Boredom... inevitably part of end-of-life? Oh, I hope not!!!

I've continued to think about the previous post, "Dying of Boredom". I've wondered - is this just a natural (and even a helpful) part of the end of life? A willingness to just... let go? But I don't think it necessarily is that way, as I described previously. The people in a group home are a subset of elderly folks. There are others who are not in such a place will have a different situation. Surely some elderly ones out there are sitting in their own homes (or in their family's home) watching TV, utterly bored. But others may be caring for grandchildren, reading, going to lunch, cooking, gardening, volunteering. Engaged. Challenged. Interested in what's NEXT in life...


It makes me think of a book that my sister loaned me, Another Country, Mary Pipher, PhD (see Amazon, Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders). It talks about the 'young-old' and the 'old-old'. In many cases, health difficulties may turn someone into an 'old-old' person, which may make it virtually inevitable to lose interest in life around oneself. But this book describes magnificently the differences between my mother's generation and my own baby-boomer generation. It is very helpful to provide insight into why an elder may be as they are. I recommend the book highly.


So, my own goal as I face turning 60 later this year? Stay among the 'young-old'. Improve my health. Be engaged. Be interested in what's next. I've moved over to a Spanish congregation and am mentoring and helping there with their challenges. I read, do puzzles, and am very very engaged in my community. (And my sister and I have a mutual pact to beat the other with a baseball bat if we get bored with life.)
.