By Nancy Patrick

I don’t know if you face aging with the same trepidation as I do, but if you do, perhaps these thoughts will encourage you as we walk the final stretch. Though people age very differently, I attribute much of how our bodies and minds age to our genetics; however, lifestyles also contribute to the process.

I have written several articles related to this topic and continue to study theories and philosophies about it because my life continues its capricious and dogged path day to day. Since I have little control over the aging process, I try to find ways to retain as much dignity as possible. 

I try to accept graciously some of the obvious cessations of youth: appearance of gray hair, loss of supple skin, decrease in strength, reduction in mental acuity, and slackening of energy and motivation.

When I became the primary caregiver for my parents, I watched with sadness and dread their physical and emotional declines. They feared so many things as technology raced past them, forcing them to depend on me in ways they never had before. 

I also observed their fear of death, which prompted them to engage in every medical procedure available. By the times of their deaths, circumstances had robbed them of so much of their dignity that I began earnestly seeking ways I could avoid their fate in my own life.

In 2021 an interesting article by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel inspired me to write an article published in Spirit of Abilene,  (https://spiritofabilene.com/2021/09/17/embracing-my-mortality/). His ideas about aging and medical situations confirmed much of what I plan for myself. 

Dr. Emanuel believes we should focus more on the quality of life in old age than the length of it. He pointed out that the age of seventy-five represents a pivotal point in life when people begin to realize they have transitioned to their elder years. At this point, health concerns begin taking a more prominent place in their lives than in earlier years.

Based on his experiences with aging patients, he has decided for himself to approach his later years with fewer medical interventions. His discussion confirmed my plans to live as fully as possible but also without medical extensions provided by modern techniques in dealing with conditions such as cancer and organ failure.

That plan includes declining extraordinary measures to extend life in old age. For example, at my current age of seventy-five, I have stopped screenings for cancer and other treatable diseases. I watched my parents and in-laws employ every medical technique available to them, but I also saw their quality of life decline dramatically as their illnesses consumed them.

On October 26, 2025, 60 Minutes featured Dr. Peter Attia discussing his theory of living longer and healthier lives (60 Minutes). At the age of fifty-two, Dr. Attia  has not experienced most of what he studies. He thinks, however, that he has found a way to make people live longer and healthier lives.

In his interview with Norah O’Donnell, he stated that when people reach the age of seventy-five, they enter the “marginal decade.” That term refers to the roughly ten years many people live after turning seventy-five. According to Dr. Attia, although we can’t remove the decade, we can make it more enjoyable by “training” for it as athletes train for their competitions.

I listened with interest as the doctor promoted his strenuous exercise regimen and his diet rich in protein. By training for old age, he thinks he can avoid many of the negative aspects of age. I admire his dedication to his field, but I am dubious about its efficacy.

At his age, I followed a strenuous exercise program and ate a healthy diet. Twenty years later, in spite of all my discipline in healthy practices, I discovered that no amount of exercise or healthy diet had prepared me for the many obstacles I have faced in my seventies. 

Just as a car begins to have mechanical problems after the odometer reads a large number, so the human body’s “parts” begin to wear out after seven decades of non-stop usage. Knees give way, hearing fades, eyesight weakens, kidneys malfunction, cancer develops, spinal degeneration occurs—pain can become so intense and persistent that people cannot continue the activities of earlier years.

As I deal with the issues of aging in my own life as well as that of my husband, I often find myself feeling depressed and worthless. I recently wrote an article entitled “Worth a Plugged Nickel” (Worth), in which I expressed my feelings of sadness over my limitations in my “marginal” decade. 

One of my friends read the article and brought me a book entitled 31 Days of Encouragement as We Grow Older by Ruth Myers. I am lucky to have friends who care about me and think I am worthy. The book has a devotional format with thirty-one entries that provide an easy way to read it through within a month.

This little book encourages me to think about God and the life I have enjoyed thus far. God gives me my dignity by loving me and showing me ways to appreciate even this difficult time of life. Truly, old age presents discouraging obstacles, but we should not forget that just as all the preceding phases of life had purpose, so does this last phase.

With dignity we can make decisions early enough for our families to understand our approach to this time of life. We can take much of the stress of difficult decisions off our loved ones by making our own plans and appointing a trusted person to follow through with them.

A meaningful prayer at the end of the devotional about worthiness says, “Thank you for assuring me that you treasure me, that I am precious in your eyes because you created me—and even more because you redeemed me at the cost of Your Son’s precious blood.”

Nancy Patrick is a retired teacher who lives in Abilene and enjoys writing