Health Effects of Hanging Up the RV Keys

[garyb1st]

This is the question I've been struggling with for quite some time. I don't have any hobbies. I played piano a bit before my hearing went south. My ADHD and Swiss cheese memory make reading more of a chore than something I enjoy doing. My ability to get bored is Olympic size. So what does this all have to do with hanging up the keys.

For me, the biggest fear is not getting old. It's the fear that hanging up the keys will accelerate that process.

I consider, RVing one of my fitness tools. When we RV, we don't sit in one spot for more than 3 or 4 days. Often it's one or two days and we're on the move. While it's not physically demanding, it involves a fair amount of effort and a bit of thought. Loading and unloading the RV. Setting up and breaking down at each location. Putting down the jack pads. Getting out the Honda generator. Setting up the two solar suitcases. Installing a new water pump, Kwikee step motor, replacing the spark plugs in the Onan 5500 and refreshing 60 lbs of drinking water to name a few.

When we're at the stick bilt, I do almost everything myself. Recently that included a new garage service door and three new vinyl windows. But the real benefit is doing the work. It's both physical and mentally challenging. I believe it helps to keep both the body and mind strong.

So for you who have hung up or are thinking of hanging up the keys, what are your thoughts?

 

[LarsMac]

to coin a popular phrase,
I'll give the keys up when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers.

I've been traveling all my life, my first memory was riding a greyhound with Mom on the way to Grandma's house, and by the time I was in 3rd grade, I had been across the USA, coast to coast twice.

(Yeah, I know, there may come a day when I have to give them up, by that's bridge to cross when I get to it.
I may move to Europe, and see how many miles I can put on their trains.)

 

[Kirk]

While I still drive, we gave up our last RV 3 years ago now. Do I miss it, absolutely. But I have taken up several hobbies to replace what I no longer have to do. There are many places that are looking for volunteers and any skill is needed or even those of little skills. We live in an "age in place" senior community. I volunteer in the little supply store two mornings a week. I also am available for some of those who do not drive to get them to nearby stores or doctors. A good friend delivers for "Meals on Wheels." There are so many places that need help .

 

[SargeW]

When we're at the stick bilt, I do almost everything myself. Recently that included a new garage service door and three new vinyl windows. But the real benefit is doing the work. It's both physical and mentally challenging. I believe it helps to keep both the body and mind strong.

You just described me Gary. I not only do most of the work on the stick house, I also do the RV and vehicles as well, as long as I have the necessary tools and equipment. The DW tells me all the time that my projects are my therapy. When I get back from this 3 month trip I will be replacing the front brake pads on the truck, and who knows what else. Some stuff I will hire someone if it involves chances I don't want to take.

One reason I sold my Allegro Bus was that it was starting to need items I didn't want to tackle on my own, and coupled with a cancer diagnosis that is still going, it was time to cut back things a bit. But I'm not ready to just stop either. The purchase of the 5ver keeps me busy, and keeps us traveling, with a lot less maintenance.

I still have a list of projects I am considering on the stick house in the future. Most I will do myself, others I may sub out, like rain gutters. The eves on my RV garage are crazy high, and I'm not as brave as I used to be. I have a whole string of projects I have done already on the house and Rv, and I see no reason to stop now!

 

[DutchmenSport]

I have always been very active, all my life. I've had several different types of jobs over my lifetimes, but pretty much all of them consisted of sitting down in front of a desk and every one was a high pressure, intense occupation that required every ounce of my brain and body's attention.

With that said, it's easy to become a couch potato, but my interest in things like camping, carpentry, and home improvement work occupied that void which required great mobility.

That is one reason why I purchased the house I presently own. It took 12 years to completely remodel it, from foundation to the top of the chimney, one room at a time. When that was finally accomplished, I rebuilt the shed, worked on drainage around the house, and when that was done, assisted someone else with their home renovation projects.

As a result, this brought a balance in my life, until I retired. Then the mental challenges were gone, and the home remodeling / construction was pretty much complete. That left camping ... lots of camping.

Long story short, that led into camp hosting. For the past 5 years I've been camp hosting and my son now manages the house at home and lives in it, enabling my wife and me to return "home" any time.

Working as a camp host in a North Carolina State Park opened up a new part of me I never expected. My health actually improved. I lost weight, my stamina improved, my memory started improving, and most of all, it gave me a sense of purpose.

