Old age: A blessing or a curse?

 Watching my mum struggling to move to a spot just two feet away and a comment from my sister, started me thinking about my future when I also attain the age of 84 as my mother.

My sister commented that when she sees my mother struggling to move about then she becomes sad, wondering whether in her old age she was also going to face the same challenge being experi­enced by my mother.

My mother also commented that when she was a teenager, a man she was staying with used to say that “Onyin nye” meaning growing old is not a good thing and she wondered at the time why the man would say that.

She said that now she fully understands why the man used to say what he said. Simple things that she could do with ease many years ago, is now a huge challenge; such is life.

She recounted how active she was as a young girl, how she used to be part of her school’s athletic team etc. and now this same person is finding it difficult to move quickly around her own home.

Casting my mind back many years ago, this was the woman who moved quickly from our room to the kitchen several times as she prepared food for the family in the compound house we used to live in.

Yet today, just moving from her hall in her flat to the washroom takes her such an effort and a long time to accomplish. I recall a couple of months ago when I took her to the eye clinic and how long it took us to get out of her flat and get to the car parked just outside her main gate.

I held her hand to support her to get down the short flight of stairs and walk about seven metres to the car, I prayed to God to help me such that when I reach her age I would still be strong enough and not be assisted like my mum.

Talking to people about old age and how one can still be strong without being assisted by regular exercise.

Naturally when a person gets older, his or her muscles lose strength gradually and to maintain their strength, regu­lar exercises must be routine way of life. This is the only way to stay strong and healthy as one grows old. Meals also has a very important role in aging gracefully.

Vegetables and fruits help in providing the necessary nutrients required to main­tain the body in good shape. There are exercises that one needs to avoid. Exercises that put pressure on your knees, should be avoided at a certain age.

It is recommended that at a certain age, I think 50 and above, jogging should be avoided since it puts pressure on the knees. Enough rest is another critical factor in maintaining good health in old age.

Resting allows your body to rejuvenate and keep the total being healthy and mentally sound since it enables the brain to rest and recover from stress.

Whatever we do, we shall one day grow old and we shall be confronted with all the challenges associated with aging. Due to individual phys­ical differences, some people are able to really overcome the challenges of old age.

There is a woman who was 90 last June and who is able to walk unassisted and is real­ly nice to see. The interest­ing thing is that she is a tall person and usually tall people have a challenge in mobility in old age but this woman’s case is different. She is not bent over and walks in a normal manner.

This is indeed a blessing from God. There was a man on TV who was being inter­viewed some months ago at a keep fit club and he said that he was 92. Asked about what his secret was for being strong and healthy, he said that it was due to regular exercise.

Being aware of some of the challenges we shall face as we grow old helps in overcoming the frustrations and chal­lenges that we are likely to encounter when we grow old. When this happens we shall see old age as a blessing not a curse.

By Laud Kissi-Mensah