PREPPING for being "OLD", 80's and 90's and 100's.

[Sourdough]

Any thoughts or experience you have on the subject.

I'll start with you need to be getting serious, starting at a surprisingly early age. I have made so many mistakes, mostly things I was not aware of. Most of my bitter mistakes were things I did not know needed to be "completed" by mid 50's. I thought it was something you start dealing with in your mid to late 60's.

 

[Sourdough]

When you get there, you want to be living on "fairly flat level" ground.

Be sure you have the "required" number of quarters you paid Social Security, to qualify for MEDICARE. (I think it is 12 quarters)

 

[Sourdough]

Moving "SUCKS" when you're in your 20's & 30's. Moving in your 70's or 80's SUPER Sucks.

Be living in the "type" dwelling, in the geographical location you will desire for ever & ever & ever well before mid-70's.

 

[Caribou]

When we retired we bought a ranch style home ten minutes away from a fair hospital. We converted our wood stove to better handle coal so that I wouldn’t have to split wood. I bought a trailer load of coal and I can carry it inside in 3.5 or 5 gallon buckets. Everything I can do to make my chores less strenuous I try to do.

 

[Sourdough]

The biggest liars in America are not in politic. They are "reluctantly" trapped in the medical industry. Every time they say your information, your medical records are held in super top security, trust us, your medical information is held confidential. Just bust out laughing your ass off, even fall on the floor in uncontrolled laughter.

I tried getting medical insurance for what MEDICARE does not cover. The insurance company knew more about me then I knew about me.

 

[Supervisor42]

Any thoughts or experience you have on the subject.

I'll start with you need to be getting serious, starting at a surprisingly early age. I have made so many mistakes, mostly things I was not aware of. Most of my bitter mistakes were things I did not know needed to be "completed" by mid 50's. I thought it was something you start dealing with in your mid to late 60's.

This is a very important topic that many 'deniers' will not want to read.
I know many that will gladly lecture you about how they eat healthy and exercise, are immune to getting old, and will always be able to run a chainsaw.
I only have a few suggestions to offer:
1. Visit people that are 75+ y/o and see how they live.
2. Do what you can, while you can. Singing the "I wish I had" tune later, sux . I look back at the things I did just 6 years ago, they would be impossible today.
3. Try to lure younger people (like your kid) closer to you, to help you later. You will need them.

 

[Haertig]

The insurance company knew more about me then I knew about me.

Was this before or after you signed the release? When I have looked into insurance, be that LTC or life, they have always required permission to review my health records. No permission granted means no insurance offered in my experience. They won't even consider insuring you without access to this information. If you have not signed a release there are still lots of ways to find out about you with basic internet searching. It is not always something garnered from your official medical records protected by HIPAA. Also, I might guess that there is some permission granted to Medicare when you originally filed for that where some information can be disclosed to companies they partner with, and these Medigap companies may have some access to your information as a "partner" (I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing that it might be the case).

If I had to make a guess about who was "loosest" with your information - a private medical practice or the government/Medicare - I would vote for the government every time. I wouldn't be surprised if they still run their software and keep your information on 8086 PC's with dual floppies, connected to the internet via AOL dial-up.

 

[Haertig]

Be living in the "type" dwelling, in the geographical location you will desire for ever & ever & ever well before mid-70's.

Good advice. We live in a tri-level. I can't imagine a worse place to get old in. We could buy another place easily, but haven't considered a move like that seriously yet. But we should.

I had too much fun repairing my broken steps down to the family room a few months ago (yeah, right!) to give up on this tri-level just yet. But sooner rather than later it would probably be good to move to a ranch floorplan somewhere.

 

[Supervisor42]

Good advice. We live in a tri-level. I can't imagine a worse place to get old in. We could buy another place easily, but haven't considered a move like that seriously yet. But we should.

I had too much fun repairing my broken steps down to the family room a few months ago (yeah, right!) to give up on this tri-level just yet. But sooner rather than later it would probably be good to move to a ranch floorplan somewhere.

You may want to bump that up a notch in your plans.
Moving is a pain in the ass er, back.

 

[Sourdough]

Because of recent SHTF crap in my life, I now have roughly (7) Seven months to not only find a place to move too, but to get it 75% done.

