the average American is more and likely to acquire infections right at their local hospital. How to protect yourself later.

Once you look up aliments you will likely encounter as you go older, identify the drugs the doctor will recommend for you should you come down with an ailment, and look up those drugs on the internet; and do not passively take what is recommended to you by a doctor.

In most states you are legally responsible for you own health care, not your doctor. They have protected themselves in the law with little liability. It is your responsibility and you should assume that from the very beginning.

Drugs, you soon will discover, is what doctors initially recommend, because they have only fifteen minutes to review with you and your symptoms; and he/she will push a pill across the desk to you.

That is the pressure most are under. They need to see many patients to make their overhead. Specialists are higher income and likely will want to do surgery: you should be aware if you are being steered toward surgery; that is no fun and not advisable.

So initially, you will be given drugs for what ails you and here is what you need to look out for.

DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME ADDICTED TO DRUGS, EVEN MILD ONES.

Aspirin for stroke twice a day for the rest of your life s not advisable because Aspirin can cause internal bleedng, suddenly.
Beta-Blockers are for the rest of your life; prostate medicine for the rest of your life. This is to be avoided or controlled by you.

Keep in mind what pharmacy companies do is to get you hooked on these drugs for the rest of your life or on their particular medications and many doctors get “kick-backs” for recommending these particular brands to you.
Do not let that happen to you and I will show you what you can do.

First note most medications actually mimic the very symptoms you present with or even make them worse.

Fatigue, tiredness, dizziness, inability to balance, disorientation {creates falls and hip surgery} are what most drugs do to you. Even death is often a side effect.

The doctor will down play this and say “it is a trade off.”

So what do you do about the drug dilemma?

Chapter Five

First research any drug recommended to you. Read the fine print especially side effects that impact your balance. Many many seniors have had to have hip replacement from falls and much of this is their balance affected by the drugs they are taking.

Surgeons are happy.

Make a list of the side effects of all the drugs you are taking and note as well any side effects from over the counter supplements you are taking.

Dizziness, fatigue, disorientation, constipation, are all common side effects and you first of all want to avoid drugs or take the bare minimum that the doctor recommends, and be clear about the addictive qualities of the drugs recommended. Just a week on some drugs for recovery pain and you can get addicted, and need more.

So less is more and you should also explore herb substitutes even for pain and symptoms.

Even baby aspirin is dangerous, can cause internal bleeding over time or if you are prone to that kind of thing. I don’t take it, ask for substitiutes and ask questions or look it up for yourself.

Secondly, even if you decide up particular drugs whose side effect make you dizzy, make you fatigued, make you unsteady on your feet, understand these are the effects of many drugs.

First step is you control when you take them. If you need to function at home or work, take the drugs before you go to bed such that these effects happen while you are sleeping. If two or more drugs are involved you might stagger taking them so all of their individual effects are not affecting you at the same time. 

No drug works all the time. Some work for a time and then become ineffectual. So note each day how that drug is affecting you at what times you take them and change it, if that suits you; and let the doctor know what is working and what is not working. Do not simply go on automatic and take the drugs every day without thinking about it.

Always have a goal of not needing the drug at all. Always look for substitutes, with the side effects because those side effects can make you feel old and teetering while the doctor thinks of it as a trade-off.

Side by side with these drugs you MUST have an daily exercise routine because exercise can reduce your dependency upon drugs, as well as your overall health.

Let's have a look at what and how much exerise is involved in this regimen.

Again "Sound Mind in A Sound Body"

Chapter Six

Most doctors recommend a daily exercise routine of a least 30 minutes until you get mildly winded or at least 5,000 steps a day. This is a minimum.

You can join a gym, or money lacking, you can walk in your neighborhood to reach your 5,000 step goal. You can vary it or simply walk when you are on your errands. 
On rainy days you can walk in the nearby hospital and pause for lunch while you are there. But this is a minimum for you and you'll see your capacity expand to even 10,000 steps a day.


Now the over-all goal of this and other exercises is to strengthen your "core." This will be your abdominal muscles such that you can sit with ease and "crunch" do sit ups with strong abdominal muscles. I can do about 100 a day.

These are goals and you can take your time and work up to them at your own pace.

The goal here is to be as independent as long as possible and not have to go to some nursing home.

If a hospital is not close by utilize the local library, especially on hot days, where you can sit quietly reading to while the hours away. If possible get a senior shuttle and it's schedule so that you can manuever from the library to local senior centers, and other areas that hold your interest.

Adopt a daily routine and try to stick to it. It focuses your mind and keeps you alert.

Daily routine:

First thing, while in bed I do sit-ups, about 40, is the most I can do. This wakes up my body. and helps me get out of bed.

Then up and a drink something warm and look at my computer, write something, or blog and corrospondence and then out for the walk. I can do it in two stages: if rainy, I walk all 5,000 steps at the hospital. 
Then after lunch take the appropriate drug, then back to the computer or handle corrospondence, calls, and catching up with whom I need to.

