BANGALORE, Karnataka (Deccan Herald), April 19, 2008:
They are all senior citizens, who have crossed the age of 60, but are still full of positive energy and keen to make a contribution to society so that no one dares write them off. Thus not only 67-year-old B K Trehan keeps himself engaged by giving consultancy on corporate stress management and effective retirement plans, he is also the yoga teacher to the members of the local Resident Welfare Association. His day starts at 4-30 in the morning. A chemical engineer by training he is also a prolific writer and already has two titles to his credit — one on yoga and the other one titled ‘Retired, but not tired’.
“There should be an official age for retirement as otherwise the younger generation will not get an opportunity. But one must develop a hobby or hobbies at a young age so that one can keep oneself engaged. Making a contribution brings recognition and that is important for the mental well-being of any individual,” he says.
Butt of jokes
But recognition did not come easily to retired Accountant professional P K Chatterjee, who tried hard to pick up computer skills to brush up his love for numbers.
He ignored the steady stream of jokes from his grandchildren, nephew and niece on struggling hard to become a ‘tech-savvy grandfather’ and also continuous nagging from wife Alaka, who feared that her husband’s back pain would become acute if he continues his training lessons too long.
As nobody came forward to literally “teach him a lesson” Mr Chatterjee fiddled with the keyboard in his own way. He would type out something on the screen, press a wrong key and then the file would be deleted. Then he would call up his son-in-law, his only supporter, to find out what went wrong and how to rectify it. Notwithstanding the hefty telephone bills, he would continue his lessons following instructions coming on the phone and then would religiously note them down.
It is not only keeping oneself engaged in some meaningful manner that keeps the zest for life intact, the seniors feel that it is also important to remain “a socially useful commodity.”
And 88-year-old Dr Kalyan Bagchi takes this idea quite seriously by working on useful projects for the elderly through his Society for Gerontological Research. The not-for-profit organisation set up by this former World Health Organisation Adviser conducts seminars and workshops on relevant issues like dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and brings out publications such as Diet and Ageing, Music Therapy in Treating Elders etc.
Himself a diabetic and suffering from hypertension, Dr Bagchi still tours across the country and abroad to lecture on problems affecting the elderly and also collects data for his project on the care of elderly in rural areas. Seeing their positive attitude towards life one might be tempted to think that life has always been kind to them, but that is certainly not true.
Positive mantra
Take the case of 73-year-old Dr Prabha Manchanda, who had to walk out of an abusive marriage at a young age with the responsibility of bringing up two sons single-handedly.
As if that was not enough, a partner and close associate in her nursing home project cheated her, inflicting huge financial losses. And yet she does not have any regrets.
“Life has taken away something from me, but at the same time, it has given me so many things — respect, social standing and love from my patients,” she says. Any mantra for being so positive about life? “One should look for happiness within one’s own self. Whenever I feel low I just move out of my house, go to a multiplex, eat ice cream and watch a movie,” she says with a hearty laugh.
Dr Manchanda recognises that it is her ability to make friends — be it at the choir where she sings or at her ballroom dancing classes — that has kept her going and she feels that the seniors do need a strong network of friends for sharing their joys and woes and also to ward off loneliness.
“One should not expect that family members including children, would always be there to share your feelings and to give you company. You have brought them up because that was your responsibility, not because you expected them to do something for you in return,” she says.
Social interaction
Mr Trehan’s wife Indu has some useful tips when it comes to social interaction, specially for those who are living alone.
“Speak to your chowkidar, gardener, or any one and ask them about their problems — how their children are doing at their studies, whether they have enough warm clothes for the winter and so on. You will be a much-sought-after person and never feel that you are socially redundant,” she says adding that this feeling of not being ‘useful any more’ saps the positive attitude.
The 64-year-microbiologist has not only practiced what she has preached, she has also started writing songs to express her feelings of service both to mankind and God.
“I have already composed 35 songs and I will publish them in a collection when I have 50. It is a great feeling when people appreciate my songs and even ask for copies of the lyrics,” she says. In fact, experts in gerontological research feel that the very idea of efficiency declining with old age is a myth.
Says Dr Bhupinder Zutshi, who is teaching at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi that studies show only a negligible loss of cognitive function in people under 70 and hence they can be assets as they are already trained, experienced and willing workers.
Arguing in favour of re-employment of the senior citizens, Dr Zutshi said 80 per cent of the most worthwhile new production ideas are produced by employees aged over 50.
“In fact, older workers are just as adaptable to new changes as their young colleagues, but they need to understand the reason for change and are more likely to ask ‘why’?” he says.
Dr Zutshi also points out that the total sick days per year of older workers is lower than other age groups.“Here the secret is, take your medicine if you have any ailment and then just forget about it,” says Dr Manchanda.
“Do not make any complaint and life will not have any complaint against you either,” she adds.
Simple dietary rules for healthy ageing
* Keep body weight down, preferably slightly lower than the desired weight.
* Do not take two heavy meals (lunch and dinner) as is the common practice in adults. Three meals are preferable with reduced quantity in each meal. Breakfast, early light lunch, afternoon tea with some snacks and early light dinner is a desirable pattern.
* Avoid fatty, fried and heavily spiced foods as these are difficult to digest.
* Avoid red meat and eggs since these foods consumed in old age increase the risk of coronary artery disease.
* Take more calcium and milk, milk products like curd, paneer and home-made cheese are good sources of calcium.
* Take more fruits and vegetables like tomato, orange, papaya and water melon as these are rich in vitamins.
* Fish and chicken are helpful in maintaining body tissues.
* Increase intake of liquids and drink more water, soup, fruit juice and milk regularly.
* Avoid skipping meals.
* Smoking and alcohol to be avoided as far as possible.
Copyright 2007, The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.
