I had occasion recently to hear the term senility being used by someone relating a joke involving seniors. It didn’t exactly tickle my funny bone. However, it roused my curiosity on better understanding the meaning of this term and whether it was possible that people use it when they refer to yours truly.
Senility is the quality or state of being senile. It is the physical and mental decline associated with old age. In particular it is the deterioration of cognitive functioning, such as memory, that is associated with old age.
I breathed a sigh of relief, because I knew I didn’t yet qualify to have this descriptive badge placed on my lapel.
On the other hand I believe we should undertake to interpret senility in a different way. It shows us that most seniors have enjoyed optimizing their mental and physical abilities for many years and are now receiving signals to slow down and reassign many of their lifetime responsibilities.
Following are a few signs that simply serve to help us recognize that a senior is preparing to retire with honor and has earned the badge of recognition and respect from years of dedicated services and family love:
(1) It was explained to a senior that when he stays overnight in the hotel, he will be given a specially coded entry key card and verbally told his room number. He was also told that If he should forget the room number he simply has to approach the front desk and show his personal ID and key card and ask what room he is in. The senior subsequently remembered to do this. The helpful desk clerk gave him a sympathetic look and told him the room he was standing in is called “the lobby”.
(2) My grandmother recently said to me that if her memory got any worse she would be able to plan her own surprise party.
(3) While trying to exercise, I asked my wife if she changed the computer password? Her reply was – Yes Honey! I then asked her what the new one was? She responded that it was the date of our wedding anniversary! I know that I quietly expressed some naughty words to myself.
(4) I recently overheard my 4 year old grandson speaking on the phone to his grandmother. His words were “No grandma, listen to me! You have to click the Google icon on your cell phone, then print your question and hit the search button!
(5) I learned an important lesson from the weather. It never heeds any criticism.
(6) Back In the 60’s, it was not uncommon for people to become addicted to LSD, (commonly referred to as acid). It caused the user to have weird hallucinations and views of the world. Now the world really is weird and people try to make the world look normal by taking Prozac.
(7) I discovered that life is like a jar of very hot peppers. If I don’t stop eating and enjoying them today, I am going to suffer a burning issue all day tomorrow.
(8) I overheard two elderly women talking while sitting on a bus bench. One said to the other “I ain’t what I used to be cause even when I’m naked I still wanna slip into something more comfortable”!
(9) You know that when you are getting old you receive subtle hints about your odd behavior from your circle of family and friends. My bank has joined this club and now sends me a free calendar one month at a time.
(10) Every time I take a nap somebody keeps waking me because they are worried that I may never never be able to wake myself up.
Keep on Smiling….no matter what age! 😀
