We have another member of the club! We love her already and are so enjoying getting to know her better. She is the third person to join the club who lost her husband several years ago and subsequently watched a lot of television and was very inactive. I truly do believe that television is the devil. No one would sit and stare at a blank wall for years at a time, but people will sit and watch television for hour upon hour, day upon day, until before they know it, they have lost all their muscles and are unable to walk. We are hoping and working to help her build her muscles and regain her strength. I pray it is not too late.

Another problem we have seen with some of our members is over-medication. I understand that doctors react with a prescription pad when a patient tells them they have pain, and they don’t mean to create drug addicts. Some people are prone to drug abuse no matter what their age, however, and pain medication often makes a person lethargic and unmotivated, destroying any hope of exercising and building strength.

Which brings me to the point of this week’s blog: our attitude is the key to aging with grace 50+. Even if someone has dementia, if they have a positive attitude, it is possible to age with grace. Dementia does not always equal depression. Mental illness is another malady that gets in the way of aging with grace 50+ because it is often accompanied by a negative attitude (depression). I see all of it as a failure to trust God and to seek His truth. I am not immune. I am human. Sometimes I feel like giving up and quitting it all. But then I remember that God is my creator, my boss, and it is not up to me to decide when to give up. I am to trust Him and move forward, one step at a time and do the work that is before me. We have another person at the club who is in her late 80’s who is of the same mind. She is aging gracefully. She is not perfect either (as no one is perfect), but she contributes to our mission and to the world at large. I so appreciate her positive attitude!

If you or someone you know has lost a spouse, please get grief counseling for yourself or the one you know! Until the anger, or other negative emotions are resolved, physical health will suffer!

Our March Madness Special Event was a success! We had five people join us for the day that were not members of the club. Four were focused on the Medical Screenings and learning about high blood pressure and diabetes so we did a fun quiz as a group on WebMD on the big screen. Another person was interested in a massage spa treatment. We were talking about the new senior center and she was surprised to learn that the new senior center does not take care of seniors that go there during the day. I explained to her that the city senior center is for independent seniors who do not need someone to look after them. We here at Aging With Grace do look after people, meeting them where they are and helping them according to their individual needs. Our new member, for example, needs help getting up and moving from her wheelchair to a regular chair, etc. She needs us to help her use her walker and to do exercises to build muscles. She needs help getting from here to there. As do many people at the club. Other members have dementia and need to be protected from harming themselves (eating something they shouldn’t, going somewhere they shouldn’t, giving away money they shouldn’t) and need to be around others for stimulation and socialization to slow the progress of their dementia. And of course we do medical screenings regularly to catch problems before they occur and provide lots and lots of good nutritious food every day! Oh, and we clean up messes when needed, if you know what I mean  (a regular occurrence that we just take in stride).

May God bless your week ahead!