Sitting: I never go beyond two hours, bad for your circulation, and do it in place chair sit ups to maintain that circulation.

Afternoon I have news programs I keep up with often stop to run in place at about 120 steps or until winded each day.

Finally as a night time routine, I do push-ups, about 40 of these or do an Ab Lounger routine which involves about 175 or less "crunches."
This keeps me more or less fit.

Always I monitor how my body is doing. New aches, new pains, and monitor how any new drug or herb I am taking or experimenting with.

I notice that sniffles I had with me for about a month vanished when I started taking a new multi-vitamin, because my old one became ineffectual. Monitor, monitor.

At night I detail, in bed on my cell phone,  my planning out my next day, or talking to people. 

That is my day and my daily routine.

Chapter Seven

Night Time Routne:

Most seniors sleep fitfullly, up and down in the night and often cat nap during the day, so they do not sleep all through the night.

They might be up and down for several reasons; have "to go" more than younger folks and often simply can not sleep.

Here is what I think you will need.

1. Get a cell phone, or perhaps two. Most cell phone companies let you add a second cell phone on a family members' plan for about 20 dollars. Many cell phones go down especially at night when you need them most.

You can listen to many different radio stations when you can't sleep.

You can listen to the BBC Radio Four Extra on your cell phone, it often has comedy, drama and you can listen to music and other offerings. Download it from Google Play Store.

2. You can bring up BBC and other stations downloadable from Google Play Store

I use "Smart Radio" and "Simple Radio" and listen to many different types of radio shows, from mysteries, entire Victorian novels, comedy, drama, classics, and academic fare.

See also www.archives.org where the entire internet is recorded, most of which you can listen to or download.

See "www.librox.com" for some excellent novel choices and note as well www.youtube.com has science fiction, mysteries, comedy along with local and national news.

There is much to do in the dead of night. You might get an extra set of headphones so as not to disturb others.

Utilize those at night "awake times" to improve your mind, think and plan.

You could, of course, watch TV late night fare but be sure you can watch from your bed with a remote to help you navigate stations.

I also recommend a remote for your radio stations since it is cold at night and you don't want to rise in the chilly night.

You might add as well a heating blanket, because it is colder at night. Get one that automatically cuts off by itself after a few hours, so as to save on electricity bills.

You will need a microphone downloadabe to your cell phone to record ideas you might have in the night and a pencil or paper or writing them down might be inconvenient. Again Google Play Store is best. "Easy Voice Recorder" is the best I have seen.

You will also need a memo pad that comes with most cellphones. Write down what you need to do the next day, make a "to do" list of ideas, and errands you have to do the next day. 

Night time can be productive when you can't sleep.

Utilize the night time  and make it productive for you.

 Chapter Eight

Previously we mentioned infections when you enter hospitals. These HAI {Hospital Acquired Infections} are a serious threat to your health.

World wide over 420,000 deaths happen this way where the death certificate simply states “complications from surgery.” Balderdash.

Sepsis is very common in hospitals, {blood poisoning} and infections are more common than reported and often death can occur in a matter of hours.

Doctors often report this as “complications from surgery, or other non-related illnesses. Ask what this means.

So what can you do to avoid this kind of outcome?

First note that diet, especially meat and chicken is often filled with antibiotics so as to make the animals gain weight.

Unfortunately you are ingesting these same antibiotics and over time they become less and less effective. Super bugs are common in hospitals where they do not respond to antibiotics and you and your immune systems becomes super vulnerable.

These super bugs can spread through an entire hospital and sweep you up in their pernicious effects.

Don't eat meat, chicken and other foods that have been injected with antibiotics.

A second source of infections is that surgeons and nurses often leave sponges inside patients after surgery. A surgeon having “to go back in” or wanting to do more “exploratory” surgery is going back for sponges left inside the patient.

Ask for a sponge count. You likely will not get a straight answer but it will show you are paying attention.

 

Hospitals try to fight back with regular infection sessions with both doctors and nurses, insisting personnel wash their hands before and after touching or handling instruments and IV's but little has worked.

They have used Infrared Red Lasers to kill germs but to little avail.

Above all the greatest danger is the ICU unit where most patients are hooked up to IV's. There the infection rate is usually highest.

What can you do?

First get a private room of your own. The hospital is full of sick people and much of the pathogens are airborne and the extra doctor and nurse traffic can help depress your immune system, which is why you are in the ICU in the first place.

 

Ask for and wear a surgical mask. Wash your hands frequently. Cover coughs, ask for doctor up dates. Read up on tests doctors and nurses take and learn as much as you can on what the tests mean. It is your health at stake.

 

Don't harass the nurses because when they become irritated, and they have many patients, the worrisome patient gets treated last. Treat them kindly, since they are the last life line you will likely see.

Check on your blood levels and watch for Sepsis since it can spread in a matter of hours and this can cause your demise and other follow on complications.

Alert relatives to what is going on with you, since they can talk to the doctors and nurses, helping you when you get little or no attention.

