• Keep yourself clean. The old saying by Benjamin Franklin, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" gets truer as the years go by. When suffering, sickness, and mental deterioration come upon older people it is more difficult for them to keep clean. But, it is a necessity, even if we must hire someone to help. To be unkempt is the surest way to hasten the problems of old age.
• Exercise regularly and moderately. Older people often are sedentary and have problems with exercise and activity; but to stay alive exercise isn't a choice; it's a necessity. I can remember how pleased I was to get my electric wheelchair, only to discover that I quickly lost body strength when I stopped pushing myself around. Now my electric wheelchair is in a semiretired condition and I am getting better.
• Eat a little less, but be sure the food is well balanced and nutritious.
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• Take a sensible approach to eating. Many people who reach retirement age are overweight. Now is the time to do something about it. The magic formula is simple: Eat a little less and exercise a little more. Don't go on a crash diet. Fast weight loss only means fast weight gain. Gradually cut down on fat, sugar, and the amount you eat and increase the amount of exercise. Gradual weight loss by changing your life-style of eating and exercising is the only way.

• Unfortunately, many times weight loss is based on depression or some other serious condition. Talk about sepression ans weight loss and gain

• Eliminate bad habits. It's never too late to stop smoking, boozing, or kicking any addictive condition.
<>Give the example of the 90 year old in the emergency rom with the resident teling him that smoking will shorten his life.


• Fight back at sickness and disease. In our day of Social Security and Medicare there is little excuse for older people to let health conditions slip up on them. With little expense, we senior citizens can get regular checkups; and if something is coming, we can take preventive steps. If you have a medical problem find out as much as you can about it. The government has free booklets on every health subject imaginable. The booklets are easy to read and contain the latest information on every item of health. Examine the health information source listings, pages 246 and 247 and write for a list of publications relating to the subject you would like information on. This way you can stay up on the latest information about good health.

  . A major rule in coping with old age consists of taking care of our machine--our body.

We need to keep our minds vigorous and active up until the end of our body. Here are some things that help to preserve the mind until the end:

• Do useful work for the fun of it and sometimes for pay. Speak about the role of volunteer work. Don't let yourself sit around and stare into space. Get occupied. Be careful for people who can and will take advantage of you; but, usually we have friends, family, or church that can advise and keep us from being hurt.

  My wife does beautiful handwork that she will enter in the county fair. I write and have the pleasure of seeing some of it bring in a little income. My wife sews and I fool around with the computer--we both take classes at the local community college. We are as busy and more happy than we ever were in occupational land.

• Keep Busy.
• Go on sponsored senior trips.
• The role of the Community Center and Senior Centers.

• Have the group give examples of activities that they engage in.

• Write letters to relatives and friends.
• Maintain your hobbies and get some new ones. Hobbies are fun things to do. What are you interested in?
• Read good books. If you can't read, go back to school and learn, or join Frank C. Laubach's program of "Each One Teach One," and get someone to be your tutor. If your eyes are too bad to read, then get some tape-recorded books and listen to them. If you can't hear or see, then get some help from the government, take some braille courses, and have the Reader's Digest send to you their books in braille. Radio and television have some interesting educational channels that on occasion can substitute for good reading.
• Play games and enjoy sports. Why not. Give the example of Dad and shuffleboard...humor on how serious they take it.
• Avoid negative daydreaming about the past the role of remiminisence. The past is over and done with. Whenever you think about it, remember the pleasant and good times, but don't even dwell on them. Provide for yourself some new pleasant good times. Do not end your days with regrets on how you lived--good or bad. End your days like Moses, full of life, energy, and exciting happenings.
• Go back to school and take some courses and find out what our kids are doing and learning. We have a community college just 8 miles away from our area. How I love to go back to school and take courses I didn't have time for when I was a young man. On occasion it is a little embarrassing to sit in a class full of people younger than my grandchildren. Even my teachers are children to me, some barely out of college with a fresh B.A.; and me with my awesome Ph.D. Forget all that--I want to learn things and keep my mind alert; so, it's back to school for me.
• Monitor your attitudes by keeping a daily journal. There are certain mental attitudes that are destructive to the happy life of anyone and particularly to senior citizens.
  • Avoid crankiness and bad temper. Record your slips. Give yourself a daily grade on temperament and strive to improve through daily monitoring.
  • Avoid seeing only the negative side of things by counting your blessings, not your curses. It is so easy to become negative. Older people have lots of aches and pains and sometimes severe financial worries. We older people must fight hard to keep a positive attitude and maintain our faith.
  • Check yourself against the fruits of the spirit. The good Book tells us to grow the fruits of the spirit, which are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." As a person begins to deteriorate physically and mentally, it is easy to let the spiritual life ebb away, by developing a strong self-righteous, complaining (ain't it awful) attitude. Check that the fruits of the spirit are growing.
  • Staying Positive:
    YES, YES, I CAN; rather than no, I can't
    FINE, WONDERFUL, SPLENDID; rather than terrible
    HOW NICE, THANK YOU; rather than ugh, I don't like it
    I'M GETTING BETTER; rather than I'm getting worse
  
  

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