Old People Age Differently.

This is something I have been reminded of lately.  Think about it - old people age differently.  I mean you would think that once you get to 70 or so everyone suffers from the same ailments - bad eyesight, terrible hearing, aches and pains, maybe arthritis?  I mean I think it's safe to say that when we welcome in this new age, we will be welcoming in all sorts of things that come with it!

I have been visiting my grandma Nancy at her retirement home since we returned from Ireland.  And let me tell you EVERY single time I am there I am reminded of this thought - old people age differently.  I mean you have people using walkers and in wheelchairs.  You have people who aren't even able to feed themselves.  You have people (i didn't see this, but I am sure its happening) that need help dressing themselves and going to the toilet.

Now I should say that my grandmother has not arrived at that place just yet.  She is fully capable of walking without a walker, and feeding and dressing herself.  However, none of these are done without a little bit of pain!

The woman has her own little apartment in her retirement home.  She can make her own meals or she can eat with others in the dining room.  I must say she doesn't drive and handed her car off to my aunt after falling asleep one too many times behind the wheel.  It took sideswiping another car for her to realize she was probably a little too old to be driving a car.

Her self-sufficiency and independence are slowly being stripped away from her considering she is unable to do some things on her own.  Going to the grocery store is a serious outing and the whole event saps the life out of her, leaving her breathless.  All the things I do effortlessly take so much effort for her - such as walking up and down stairs, carrying groceries and putting them away, or getting in and out of a car or even just getting up from her seat, or making her bed, or paying her bills and writing cheeks, or sorting out HOW to turn her TV on!  These are all real life experiences I have had with my grandma where I have been able to witness firsthand her struggles with the simple things.  And in those moments I see her frustration…heck I can even feel her frustration (maybe its because of osmosis or something)!!  And I can't help but love her even more deeply within those moments.  

I also can't help but wonder what I will be like at that age…what will my ailments be?  I am sure they will be pretty similar if I have the privilege of living to be 86!  But then again I must remember what I said at the beginning of the post - old people age differently.  One 86 year old may be doing fairly well, while another may be living in a body that is rapidly deteriorating.  

You never really know what is coming your way!  But one thing I do know for sure …is that I love old people.  And I know I shouldn't show favoritism to a certain people group, but if I am really honest, I have found that I may have just a little more patience, respect, love, grace, and understanding for them than I may have for people my own age.  Or perhaps its that God has granted me superhuman powers of patience, love and grace when I am with these said old people, and He allows me to see them through His eyes as children of God.  And lets be honest - the older we get the more childlike we become.  And this is something I am kind of looking forward to!