The most painful is, that I will be no-longer a "serious" prepper.

 

[Supervisor42]

Because of recent SHTF crap in my life, I now have roughly (7) Seven months to not only find a place to move too, but to get it 75% done.

The most painful is, that I will be no-longer a "serious" prepper.

Aw c'mon, join the rest of us riding 'the easy train', you too have earned it!
You can still be a prepper, just not a serious one.
We have everything we need to survive 5-6 months and I'm ok not having the stuff needed to stitch up a wound .

 

[Alaskajohn]

As I a drive on the lone road in this part of Alaska in either direction you can see abandoned old homesteads about every 10 miles or so. The original homesteader who settled this area were about 20 years older than I am. When I got this place I had 5-6 neighbors along a 15 mile stretch. Now the wife and I are the only ones who still live out here year round or at all. The last neighbor flies south now for 5 months every year. Age is the reason we are the only ones left.

I recognized this about 5 years ago and pumped a bunch of money into making this place more sustainable and livable for us as we age. The investments have made a huge difference. Being in my mid 60s, I figure we can give it a go for about 10 more years. This past winter was the worst this place has seen in many decades and I recognized how tough the winter would have been if I had mobility issues. Like Caribou, at some point I will be burning coal verses the firewood that we still enjoy collecting all summer. That might be something to do I a few years but we still enjoy going out and getting the wood.

Not sure where we will winter when the winters get too tough for us. We aren’t really ready to think too much about that yet.

 

[Canon29]

The nice thing about specializing in wilderness survival is that it completely prevents the need to worry about preparing for such ages

 

[Supervisor42]

The nice thing about specializing in wilderness survival is that it completely prevents the need to worry about preparing for such ages

If you don't live that long, yes.
...All I can say is: "Try that on a scooter" .

 

[UrbanHunter]

Just the thought of that makes me sad... As I have gotten more mature I have noticed that I don't heal as fast and I injure easier.. Watching the wife struggle I have come to realize that it is the little things in life keeping us alive that end up tying us to the chair, and then to the bed. We may live longer today but it does not mean the we live better....

It's like driving towards a brick wall at 100 miles an hour on cruse control, when you are 50 miles a way you can even see it, when you are a couple blocks away you can make out there may be a problem, and when you are 100 feet away you realize that you are in big trouble..... Kind of like the end scene of "Vanishing Point"

 

[FarmOR]

These past five years or so, I've been around elders a lot. Spent a lot of time at two different nursing homes. And spend a lot of time caring for aging parents. It's unfortunate for all of us that our culture doesn't value the elderly the way they do in some other cultures?

There's no one better to learn from than the folks that have already been there and done that. Learning from others is called "education". The only other way is to learn as you do and that is severely limiting! Our elders can be a wealth of knowledge.

And this brings to mind one of the main points that I've learned from the elders: there are good and bad examples. Sometimes, there's more to learn from the idiots than the positive examples? What not to do? Such as " fail to plan, plan to fail ".

 

[Pearl]

Because of recent SHTF crap in my life, I now have roughly (7) Seven months to not only find a place to move too, but to get it 75% done.

The most painful is, that I will be no-longer a "serious" prepper.

I helped an older couple try to downsize because they were both hit with serious health issues that came on quickly! They had a shallow well with a hand pump, a good size solar generator that the kids trashed, I practically begged to buy it! The kids gave away and threw away a lot of food. Now this couple live in a nursing home at the mercy of the government!

 

[randyt]

I think it comes a point in life when all is left is being a mentor.

 

[viking]

With my wife and me it's a matter of accepting help when we have been doing everything for ourselves for so many years, all of the things we've accomplished over the years don't seem that far away, until I sit down and do some math on the years that have past, i.e. when we built our 1,100 gallon concrete cistern, that was in the 80's and digging over 500 feet of ditch to bury 1" pic pipe to the spring supply, seems like just a few years ago, but that was in the 90's. We try to pass the knowledge and wisdom of what we have learned to do on to younger folks, that is if they are willing to listen. We look back over the years and are amazed at what we've learned and what we have accomplished and are grateful to God for what we have.