That led to another camp host position in Louisiana serving as a tour guide on a historic plantation. But that opened a new opportunity as I started fixing and repairing "this and that" on the plantation property. That led into doing historic blacksmithing demonstrations and historic carpentry demonstrations, as well as tours. My mind became sharper than ever. My memory improved even more. I learned more about Louisiana History, the 1700's and 1800's American history and most of all, the lives of the people who lived on this plantation.

This has kept my mind active, my body working and functioning. I can actually out-do and out-last the younger ones in the extreme Louisiana heat, and outlast them on most projects. I don't quit. I don't give in when tired. I don't give up my I get aches and pains (and I have many). I am the master of my body, not the other way around. Yes, after an exhausting day, I lay down at night and think to myself ... "good grief ... what did I do to my body today .... that (thing) hurts like thunder!" But I don't give in. The more it hurts, the more challenging "it" is, the determined I am to overcome it.

THIS keep me feeling good. I'm 71 years old and run into people in their 40's, 50's, and 60's that look, act, and behave like they are a hundred years older than they really are.

The bottom line is, if you don't want to get "old", then get up off your arse and start doing something that requires a bit of physical effort that will require the use of some energy and may even result in a new muscle ache you've never experienced before.

In the Army during PT, the drill sergeant always screamed ... "NO PAIN, NO GAIN?" That is true if you are 19 or 99. So, the best thing you or anyone can do is to get active. If you no longer have hobbies that serve YOUR purpose any more, then do something that will help and benefit someone else.... volunteer your time, talent, and even your money for a good cause. For me, that is camp hosting since I love the RV life. For you, it might be volunteering at the local Lions Club, or a community food drive. But do something that will enhance the life of someone else .... and I guarantee you ... you WILL find new energy and a new purpose.

 

[NY_Dutch]

My wife was actually relieved when she made the decision to hang up her keys before anyone said she had to. I was disappointed when I knew I had to hang up the RV keys, but still being able to drive the car did make it less painful. I hope, like my wife, that'll I'll know when to hang up those keys too, before anyone has to tell me to.

 

[PancakeBill]

My folks stopped RVing at about 93 for Dad I think, he considered getting something smaller, but eventually decided against it. They were depressed for a time, eventually just accepted itBut they RV’ed almost 30 years in one rig or another, fulltimed for a number of years as well, This is when there weren’t many cell phones around, so to contact there was I believe an FMCA call center you could leave a message at.

My wife and I have had some sort of RV all 54 years of marriage, we know the day is coming. Not looking forward to it.

 

[LarsMac]

I'm, so far, still moving pretty good and driving well, I have to slow up a bit at night 'cause the eyes are getting a bit cloudy. will have to deal with cataracts in the next year, it seems. I'm a lot more cautious, overall.
Last trip to Texas, had to run through/around DFW, and the daughter commented that I never once made her nervous. From her, that's a compliment.

 

[gwinger]

Not an RV, but I have ridden a motorcycle since I was 14. Had many in my lifetime
and logged at least 200,000 miles.
I'm 77 and body aches are really starting to bother me to a point where I will NOT have my wife with me.
I have thought about selling the bike, but that would be like losing a big part of my life.
The last two years, I doubt if I have put 500 miles on the bike.
I'll still ride as long as I can throw my leg over the seat.

 

[TheBar]

Last trip to Texas, had to run through/around DFW, and the daughter commented that I never once made her nervous. From her, that's a compliment.

My daughter and I had to fly to a family funeral last week. My driving in that big city scared her to death. She is an NP who drives rural roads 100 miles a day, but she said we would both die if she were doing the driving. Of course our flight home got cancelled and I had to drive the 550 miles home in one day.

We have too many doctor's appointments to give up my keys. They deliver everything but doctors nowadays. I don't expect I can hang up my keys until I check into a nursing home.

 

[NY_Dutch]

We have too many doctor's appointments to give up my keys. They deliver everything but doctors nowadays. I don't expect I can hang up my keys until I check into a nursing home.

Knowing the day to hang up my keys is not far away, I've been keeping a log of my car trips and what each trip would have cost using Uber or Lyft compared to the cost of owning my car. I don't have enough data yet to be definitive, but it is starting to look like my car is costing more than paying by the trip. Giving up the convenience of coming and going whenever I want to is a tough one though.

