Elderly Health Problems

jdb in AZ

It could end up curdled
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Messages
12,685
As we age and our bodies don't function like they used to, some guys sure like to over-share about their "plumbing issues." I really don't want to hear how enlarged something is, or how a relative has to wear Depends and how often he changes them. eww. No! Anyone have a pithy comment to let the guys know their oversharing is pathetic and disgusting?
 
As we age and our bodies don't function like they used to, some guys sure like to over-share about their "plumbing issues." I really don't want to hear how enlarged something is, or how a relative has to wear Depends and how often he changes them. eww. No! Anyone have a pithy comment to let the guys know their oversharing is pathetic and disgusting?
Why not just say it’s too much personal information?
 

pithy comments are passive aggressive. why not tell him that you don't want to hear about it. maybe just say "i don't have any advice for you". and change the subject.
:lovestruc
A lot of elderly people are lonely so I just let them overshare and show some compassion.
:lovestruc

OP - pick either one of these and get on with your day. Don’t go out of your way to try and put somebody in their place because they’re annoying to you. That kind of thing has a way of coming back around.
 
Anyone have a pithy comment to let the guys know their oversharing is pathetic and disgusting?

I don't - but if you come across a solution can we apply it to the oversharing of female issues? Let's start with some of the commercials they run on TV.

As for your particular issues, I cay more context is needed. I've never experienced the conversations with older gentlemen you are apparently having, so I have no first hand knowledge. With that said, if the person is as you said, elderly - I think there could be more issues going on and we need to adopt a more compassionate and understanding stance in that in some instances the line between appropriate & inappropriate may be come blurred.
 
Here's the problem with aging. None of us have ever been as old as we are this very minute. We don't know what might be serious or just a normal aging thing. Many have no one to talk to about it. I live alone and even though I live close to and have access to them, my children, are not easy to talk too. There is two reasons for that, one is that we are their parent. Our main job in life was protecting them from as much as we could. In my case, I look at it like this "I am the father, I am supposed to be the one that takes care of them." It has been that way since they took their first unassisted breath. It is against my very core to let go of that responsibility. Second, when I do try to share, something they have asked me directly to do, the expression on their faces is one that resonates with wanting to be anyplace else besides listening to my concerns.

So what that means is we tend to share to much on line because, first... We don't feel the need to protect people we don't know and second... we don't have to see your facial expressions. Therefore, we might share more in the impersonal world of the internet. The solution? Don't read it, "you hop on the bus, Gus, , You don't need to discuss much, Just drop off the key, Lee, And get yourself free, Slip out the back, Jack, Make a new plan, Stan, You don't need to be coy, Roy', just get yourself free"

Many thanks to Paul Simon for helping me to solve this pressing problem.
 
I think some elderly people can't comprehend what is happening to them. It is all very shocking, I am sure.

Sometimes when you are going through something that is scary or uncomfortable, you tend to overshare.

That said, I really don't want to get old. I know that sounds vain. But watching my loved ones age has been so depressing. I do have an aunt and uncle who are 79 and 80 and they still hike and take multi day road trips with their RV. I want to be like them!
 
I think some elderly people can't comprehend what is happening to them. It is all very shocking, I am sure.

Sometimes when you are going through something that is scary or uncomfortable, you tend to overshare.

That said, I really don't want to get old. I know that sounds vain. But watching my loved ones age has been so depressing. I do have an aunt and uncle who are 79 and 80 and they still hike and take multi day road trips with their RV. I want to be like them!
Remember you can be active late in life, but that doesn't erase the fact that it is late in life. Pretty much all the mountains we are going to climb, have been climbed. No matter how active we are it isn't going to stop the end from being close. True we never know how long we are going to live, but no matter the reasons, the end is closer at 75 then at 25. We look back and feel that the distance between 25 and 75 is lived in warp time. So many of us work our butts off to stay active, but the wall is always very much in sight and the temptation to just give up and hit the rocking chair is an enormous temptation. Friends die off, we have aches and pains that seem to crop up in different places every single damn day. There's no time left to fix past errors and we have to live with that. So if once in awhile we might mention about certain organs enlarging (and they aren't the organs we hoped for) humor us, we are working through the reality of getting old.
 
Well, it IS the fastest growing part of the population, so it is impacting more and more people.

And just what is elderly? State of California in regards to Residential Care Facilities For the Elderly defines elderly as anyone over the age of 59 1/2.
 
I have to actually ask these people about such things. And view graphics. 😳

You can imagine how those conversations sometimes go! :rotfl2:
 
I'm within a decade of retirement, and I do have some health problems, and I find myself actively guarding against the tendency of people my age and older to veer into discussions of health issues as a "safe" topic of conversation. Somehow it's the old folks' equivalent of talking about the weather.

I've told my DH to just shoot me if I ever actually start one of those conversations in a social setting.
 
I work at a church. Many parishioners I see are older and getting older. The reasons that have been given already are reasons people share.

Until it hits you, you can listen with a caring ear or pretend to listen. It allows the speaker to get it off their chest or even helps them process what they're going through.

A 63 year old I know just got his 6 month PSA test which elevated rapidly. He's starting tests and exploring treatments. He's heard it all before, but it's truly real now for him so he's processing it differently.

On the subject of what my peers and I jokingly call 'old people problems', I'm now a 53 year old looking at kneecap surgery Thursday as I tripped over a duffle bag my 23 year old left in our laundry room overnight. Causing me to cancel plans I was looking forward to. And wondering how this will affect my future mobility.

Just 3 weeks ago, my husband and I walked 90,000 steps in 4 days on vacation.

Life has a way of jumping up and smacking you in the face sometimes.

Never know when it's you who needs the listening ear to lean on.
 
Last edited:
Well, it IS the fastest growing part of the population, so it is impacting more and more people.

And just what is elderly? State of California in regards to Residential Care Facilities For the Elderly defines elderly as anyone over the age of 59 1/2.

at 60 you become protected by elder abuse laws.
 
Well, it IS the fastest growing part of the population, so it is impacting more and more people.

And just what is elderly? State of California in regards to Residential Care Facilities For the Elderly defines elderly as anyone over the age of 59 1/2.
It was the fastest growing part of the population but it has almost reached the end of it. Very soon it will start to decline as we move out of the way to make room for the youth. Just part of the circle of life. Boomers were by far, the largest group. They were those born between 1946 and 1964. However the bulk were between 1946 and 1958. So it is tapering off and will be declining in numbers after 2022. Those born in 1946 are now 76 and those in 1958 are now 64. Will we still need them, will we still feed them when their 64? My parents had their last child in 1956 and it was fairly late in life for them.
 
Last edited:


Disney Vacation Planning. Free. Done for You.
Our Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are here to provide personalized, expert advice, answer every question, and uncover the best discounts. Let Dreams Unlimited Travel take care of all the details, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a stress-free vacation.
Start Your Disney Vacation
Disney EarMarked Producer






DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter
Add as a preferred source on Google

Back
Top Bottom