5 Misconceptions About People Over 65
The 5 most common misconceptions about older people: 1- Older people always get fat They can get fat - but so can a 3 year old! Do they have to get fat? Of course not.
Metabolisms change but the changing of one's eating habits and the increasing of exercise will do wonders about weight.
I'll let you in on a secret - this works for all ages! 2- Older people are fragile and hunched over I hear people say this and I am not sure what they mean by fragile.
Do they think bones just break, that older people fall all the time or are so weak they can't move around? Bones lose density; especially for post-menopausal women but there are ways to help that not happen.
Now that we know more about osteoporosis I expect we will see fewer older persons who develop the hunched over position.
As for fragility? Ski areas on Mt.
Hood in Oregon offer free skiing for those over 71 or 72 depending on the area.
I've met skiers over 80 skiing away there.
Fragile? Nope.
Maybe the regular skiing keeps them strong? 3- Older people are poor and subsist on social security checks Some are poor - but poverty is not limited to those over 65.
Many over 65 are very wealthy.
Social Security is not equivalent to poverty and being 65 is not equivalent to poverty.
65 is just the age at which most people start collecting Social Security and are eligible for Medicare.
4- Older people are inactive I have many friends over 65 and they vary from working full time to being retired and everything in between.
Some have children who are still in their 30's and some have children who are now in their 40's and 50's.
Some spend the day gardening and some go downhill ski racing.
Some volunteer and many travel.
Some have grandchildren; some do not.
There is more of a difference in the active lives of people over 65 than there is in a group of children - and yet we rarely see these differences discussed.
5 - Older people are unhealthy Older people are not unhealthy but admittedly we do not know much about their good health.
I teach lifespan human development and many in my classes are nurses.
A student once said that he never realized that older people could be healthy - his entire experience with persons over 65 was in a hospital.
It was an "AHA" moment for him to learn that he [and we] know little about healthy persons as they age - precisely because they are not in hospitals or assisted living homes where studies can easily be done.
Metabolisms change but the changing of one's eating habits and the increasing of exercise will do wonders about weight.
I'll let you in on a secret - this works for all ages! 2- Older people are fragile and hunched over I hear people say this and I am not sure what they mean by fragile.
Do they think bones just break, that older people fall all the time or are so weak they can't move around? Bones lose density; especially for post-menopausal women but there are ways to help that not happen.
Now that we know more about osteoporosis I expect we will see fewer older persons who develop the hunched over position.
As for fragility? Ski areas on Mt.
Hood in Oregon offer free skiing for those over 71 or 72 depending on the area.
I've met skiers over 80 skiing away there.
Fragile? Nope.
Maybe the regular skiing keeps them strong? 3- Older people are poor and subsist on social security checks Some are poor - but poverty is not limited to those over 65.
Many over 65 are very wealthy.
Social Security is not equivalent to poverty and being 65 is not equivalent to poverty.
65 is just the age at which most people start collecting Social Security and are eligible for Medicare.
4- Older people are inactive I have many friends over 65 and they vary from working full time to being retired and everything in between.
Some have children who are still in their 30's and some have children who are now in their 40's and 50's.
Some spend the day gardening and some go downhill ski racing.
Some volunteer and many travel.
Some have grandchildren; some do not.
There is more of a difference in the active lives of people over 65 than there is in a group of children - and yet we rarely see these differences discussed.
5 - Older people are unhealthy Older people are not unhealthy but admittedly we do not know much about their good health.
I teach lifespan human development and many in my classes are nurses.
A student once said that he never realized that older people could be healthy - his entire experience with persons over 65 was in a hospital.
It was an "AHA" moment for him to learn that he [and we] know little about healthy persons as they age - precisely because they are not in hospitals or assisted living homes where studies can easily be done.
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