 

[elkhound]

I spent most of my life around much older people.I seen it happen in waves to them as the groups aged and aged out.One told me once i only have so much energy now so i let things go to do the most important to me.He let yards and grounds and home go to spend all his time in the woods doing various activities.

Now at 58 i see it in myself..i dont want to carry water..in past it caused my herniated discs severe trouble when i slipped once doing so.I wanted piped water.I want a new much smaller and super insulated dwelling to live in.I care not about looks i want efficiency and ease.All i need is a space as i age to keep from freezing to death. @Sourdough has lived in Alaska without heat surely i can do similar in ultra insulated home in much milder climate and minimum heating.I have a friend lives in big house in cold climate and hes 76yrs and has to cut minimum of 10 cords a year.I love/loved cutting firewood...still do..but i dont want to cut lots of it.

I want to spend my time hunting,fishing,hiking and gardening.Not mowing green grass and other routine time consuming jobs.I only..we ALL only have so much time.I rather be exploring the woods,drowning worms and such.

I have been looking casually for a flat piece of property to have as i age in right location at right price.Theres still deals out there to be had from what i seen so far.

Prepping for old age and disability is still prepping...your survival still depends on it.

 

[Sourdough]

I think it comes a point in life when all is left is being a mentor.

They don't trust old people. They think old people are not very smart. Old people and their thoughts and opinions are simply no relevant. Old people are disliked by youth, they see old people as "the" impediment to their advancing in life.

They trust the internet for all knowledge, they see no reason to consult some old person. Many youths feel old people should be put to sleep permanently.

 

[Amish Heart]

Not having stairs is a big thing. Husband hasn't even looked upstairs in our home for 4 yrs or more. Mobility is big. We have ramps on both exits of the porches. I'm starting to feel it sometimes when I'm loading him up, and the other night bringing him to a dinner with the larger wheelchair so he was more comfortable. Took little granddaughter and I both to get that wheelchair loaded. It is heavy work moving him around. I think downsizing is constant when you get older. The size of the garden, the amount of nick nacks, all that. Pick the important stuff you want to do and focus on that. Sitting in front of the tv or an electric device in your face is just going to make you older faster. I like how the amish take care of their parents...the youngest child and family, usually. They live in the big house and the old parents live in the small (doddy) house next to it. My favorite cousin moved in the doddy house with her husband (when he was living) when she was late 60's. We didn't build a doddy house to our big house because we built on a very large handicapped bedroom and bathroom, with the room having it's own ramped exit for the mobility scooter.
I get what you're saying, Sourdough, about the young ones listening to you. Husband likes to give advice to our kids, and gets frustrated that they don't listen. I just figure I'll do my thing and if someone wants to know something, they'd ask.

 

[elkhound]

One thing i have wanted to do is a thread on senior poverty survival.I have hesitated because a few on here and other forums instantly say see you shoulda,coulda etc.I dont want to hear a bunch of horsecrap from others on that.Theres lots of folks that fall in this category and i could go into all are not the same but i wont.What the discussion needs to be is solutions on how to live once in that situation for WHATEVER REASON! I seen several folks lose everything.Old coonhunter in my area lost everything a pension and some type 401kish things from corp he worked for over 30 years.The owner done tons of illegal activity when he took over from his father.An example to a senior i know needed a new heat pump....$7-$8k...wasnt happening

I seen seniors have things like stove go out and they cost so much its unreal now.How do you live without a stove...and not to mention not being able to get one moved in and out or get help to do so. Often place delivers them and pulls old out and new in.But theres cases where thats not an option too.So solutions are things like instapot and airfryer.I bought a cheap airfryer and i have to say i like it way better than a stove.You can move easily,clean it easily..no bending over sticking ya head in oven trying to scrub spills etc. up.If something happens $20 gets you a new one and through mail easily enough.Even these airfryer can be heavy and expensive.I had one and hated it.Got the cheap light one for $20 and its best thing ever...just looked they are now $25.Mainstay 2.2 quart size carried by walmart.

Another thing is a microwave.I am not a fan but fixing a 1-2-3 mug cake is easy and elderly can do it.I dont eat stuff like that anymore but its a way some can fix something without an oven or lifting heavy pans and mixing and all the clean up from that alone.Plus its easy and fast.Look up mug cake recipes and you see what i am talking about.