 

Not paying attention to what is happening to you can be to your detriment.

Don't be afraid to ask what drugs they are giving you, take notes and what prognosis the doctors are projecting for your illness. You can't if treatments and a prognosis is not available.

Use you cell phone if you need to look up on your disease.

 

You can look up before hospitalization what drugs are used for your projected ailment, a drug dictionary, and interactive projections these drugs might have.

 

I know sounds like a lot, but if you start early and add each item over the years and put it on your cell phone you will be able to manage it all.

It is all workable.

Infection facts world wide

http://lonniehicks.blogspot.com/

 Chapter Nine

We look at some of the more predicable diseases you might encounter as you grow older. Now is the time to plan for them so as to be prepared.

Failing Eyesight

As you grow older your eyesight might start to fail. Vision is blurred, and starting to progressively fail. Of course, you want to alert your doctor and see what is recommended.
Blurred vision or failing vision; glaucoma is common. That might entail reading glasses, taking some drugs to correct matters and other remedies. The one I recommend is laser surgery which corrects your vision and is permanent.

Thus right away want to see if your health plan will pay for it, and what if any with any co-pay is required.

This is worth the price of health plan and is extremely valuable for you at any age.

The surgery takes about fifteen minutes, has a longish recovery time, about 3-4 weeks,and is painless for most.

Reading glasses is another way to correct your failing vision, and you can look into that.

Failing hearing is many times correctable with a hearing aid. But note some hearing aids are expensive at 500 dollars. You might get the price offset through Medicare or Medicaid. But, you should look into it sooner rather than later.

Note, at this writing, most health plans do not offer a dental plan. So egregious is this that many folks go to Mexico to get cheaper dental care because the American plans are so expensive n on existent, and have lower quality. You might want to check into prices and many vacation there and simultaneously getting your teeth fixed,

Another area is drugs. Much is now being discussed in cheaper and more generic drugs, while we see drug prices are so expensive many cannot get the basic drugs they need.

 

Canada is the country of choice and you can order cheaper drugs via the mails. Of course, standards of quality differ from country to country and drug to drug, but most of the drugs have few complaints.

Now if you are or are contemplating going on social security, you might wait until you are at least 69/1/2 because you can realize more income waiting until later.

But there are many questions you will have and that is why I advise to live close to the local social security office and or the hospital.

But notice from social security you can deduct your health insurance, drug and medical bills directly from social security payments made to you.

Not all of them but a premium for these are part of your payments. You will need to identify what is in those payments and what they cover and what they do not cover because what they do not cover you will have to plan to make up for another way.

Above all you will have to see what will happen to your finances if a major illness overtakes you, since that is the major source of bankruptcy in the United States.

Then plan to plan to meet that emergency. See what your hospital plan will cover, what your savings will cover, and what out-of pocket expenses you will have to cover on your own.

 Chapter Ten

Acquiring Good Habits in the 30's and 40's.

It is a good idea to acquire good habits for your health and those habits that will allow you to enjoy your 30's middle ages and your older ages. Here are just a few.

1. Don't smoke. If you do, stop; or work on stopping. Some people try 7 or 8 times before they are successful. Never give up and do not stop until you succeed or help others, young people especially must stop this particularly deadly habit.

2. Don't drink alcohol. The latest studies suggest that ANY amount of alcohol is bad for you-even one drink in moderation or even one drink a week. The time to stop is by mid-thirties and not pick it up again, even socially. The myriad of aliments alcohol brings to the body and the mind are many. Stop it early so as to not have to deal with alcohol related problems later in life.

3. Diet And Water

Paying attention to your diet is of particular moment.
First water because our water is polluted in many parts of the country, and water in other areas is filled with pharmaceuticals from people just flushing them down the toilet; from fluoride, to chlorine, to lead and a host of chemicals bad for you.

You should get a water filter for both your tap water and for your shower. Many chemicals can be absorbed through your skin. A good quality one is preferable.

Avoid meat and poultry which is terrible for climate change, and is worse for your health. They utilize antibiotics to fatten these animals up and they make the body less resistant to disease and often reduce our immune systems' capability of protecting us from disease.

Best to look at the various forms of vegan-ism, reduce the bad kind of fat, and expand our regular exercise routines as noted above.

You don't have to run a marathon but establishing the habit of strengthening your core, walking 5,000 steps a day, looking at your diet is advisable.

It is also a case of monitor, monitor, monitor. By that I mean what is good for you today can be bad for you tomorrow where late on-set allergies and other reactions to the very same diet today can be bad for you tomorrow.

So monitor each day. Every night identify what you ate that day and see how your body is reacting. And then change that to see if you body reacts better.

The same is true of drugs. You are the expert on your body, not your doctor, so monitor, monitor, monitor.

Now even with these sensible steps you take there are other threats of which you should be aware.

There are over 1,300 toxins and chemicals our government allow in everything we use everyday, from toys, to insecticides, to chemicals we use every day in our homes.

There are no controls whatsoever on all of this.

Proactive is better.