Last week I took my 85-year-old mother to stay in a hotel that was once her teacher training college. We had a wonderful time apart from one small detail. She went around telling some of the staff about what it used to be like (actually she told pretty much all of the staff), showing them photographs from when she arrived as a fresh-faced student in 1959. \u201cBless,\u201d quite a few of them said. Not about her but actually to her face. My mother was quietly cross about this. \u201cI feel the same as I ever have,\u201d she told me. \u201cWhy do I have to put up with people patronising me because I am 85?\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a good question, especially since my mother neither looks nor behaves like she\u2019s 85. She could be a poster girl for ageing well. She told me that her own mother used to repeat, \u201cIt\u2019s no fun getting old!\u201d My mother acknowledged that this did seem to be true but countered with her own boundless optimism: \u201cYou can make it fun but it\u2019s hard work!\u201d She\u2019s certainly putting in that hard work. My mother\u2019s life reads like an Age UK tips for better ageing to-do list.<\/p>\n
1. Staying active: she goes to a barre class every Monday morning <\/p>\n
2. Prioritising yourself: she has regular massages and manicures, meets friends for book group and cinema trips. <\/p>\n
3. Focusing on strength and balance: see that Monday barre class, also an exercise regime for other mornings. <\/p>\n
4. Functional fitness: this means things like taking the stairs instead of the lift, so she certainly does this \u2014 my parents live in the house they\u2019ve lived in for 47 years. <\/p>\n
5. Getting active with others. <\/p>\n
6. Maintaining your independence. <\/p>\n
7. Being consistent. <\/p>\n
So yes, tick, tick and tick.<\/p>\n