How Well Do You Age?

As we age, we come up against the beliefs about aging that have been handed out from generation to generation. Remember when, as youngsters, we thought that a 50-year-old was ‘old’?

Here are two myths about aging that many of us thought once were true:
1) The older you get the grumpier you become.
Crabby older men and women are often portrayed as unhappy people who chase laughing children away with their canes.
Truth is that grumpy people have always been grumpy people. Sure, chronic pains, life stresses, and the loss of resiliency that accompany age can darken your outlook on life. But if you are basically a cup half full person, that grumpiness won’t define you.
According to an article that appeared in Aging In Stride, gerontological psychologists report that “in general, our personality traits remain the same throughout our lives—and many of us even develop a more positive attitude as we age.” The article also cited Laura Carstensen of the Stanford Center for Longevity who said, “In general, people get happier as they get older …Most of the grumpy old men out there are grumpy young men who grew old.”
She added that seniors who are experiencing an uncharacteristic negative mood should be evaluated for underlying causes.

2) Older people need to live in care facilities.
Back in the day, it was commonplace to think that retirement meant being ‘put out to pasture’ in a rest home where you spent the day drooling with other older residents. All of you needed nursing care.
A recent AARP study showed that most baby boomers ‘age in place’. They live in their own homes until that lifestyle can no longer be maintained. In many cases they implement strategies that allow them to adjust their homes to meet their aging needs (i.e, hand rails on stairs). They utilize in home services including home delivery of groceries and online prescription delivery services, etc.

There are more myths out there about who you will be or who you should be as you age. Bust them, if you can. You’re old enough to make your own rules!