GERIATRIC:

having to do with the elderly

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Today my wife and I went to the local AAA to take a course about Driving for Mature Drivers. By taking it we get a reduction in our auto insurance. There we sat with a roomful of people our age or older. Some were dramatically older. It was scary, as a matter of fact, to see some of them hobble in with canes, barely able to maneuver their way to a chair. The thought of them driving on I-95 was frightening. But, at the same time, it was a sign to me that just being here signalled that I am part of the geriatric generation. I joke a lot about getting older, but truthfully, I see myself and my wife as younger geriatrics.

We live a fairly lively life, enjoying the ability to do things that people much younger than we are able to do. We are very involved in NCAA basketball and lacrosse. We go to the latest movies, and a variety of concerts. We love to travel, often driving 12 hours a day to get to a destination. We love the ocean, the Vineyard and the Adirondacks. I wear jeans and sweatshirts most days, and have to stop to remember how to tie a tie on those occasions where it is required. Many of our friends are younger, and we feel right at home with them.

But I also spend a good amount of time in doctors' offices, pharmacies, and x-ray facilities. I am happy to be a Medicare patient, and only wish that others who are much younger and less fortunate could have the same medical care that I get. I love when the 30th of the month rolls around and I can wake up knowing that my pension check was deposited at midnight. And the same goes for that day every month when my Social Security check is deposited. I worked hard for many years to get those benefits, and I am thankful that they allow us to live a decent retirement.

I also am realistic about the fact that I am part of the geriatric generation, and that for many my age and older, life is not easy. My wife is the Director of an assisted living facility for persons with memory disorders. I know about Alzheimer's Disease and other dementia disorders. I'm clear that if I live long enough, I well may contract such a condition. I hope that if get to a point where I can't live at home that I can live in a facility like hers, where the staff show compassion, care, humor, and love without restraint. There is a lot of joy there on a daily basis.

In the meantime, I'm going to go on enjoying life as a young geezer.

Enough of this! All because I went to that darn class at AAA.

Photo: Sunset