Forum for Aging and RVing Topics

[garyb1st]

Been wondering if there's any interest in a forum that addresses the affects of aging on RVing. I thinking about the special needs of seniors regarding diet, exercise, outside interests or whatever. I think it would be appropriate within the RV Lifestyles section. I've come across a lot of videos which I believe could be beneficial to the seniors in this Forum. Personally I think it could help to prolong the time we're able to RV and more importantly improve quality of life.

 

[Brad Buchanan]

Been wondering if there's any interest in a forum that addresses the affects of aging on RVing. I thinking about the special needs of seniors regarding diet, exercise, outside interests or whatever. I think it would be appropriate within the RV Lifestyles section. I've come across a lot of videos which I believe could be beneficial to the seniors in this Forum. Personally I think it could help to prolong the time we're able to RV and more importantly improve quality of life.

Good idea.

 

[Tom]

The decision to add a new forum was historically driven by member interest and message/post/thread traffic. Over the years, we've seen folks come up with an idea, request a forum for their new pet subject, and either the subject didn't gather momentum or the requestor lost interest.

I suggest we participate in a few related threads and watch what happens.

 

[garyb1st]

I suggest we participate in a few related threads and watch what happens.

Please let me know what threads you're talking about. I have some videos I'd like to share.

 

[Tom]

Please let me know what threads you're talking about.

If we don't already have an appropriate thread, you could start one.

One caveat - posting links to a bunch of videos isn't what I'd call participation in discussion.

 

[garyb1st]

One caveat - posting links to a bunch of videos isn't what I'd call participation in discussion.

What would you call it? Members post videos regularly. I find them both helpful and germane to the discussion.

 

[Tom]

What would you call it? Members post videos regularly. I find them both helpful and germane to the discussion.

No disagreement that a video or two can add to a discussion. There's a big difference between posting a link or two and being a link farm with little or no discussion..

 

[UTTransplant]

Gary, I agree with Tom. I don’t want to see an entire collection of Instagram or YouTube videos. If I am interested in a topic, I can look there myself. One link on an irregular basis is nice. More than that is intrusive.

 

[jymbee]

No interest here for a separate forum on "aging on RVing". One's age might come up in any number of discussions but IMO not worth a separate forum altogether.

 

[Mr Lars]

I read the title, thought the subject was ‘how RV ing ages people’

 

[garyb1st]

Post removed since I thought I was responding to a different post.

 

[garyb1st]

Gary, I agree with Tom. I don’t want to see an entire collection of Instagram or YouTube videos.

How did my comment "I've come across a lot of videos which I believe could be beneficial to the seniors in this Forum" translate to an entire collection of Instagram or YouTube videos I plan on posting. I've been a member 16 years. I've posted maybe two videos.

Tom's comment is even more baffling. "There's a big a big difference between posting a link or two and being a link farm with little or no discussion". Where did that come from?

Maybe we leave it up to the members.

Remember, the same unwritten rule applies, no one is making you read a thread and watch a video you're not interested in.

 

[Larry N.]

How did my comment "I've come across a lot of videos which I believe could be beneficial to the seniors in this Forum" translate to an entire collection of Instagram or YouTube videos I plan on posting. I've been a member 16 years. I've posted maybe two videos.

Perhaps you should take another look at your initial post, Gary- I can see it being interpreted that way, even though you may have meant something different from what a number of people thought was there.

 

[RayIN]

Like I'm going to put faith in internet videos of unknown veracity.

 

[garyb1st]

Perhaps you should take another look at your initial post.

I can see that. I have watched a lot of videos on aging. I've watched them because of my own experience with aging.

Most are similar in their message. Diet, exercise, even how much and when we drink water all play a role in our health. The message is pretty simple. The information is not new. I suspect it's not at the top of the reading and viewing list for many seniors.

Like I'm going to put faith in internet videos of unknown veracity.

We're on the same page Ray. I'm a natural born skeptic.

For those of us who have arrived at that magical age and have experienced a rapid decline in fitness I would hope there's an interest.

Take another look at Tom Seilerbird's recent post about his hospital stay. In that thread, our RV Wizard posts about his fall. IIRC, he said he needed assistance to get off the ground.

It's not inevitable we end up invalids. To a large extent, it's related to choices we made along the way.

 

[UTTransplant]

Gary, we all age. We absolutely will deteriorate both mentally and physically unless we have a catastrophic physical issue that ends quickly. You can absolutely do mental and physical activities that help to keep us as sharp as long as possible, but nothing lasts forever. I make modifications to my activities such as preferring to drive no more than 300 miles a day in the motorhome. Have I done 450 or more? Yes, but it takes a toll. Is it bad that I cut down from 400-450 due to my more limited abilities now? I don’t think so. I am not sacrificing anything significant to get home in 5 days instead of three. Instead I am relaxing and enjoying the drive more. Note this is a single example I thought you might relate to, not the sole accommodation. I know your hearing is significantly degraded. But you make accommodations for that. What is different between hearing accommodations and any other accommodations we make as we age? Aging and eventually death are part of life. We can work to minimize the infirmities, but they still happen. Why is this sensitive to me right now? Because a dear friend just let me know his wife, 68 year old, has been diagnosed with early Alzheimers. They have done everything “right” - active lifestyle, fit, enjoyed traveling worldwide, eat well. But things still happen. Enjoy what you can, do what is reasonable for you, but don’t feel you can push away death indefinitely.

 

[garyb1st]

but don’t feel you can push away death indefinitely.

I don't expect to live forever. Seriously I wouldn't want to. However, if genetics work in my favor, I might see 100. My mother died a week before her 99th. My father died from cancer when he was 58.

Genetics is the big one. My father was the picture of health a month before they removed his lung. He died 6 months later. My mother was the exact opposite. She was over weight, frail and spent her last years in a nursing home. If I do live another 10 to 20 years, I want to do so as independently as possible. And I'm pretty sure it depends on more than want.

 

[SargeW]

Yep, quality of life as opposed to quantity (length) of life.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I recently whispered to my 3 year old grandson in the presence of his parents (my daughter).... "It IS OK to run around naked when you are 3 years old. And then it's OK to run around naked again when you are 93 years old and can't remember who you are any more. In between those two ages, sorry champ ... you gotta stay dressed!"

(I know, this has nothing to do with the topic on hand. I just wanted to throw it out there for a laugh!)

 

[RayIN]

I'm all for quality of life. I was reading a website from the(I think) council on aging. It said one exercise was to sit in a kitchen chair and stand 5 times in a row without using your hands to arise.
I thought I was in good shape until I tried it. Which reminds me, I gotta mow my 1 mile walking path in the field next to our house this week, walking in high grass really drags me down now.
Work on keeping your legs working, lose you mobility and you're done.