Should seniors be allowed to get young pets?

One of my best friends lost his long-time pet dog to cancer about six months ago, and he is now looking for a new dog. I am sure it is a good idea for him and his wife but he tells me that getting a new dog will make them happy. I told him I was not sure that getting a new pet was a good idea for the dog. Let’s face it some dogs and other pets may live for 15+ years. As seniors, there is no guarantee that we will outlive our pet. In Canada, the lifespan of a male is about 83.5 years and a female is about 86.6. My friend is in his 70’s and he may not beat the odds and live more than the average, so what happens to his pet when he dies?

This raised the question in my mind, should Seniors be allowed to have young pets? I know that in BC, some adoption agencies for pets, will not allow seniors to adopt young animals, because of the issue of illness and life-span. They will, however, allow seniors to adopt older pets. I personally think this is a good idea. There are many benefits of having a pet as a senior. Pet ownership can: Lower blood pressure, relieve stress, combat loneliness, ease depression, and encourage activity for seniors, Offer a greater sense of worth and offer security to their owners.

Pets for the Elderly Foundation gives results from the Baker Medical Research Institute, Australia’s largest cardiac centre, on its research page. Studies show that pet ownership:

· Reduced rates of developing heart disease

· Lowered cholesterol levels

· Reduced systolic blood pressure in female owner

There are some negatives that come with owning a pet. Roughly 86,000 injuries a year are reported in the United States due to pets, usually tripping over them. If your pets are anything like my brothers, when it is dinnertime, they are running circles around him. Also, going up and down steps with an energetic pet can lead to a fall. Also, drivers over the age of 70 are twice as likely to be involved in an accident if a pet is in the car. Pets also can contract diseases, so seniors with comprised immune systems may wish to look more into their personal conditions and the risks of having a pet.

When my friend and I talked about his desire to get a new pet, he told me that he and his wife had talked about it and had considered the following when they made their decision. He told me that they considered the health and age of the pet they were interested in owning? They considered the fact that young pets require attention and training, and they decided on an older pet, even though old pets require care and accommodation. They recognized that cats and dogs, depending on the breed, can live up to 15 or 20 years, and it was a commitment they were willing to make.

I asked him if they had thought about what would happen if they could no longer care for their pet? They had and they had a commitment from their daughter that she and her family would take the pet.

Finances are always an aspect of life, and pets require money just like anything else. Since his puppy died, my friend has done a lot of research looking for his ideal pet so he and his wife have an idea of what they are getting into. He does not want the new member of his family to become a financial burden.

Technology and Ageing

I was giving a workshop on Technology and Seniors to a group of seniors in North Vancouver and in the audience were a number of grade 6 and 7 students who were taking part in an intergenerational project.  I started the workshop by talking about the fact that seniors can learn just as effectively as young people, it may take us longer to learn but we can learn. I saw a couple of the students look very surprised at this. However, the collective body of research clearly shows that creativity and learning have life-long potential. Given adequate time and support, seniors are able to learn and learn effectively. This, of course, includes learning new technologies

Adults who were productively engaged in learning new skills showed improvements in memory compared to those who engaged in social activities or non-demanding mental activities at home. People of all ages are able to learn new things including seniors. The following chart taken from Stats Canada Daily Briefings released 2017-11-14 shows the percentage of seniors in Canada who use any particular technology.

Seniors use desktops, Laptops and touchscreen tablets (iPads) because they have become easier to use. Tablets are quite easy to use due to their touchscreen for surfing the internet, chatting, or e-mails, there are few computers which give you the portability and ease of use for a relatively low price point.

Among 65- to 74-year-olds, 81% of us use the Internet. When we are searching seniors look for information on health. The most commonly researched item for us is health research. However, not all sources on the Internet are reliable. I tell my friends and others to be careful as to what you read on the Internet or Facebook or any social media site, especially health information.

The Internet is a great resource and a tool to help you to become more knowledgeable and increase awareness. However, always consult a healthcare professional for any health advice, including prior to engaging in physical activity.