My opinion coming up in future theres going to be a bunch of seniors living in poverty as well as younger folks.I am seeing it through contacts i have in other countries already.Especially New Zealand for younger folks.Theres even an epidemic of younger folks committing suicide there over home and living costs.From what i being told anyway.

We as a society might have to change our thinking back to multiple generations living together and that will force us to talk and get along and learn compromises and it might be to both parties actual survival this has to happen.

 

[randyt]

They don't trust old people. They think old people are not very smart. Old people and their thoughts and opinions are simply no relevant. Old people are disliked by youth, they see old people as "the" impediment to their advancing in life.

They trust the internet for all knowledge, they see no reason to consult some old person. Many youths feel old people should be put to sleep permanently.

Some do, more than folks realize but they can be hard to find.

 

[Tirediron]

trying to stay ahead of aging is a fairly large issue. I have noticed over the decades so far that the aging comes in clumps, all of a sudden, then levels off. One of the reasons that I put as much effort into my firewood system. Making it less moves, getting rid of the re handling aspect and being able to do it by my self. Most of my thoughts have been for when the system crashes, the system is on life support, so we, the aging probably don't have to be concerned about there being anything to help us, and will just "Go" when we are un able to sustain our selves

 

[Amish Heart]

I like multigenerational living, too, but so far none of our kids are interested. Things would have to get a whole lot worse in the cities before I'd see them out here at the farm. They view the amish way of living as pretty backward. Anyway, we have a ton of bedrooms if they change their mind. Little granddaughter is 12 yrs old and insists that she will be a farmer and live here. We'll see. I can't imagine living here alone when I'm a widow. I'd probably take on help, and at least get the taxes paid.

 

[elkhound]

trying to stay ahead of aging is a fairly large issue. I have noticed over the decades so far that the aging comes in clumps, all of a sudden, then levels off. One of the reasons that I put as much effort into my firewood system. Making it less moves, getting rid of the re handling aspect and being able to do it by my self. Most of my thoughts have been for when the system crashes, the system is on life support, so we, the aging probably don't have to be concerned about there being anything to help us, and will just "Go" when we are un able to sustain our selves

One thing for me is i want to do ultra efficient home,basically a room.That i can heat easily.I have thought about the heavy rocket stove/masonry stove type things but they cost a good bit to build even yourself.I have a nice wood cook stove so for now i am just going with that.Plus it does double duty from prepping point to prepping for senior poverty as it gives heat,hotwater,cooks your food,sterilizes water and can run on small amounts of wood pretty easily.

A bundle of sticks and twigs might save the day.

One thing i been working towards and failed largely is making espalier fruit trees to stay off ladders and more easy to maintain food growing right at my door step.So far i finally got one tree to start training this year.The dang voles and mice ate roots systems off 3 out of 4 trees and damaged the 4th but i saved last year and recovered it seems.

 

[Morgan101]

As I aged the milestone birthdays, ones with a zero at the end, didn't seem to affect me until I hit 60. After 60 there was a precipitous decline in my physical abilities. That decline will affect almost all of us. You simply can't do some of the things you used to do, or they will take twice as long.

My wife really thought this through when we built our house. Everything we need is on one level with no stairs. We are in the location we want, and have no intention of moving unless we are forced to by circumstances. We are financially secure, and reasonably safe. The location is good, and the climate is temperate.

I have thought about the original question a lot, and there may even be an old thread that asks the question "How much longer do you have?" For me I would say 10 to 15 years, 20 years tops. Be realistic about it. A lot of my preps will outlast me.

 

[randyt]

I go to trapping conventions, foragers conventions and events like that. The amount of young folks attending is really amazing.

There was this guy that had fell off a skidder and hurt himself. He was bedridden for over a year. A professional trapper and a woodman. He was really down in the dumps. Someone convinced him to speak at a event for just a few minutes. He was shy but ended up speaking for over 2 hours. The people loved him. He spent his time teaching untl he passed. He was not famous, he was not on tv

 

[elkhound]

going to ad this here...one room thread

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/one-room.18998/