 

[Isaac-1]

This is something I have been giving increasing thought about as my 87 year old mother is getting to that age, its not bad yet, at least most of the time, in the last month I have went on 2 day trips with her ranging between 130 - 240 miles round trip with her doing at least half the driving with no incidents on either trip. I have also been in the car with her on days where just driving around town in our town of 10,000 people and she has had a few ooopsy's in one day, like using a turn lane incorrectly or blowing through a stop sign on a small residential street. She insists her driving is fine, and that it happened because I was talking and distracting her. I have to wonder if the solution with her for now might be Tesla when the next generation self drive comes out within the next year, as she still seems to be on top of it 99% of the time, my concern is about that other 1%

 

[SargeW]

We take driving for granted because many of us started to drive when we were young teens (and some even earlier). The truth is that operating any vehicle, regardless of the size or number of wheels takes a high level decision making ability. Deciding when to stop, go, how fast to drive, and one of the most important is when to turn in front of another on coming vehicle. Age is a primary factor in slowing reaction time, and often times it takes a critical "oops" for that moment to be evident.

After 25 years in law enforcement I have seen it way too many times. Drivers ignore all the little "oops" and then a seemingly little error turns into a fatal mistake. I have personally issued traffic citations with a additional request for "re-examination of driver" due to the lack of cognitive ability displayed by the violator.

There are plenty of alternatives these days to alternate transportation to justify pushing the limits of safety. My own mother was mid 70's when she hung up the keys because she had a few "oops" of fender benders and close calls. Smart woman.

It's a hard fact, backed by extensive stats. Don't wait until you are a statistic.

 

[poohbear]

"way better to wear out than to rust out".
I had to take my late Wife's keys from her about 3 years before she passed. She had Parkinson's and it really got to her that she was now totally dependent on me. I think this speeded up her decline.
NY_Dutch has a good idea on possible mobility. I am very rural so no Uber but there is a public transportation system here for seniors & disabled called the GObus. It's like 50 cents each way from your house to anywhere in the county. Only big drawback I see is you are on their schedule.

 

[Isaac-1]

Its also not just the reflexes, I am in my late 50's and in the last few years I have really noticed a decline in my night vision, it is to the point now that I try to avoid driving in the dark. When I was younger I would take long road trips after dark and think nothing of it other than there is FAR less traffic on the roads (and probably more drunk people)

 

[Isaac-1]

"way better to wear out than to rust out".
I had to take my late Wife's keys from her about 3 years before she passed. She had Parkinson's and it really got to her that she was now totally dependent on me. I think this speeded up her decline.
NY_Dutch has a good idea on possible mobility. I am very rural so no Uber but there is a public transportation system here for seniors & disabled called the GObus. It's like 50 cents each way from your house to anywhere in the county. Only big drawback I see is you are on their schedule.

We have something like that here, the downside is scheduling as they require 24 hour notice for trips.

 

[UTTransplant]

Its also not just the reflexes, I am in my late 50's and in the last few years I have really noticed a decline in my night vision, it is to the point now that I try to avoid driving in the dark. When I was younger I would take long road trips after dark and think nothing of it other than there is FAR less traffic on the roads (and probably more drunk people)

Sounds like you need to get to an ophthalmologist for a cataract check. My night vision improved significantly after cataract surgery.

 

[Jackiemac]

Reading through this thread I think there is one thing missing.

If you have had the "luxury" of being able to experience even a very small area of this incredible country then you are very lucky indeed.

The memories that any exploration affords you is worth so very very much.

I'm sure most of you appreciate and agree with this sentiment.

Having those memories is immeasurable in my opinion. And has added more to your mental health than you know!

 

[NY_Dutch]

Reading through this thread I think there is one thing missing.

If you have had the "luxury" of being able to experience even a very small area of this incredible country then you are very lucky indeed.

The memories that any exploration affords you is worth so very very much.

I'm sure most of you appreciate and agree with this sentiment.

Having those memories is immeasurable in my opinion. And has added more to your mental health than you know!

One of the worst lasting effects of my strokes is the amount of memory I've lost. As I sequence through my trip photos, easily half or more of them have no meaning to me at all. Those that I recognize do bring me some joy though.

 

[Rene T]

My wife has had several surgeries in the last couple of years and with all the anesthesia she has had, she has lost some of her memory although it is coming back slowly.