I love learning and see technology as a great opportunity to expand one’s horizon. There are some great sites online for online (free or low cost) courses for seniors and mind improvement sites online. Here are some that I share when I give my workshop on Technology with seniors.

Digital Learning: Online Courses

Stanford University has joined forces with iTunes U, Apple’s downloadable education service

The Khan Academy is a global, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere.

Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online for a low fee. With online learning, you can study from anywhere.

Youtube in addition to general learning for example How to Hang a Picture, YouTube a has a channel dedicated to learning including University courses and general courses

Senior Planet has a list of free online courses for Seniors

Open Education Consortium, a global network of colleges and universities that provides free digital course materials.

OpenLearn website gives free access to both undergraduate and graduate-level course materials.

Digital Learning: Mind Games

Brain Aid Task manager app for people with cognitive "challenges"

 Elevate  https://www.elevateapp.com/ has more than 40 fun games to help you improve your cognitive skills. Selected as Apple’s App of the Year in 2014, Elevate is a free brain training app with more than 40. Detailed performance tracking is included and Elevate also features adaptive difficulty progression to ensure that you are always being challenged. Elevate is available on Android and iOS.

 Fit Brain  http://www.fitbrains.com/ Trainer offers more than 60 games and over 500 workout sessions to target the six major areas of the brain. You can create an account and start training with Fit Brains for free, but to unlock all the games, you'll need to pay a monthly subscription fee. If you pay month to month, Fit Brains is the pricier option at $19.95 a month. But if you pay for a year up front, it averages out to $8.33 a month and for a two-year subscription, you'll pay $6.25 a month. There's also a lifetime subscription option for $399.95

 Mind Games  https://www.mindgames.com/Brain+Games Offers over a dozen brain training exercises to challenge you daily, it focuses on a range of cognitive tasks including attention, basic arithmetic skills and mental flexibility. Offering over a dozen brain training exercises to challenge you.

 Dakim's Brain Fitness https://www.dakim.com/dakim/

You can try it for free but there is a charge after the free session.

 Brain Aid  http://brainaid.com/

Designed to "help individuals with executive function disorders complete more real-world tasks. It 6is particularly good for those with brain injuries who lose executive function - the ability to keep track of what you are doing minute-by-minute.  

Take Some Risks

There is a classic image of a retired senior driving with their turn signals continuously on and poking along 20 miles under the speed limit on the highway. A popular comedian once quipped that if he was 80 years old, he would “drive like hell” since, after all, why not take some risks at 80?

It’s true that as we move into our senior years, that some of us become a bit cautious in how we conduct our affairs. Now, if we have health difficulties that a fall or a serious illness could prove life-threatening, those precautions are called for. In defiance of that comedian’s remarks, our lives are precious and just because we are closer to the final years of our lives doesn’t mean we want to see our lives end too soon and miss out of a minute of this time on earth and time with our children and grandchildren.

But one aspect of that joke has some food for thought as we think about our lifestyle as retired. There may be some good reasons to get out there and take some risks in life and to enjoy the thrill that a little danger can bring. Recently there was a story about an 88-year-old woman who went skydiving as well as an 89-year-old-male Holocaust survivor who did the same. “If you are afraid you are only living half a life” was the response of the woman when she was asked why she did it. She was systematically working on her bucket list and getting out there and doing something fun and had been a dream of hers for years. Both of these people showed now is the time to live out dreams.

Some risks, like skydiving, can be done with the guidance of skilled professionals to help reduce the actual dangers. But the illustration of what these two people did emphasizes the idea that now is the time to “go for it” and take some risks in your retirement years. For one thing, it’s a tremendous inspiration to younger people when they see their elders exhibiting courage and a willingness to get out of their comfort zone. Many times, your own children may be the ones who need that kind of inspiration that they too should live life courageously and not let fear stop them from enjoying every moment.

Another great reason to take a risk is that it may be a great way to bond with family. Not long ago, I had the chance to go white water rafting with my brothers. Now I am not an adventurer but I am in good physical shape so I can accomplish some things athletic. But this was a moment where I could establish a greater bond with my brothers by going on a great adventure with them and coming out of it with great stories. Because I am writing it shows that I made it. There was a few heart-stopping moments but I wouldn’t trade those moments for the world. You too may be presented with a chance to make a memory with a loved one by taking a risk. It’s worth going for it, in a reasonable fashion, to capture that memory and build that bond as wel.

