How sharp do you think you'll be at 80+ ?

Amethyst said:
Hopefully, sharp enough to manage to kill myself if I'm diagnosed with dementia! I cannot imagine wanting to continue to live with a less than functional brain. Am not one of those "Oh, I can still enjoy eating ice cream and looking at the pretty flowers" types of people.
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Have to agree with this. My mother has Alzheimer's at 80 and is in long-term care, and from what I see (with her, and a friend who died last year who suffered from dementia), that's one of the scariest roads I can imagine traveling. And I don't think assisted suicide in Washington will help, as you need to be diagnosed as terminal and be in mental condition to make the decision.
 
Amethyst said:
Hopefully, sharp enough to manage to kill myself if I'm diagnosed with dementia! I cannot imagine wanting to continue to live with a less than functional brain. Am not one of those "Oh, I can still enjoy eating ice cream and looking at the pretty flowers" types of people.
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I agree, each year I find I can live without a little more, but if I don't have a clue I wont be here.
 
Amethyst said:
Hopefully, sharp enough to manage to kill myself if I'm diagnosed with dementia! I cannot imagine wanting to continue to live with a less than functional brain. Am not one of those "Oh, I can still enjoy eating ice cream and looking at the pretty flowers" types of people.
Click to expand...

Another vote for suicide. I hope I have the courage to do it if circumstances warrant.

My dad was playing tennis regularly until he was 85. Vascular senility began around 90. He died last year at 94, the same age that his dad died (their life spans differed by just 8 days). My mom is now 94 and her short-term memory has been lousy for a couple of years but otherwise she functions fairly well. Several months after my dad died, she began exhibiting some serious senility symptoms herself. Meds have helped for the time being. She lives alone, doesn't want to move, and doesn't want a caregiver in the house with her. So I'm her main caregiver.
 
I will be 78 this year, and can pass a flight physical for my pilot's license. I am looking forward to joining the Octogenarian Pilots Association in 2 years.
My Dad died at 92, and my mom just died last year at 102. They both had all their marbles until they died.
I wear glasses, and use a hearing aid, but the only meds I take are a thyroid pill.
I am hoping I got my mom's genes.
 
Father died of a heart attack at 65. Mother is still going at almost 94 although her mobility is limited (gets around with a walker.) She's showing signs of forgetfulness but some of that may be that she's in a retirement facility with not a lot of interpersonal stimulation. Although I live a four hour flight away, I call her every day and discuss what's she's been doing and the latest in politics. Have her doing Soduku and crossword puzzles. We compare notes on the latter as I can usually get the same puzzle on line. I believe some mental stimulation is very helpful in her situation. So I'm reasonably optimistic that at 80 I'll be OK but not maybe moving as I once did. Hope not to have heart issues but so far so good. I'm far more active physically than either of my parents.
 
I wonder if I'll be able to play the piano when I'm 80....

Going by my parents I should have been underground for 25 to 30 years by the time I'm 80. One grandfather died at 60 of a heart attack, one of a stroke following diabetes in mid 70s. One grandmother was very healthy physically but had classic dementia--repeating the same story over and over, not remembering anyone, etc., but my she was the happiest and nicest person til the very end in her mid 80s (not sure what cause of death was). Other grandmother lived til mid 80s too, physically frail but mentally. Also not sure what her cause of death was.

One relative (by marriage, not blood to me) just turned 80 and I can see some progressive neurological decline--she cannot find the words to be able to utter a sentence, but her husband and other family are right there for her, and they did not talk to us about her condition. We do not see them very often, maybe once a year at most, and I expect the decline will be more pronounced the next time. Sobering to see this up close, especially with the exceptionally healthy lifestyle she has led up til now.
 
Perhaps sharper than I am now. According to the longevity calculator, I'll just be all bones by then (life expectancy 73). :blush:
 
My mom somehow beat stage four lung cancer but died one week ago at 86. Had she not smoked I think she would have lived for a long time.

Dad is 86 and just passed his FAA physical so he can still fly his little plane.

Grandparents all lived until late 90's.

Yet I have a suspicion that I will go around 75. Not sure why, I'm uber healthy, no meds, no ailments.
 
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Amethyst said:
...Am not one of those "Oh, I can still enjoy eating ice cream and looking at the pretty flowers" types of people.
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The problem is that you may become one of those types of people over a period of time and not realize that it is happening. (It might be happening as you read this post).
 
Sixteen years to go. Mom is 86 (going on 18) and sharp as a tack; like talking to a 40 year old. Her dad was equally sharp until his passing at 92 and HIS father died at 104 from an accident--he was stepping over a 3 foot fence and fell.

Unfortunately I take more after my dad who passed at age 57.

No problems with forgetfulness as of yet and still remember things from my very early childhood (crawling because I couldn't yet walk etc)...now, remembering what I had for lunch today is another matter.
 
And, furthermore...as long as you don't eat the pretty flowers and don't just look at the ice cream, you'll be way ahead of the game.
 
Aaack! What was that number for the Hemlock Society again?

redduck said:
The problem is that you may become one of those types of people over a period of time and not realize that it is happening. (It might be happening as you read this post).
Click to expand...
 
Amethyst said:
Aaack! What was that number for the Hemlock Society again?
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I had it a moment ago, but, now where could it be? If I remember, I'll look for it just as soon as I finish my ice cream and flowers.
 
irishgal said:
I'm with you. Maybe live close to Oregon or hope that other states change their laws.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
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Not sure why anyone acting alone (the victim) would care what the law is, in such a case.
 
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Car-Guy said:
Not sure why anyone (the victim) would care what the law is, in such a case.
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Cause we don't want to be arrested after we die. 😜
Seriously though, I was thinking more of Doctor assisted in the event the person is not capable of doing it themselves.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
 
This thread may qualify for the most gruesome of the year. :(
 
Waiting for someone to tell us how foolish we are for predicting to live to 80.
 
marko said:
Sixteen years to go. Mom is 86 (going on 18) and sharp as a tack; like talking to a 40 year old. Her dad was equally sharp until his passing at 92 and HIS father died at 104 from an accident--he was stepping over a 3 foot fence and fell.

Unfortunately I take more after my dad who passed at age 57.

No problems with forgetfulness as of yet and still remember things from my very early childhood (crawling because I couldn't yet walk etc)...now, remembering what I had for lunch today is another matter.
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One of my little games as I lay down for the night is "OK, what did I have for lunch? and for dinner?" So far so good but I'm only a kid at 65. Dunno what I'll do if I can't remember...
 
58 so 22 years to find out. My father got it suddenly at 82 after a cataract operation. It was so dramatic that I think it had something to do with being under for so long. The operation took a couple of hours longer than it was supposed to. The day after, he started thinking that the people on TV were speaking to him. No sign of any problem before the operation.

The one thing I can say that was positive about that period was that in the last year of his life, the world in his head seemed to be happy for him. He was having conversations with his family and old friends.

I am hoping that my father's dementia had an environmental cause. I will stay away from general anesthesia if I can.

Don't you find it odd to be thinking of your future self in the third-person? Like you are trying to figure out how to provide for a child. What will future-self want at the far end of life? Will future-self be able to appreciate anything beyond being warm and well-fed?
 
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