So after the age of 60, life will start to throw lemons at you at a more rapid rate. You, in all likelihood, WILL have some health issues. You may have serious health issues — cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and other diseases which compromise your quality of life, at least for a while if not forever. How are you going to handle these issues? Trust me, health issues can throw you into depression and hopelessness and drastically change your life that you had planned. Of course this is true at any age in life because you never know what life is going to throw at you, but I guarantee you that after the age of 60 the likelihood of getting hit with a lemon goes up drastically! In my circle of friends many have battled and survived serious cancers already, myself included. Many of my friends are dealing with issues like hip replacements, serious knee issues, and taking a plethora of medicines to deal with high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and yes, even depression. Another word I have not brought up yet is dimentia, or at least cognitive decline which often starts at age 60, but I will address this in another article.

My husband was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease over a year ago. His health has rapidly declined and yes, he is often depressed. Our life has drastically changed and I, too, have to fight being depressed. But I refuse to be beaten up by these lemons and I am determined to make lemonade! What does have to happen, however, is that I have to change my expectations of life and I have to find new ways to create joy. This has proven to be a challenging task!

Our joys were cooking and eating food, traveling, sex, shopping, and socializing with friends. All of these things have either had to stop altogether or been seriously curtailed since the effects of this disease have been taking place. We can no longer go out to restaurants or invite friends over for dinner because my husband no longer eats food. Traveling is VERY difficult as I mentioned in my Gizmos and Gadgets posting but I am determined to still hold on to it at least once in a while. Sex can no longer happen. Socializing with friends is much less often since meeting them at restaurants or going to each others’ houses for barbecues and such is now off the table. Even shopping has lost it’s luster as we keep downsizing our housing and collecting “stuff” no longer has appeal. What joys does that leave us with?

I also deal with caretaker guilt as I can still enjoy eating and meeting friends at restaurants but this excludes my husband and leaves him home very lonely. But I am determined that depression will not prevail. We must come up with new joys! So what lemonade can we make with these lemons?

We can have game nights with friends, which we have done several times successfully. We can go to attractions where eating is not the focus like museums, aquariums, and theme parks. We can go to movies, plays and concerts. We can go to art and music festivals. My husband cannot sweat due to his autonomic nervous system not working well so heat is an issue also. We live in Florida so heat in the summer seriously curtails our ability to go outside. What did I do to circumvent that? I took us to the North Carolina mountains and rented a condo for 2 of the hottest months! Now we can go outside!

My girlfriend and I are both caretakers but we have learned we still have to make time for some fun for ourselves to stay sane. We schedule “fun” at least once a month. Last month we went horseback riding on horses that swim. Next we are going to go kayaking on a clear kayak tour. Keeping ourselves mentally healthy and strong is very important!

Staying social is very important also. Isolating yourself definitely can lead to depression. I invite family over to visit my husband and still offer them food but keep it light and not the focus of the socializing. We go to visit them for short visits where they don’t need to feed us but we can stay in touch and watch the grandchildren grow.

Getting out of the house, even if just for a scenic drive is a good way to combat depression also. Figure out what you can do with your limitations and do it! Don’t let those lemons rot at your feet! Figure out what you can do to make lemonade and don’t stop making it or trying new recipes.

As issues enter your life such as using walkers and wheelchairs or having to have oxygen with you everywhere you go, figure out ways to deal with them so your life does not become limited to a recliner and TV. And if your loved one only wants the recliner and TV, help himj/her move beyond that. I googled depression and old age and did not come up with much info that is helpful. How do you not be depressed when all the majority of your joys are taken away from you? To me old age depression is not chemical, it is situational. Pills are not the answer. Finding new hobbies and ways to socialize, that is what is needed or old age will win. You will fall further and further down into the rabbit hole of doing nothing if you do not fight it!

So dear readers, be prepared. Be open to new ideas. Be prepared to fight for what is imporant to you like traveling even with old age issues. Be diligent about seeking out new hobbies you can do. Don’t let old age become the dictator of your life. Learn how to make lemonade from those lemons!