Some risks you might take don’t involve physical danger. Maybe you need to finally take the plunge and get up at the local open mic night and sing those songs you have been polishing up with the family. They say there is nothing more terrifying as facing a crowd. But when you hear their applause, that will be a dream come true for the amateur singer in you.

So, consider taking a few risks as you plan your activities in your busy retirement schedule. The rush of adrenaline will put some spring in your step and give your heart rate a workout. But it will also add some fun and adventure to your life. And that is something we all can use.

Think retirement is about taking it easy...Think again

For most of us, we hope that when we retire, we will find the time to relax, but that is really not true. My friends and I are very busy in our retirement and finding time to relax is still a problem. This may surprise many of you who are looking forward to your time to relax as you plan to or think about retirement. Let me explain, we are now busy doing things that we love, which may be pursuing our hobbies, travelling, volunteering or working (part-time) but not many of are just relaxing and letting life go by. 

For some of us, retirement isn’t just a time to lay the goals of life down it is a time to look back over life at our unfinished challenges and then go back and finish them.  I have two degrees and am proud of the work, time and energy I used to complete them. Many of my friends do not have a degree and they have an unfinished goal to go back and get that degree. 

When I taught at the University of Phoenix, I was not surprised to see young and senior adults, taking courses to finish their bachelor’s degree or start and finish a masters or Ph.D. Working with those students and helping them achieve their goals was a highlight of my career. I understand how big a challenge it is to go back to the classroom and get that certificate, especially when you do it after you have retired.

So why do it?  This may be a question your friends ask when they see you going after such an ambitious goal so late in life.  But when you think about it, you may be a bit offended by the question.  Implicit in this ageist question is the implication of, “What is the point of you getting a degree since you are not going to do anything productive in retirement and you are so close to death?”

Many of my friends started entirely new careers after they retired.  With the advances in medical science today, it is a given that most people live 20-30 years or more “in retirement”.  That is plenty of time to accomplish great things.  So, starting out this era of life with a good education makes just as much sense as it did when you left school and started out on your first career. 

This is not to say that going back to school is going to be easy.  If finishing your high school degree is the goal, and going back to school is not an option, then taking a High School Equivalency program may be the answer. Every country has this type of program it may be called a GED or an ABD or an HSED or HED so you may have to do an online search to see what is available where you live.

The social situation you may face in a college classroom or school may be a challenge.  You will have to get used to being in the classroom and listening to lectures, reading textbooks, taking notes, doing papers and taking exams all over again.  If you go after an advanced degree and take several classes, you will be a very busy senior citizen just keeping up with your studies. Most colleges or universities that offer programs to adults understand that these adults may not have the skills needed so they may offer courses on how to learn.

But there are some joys you can expect from going after an advanced degree.  If you decide to take day courses, instead of online or evening courses, college life and being on a college campus each day is by itself a very stimulating environment.  Being with young people each day can be energizing and you may find yourself looking and acting as much like the youth you “hang out with” as you do your fellow senior citizens.

When I watched students at the University of Phoenix cross the stage, I could see the pride of accomplishment on their faces. Talking to them and their family at the reception after the ceremony, I could see the pride and joy that radiated throughout the room and it was uplifting.

If you are finishing your high school or bachelor’s degree, congratulations, it takes hard work and sacrifice to achieve that goal. However, don’t be surprised if you fall in love with academic life.  As an educator for over 43 years, I believe that learning is tremendously addictive and you may wish to go on for yet more studies in fields of learning that have always fascinated you. 

If you want to study for the pure joy of learning, there are free or lost cost alternatives for you, However, nobody will turn away your tuition dollars if you just want to be in college for the pure joy of learning.  And you will be an inspiration to your family and your grandchildren as well as students when they see you succeed and they tell themselves, “If Granny/Grandpa can do it, so can I.”