Aging with Grace

By Grace Wille                                    

Aging/getting old is such a weird thing! One minute you're enjoying
life, staying up past 10, hanging out with friends and the next you’re
planning your next trip to the bathroom. I’ve often thought that I
don’t feel any different on the inside! Why didn’t my mother tell me
about this: that I would look old but feel like that young gal with
hopes and dreams? Sometimes I walk past a mirror and think who is that
woman? Like I said…weird.

As I was researching things to talk about in our blog I could find
very little “Canadian content”, even though almost 1 in 5 Canadians
are over 65! Why aren’t we talking about aging in Canada? We have our
specific challenges of going gracefully into the sunset in Canada. And
what a bunch of bunk that is! You have to be one tough cookie to age
in Canada. Yes, we have our beautiful sunsets but there’s nothing
graceful about it!

Here is a list of some issues we should discuss: palliative approach
to care; aging in my home; healthcare (sorry!), income, health
including exercise and eating, and social services. I’m sure these are
just the tip of the iceberg!

Every month I will attempt to find out what I can about these issues
for Canadians, specifically Albertans. I will spotlight what Age
Friendly Cold Lake can do to help you with your challenges and perhaps
together we can get the word out that seniors are still valid, still
have much to offer and say and there are A LOT of us so…”a-hem”….don’t
ignore us.

I’m looking forward to your feedback, your concerns and also your
wins! Let me know what works in your life, things you have
accomplished to make your golden years more enjoyable and what helps
you find peace in our world!