Latest / Aging Parent TrapX / Understanding Your Aging Parents: What Getting Older Really Feels Like
Transcript
- Nikki ElitePrepServices: what concerned me was the being able to have an understanding of what it feels like when they start losing muscle mass and it's slowing them down because it looks like they didn't put on any weight, but really they did because they lost the muscle mass and it was replaced with the weights, the fat, and it just slows them down even more. my heart kind of bled a little bit for them because it yeah, it made things a little bit more understandable like come on, like can can you walk a little faster and they can't and it now I'm the one that feels like the jerk Allison Newlon: welcome to the Aging Parent Trap X podcast and YouTube channel. My name is Alison Newland. I'm the broker owner of Platinum Properties of Florida in the Greater Tampa area. I am joined here with my friends and colleagues, Julie Cook with Generational Transitions and Nikki Flynn with Elite Preparation Services. And today we're gonna do something really, really cool. If you know who Mel Robbins is, she Is the author of the Let Them Theory. I'm gonna link all this stuff in the description below. So don't worry if you haven't listened to that book, read that book, do yourself a favor and definitely do that, and you'll fall in love because she is awesome. It is just a really great per way for you to take a good look at yourself and how you react to things. But she has a very popular podcast, and she teamed up with a a person from MIT and Julie sent this to me so I'm gonna let Julie talk about this for a second. but the the the podcast was very interesting and so Julie you tell you tell me what what intrigued you to send it to me so that we could talk about it today. Julie Cook: Well, I love Mel Robbins. I was introduced to her about a year ago and she is fabulous. And so this one, when it talked about aging, obviously because of my profession, struck struck my attention. And then I saw her in this space suit all dressed up and I was like, what is that? So I watched the podcast and the more I watched it, here's what resonated with me is she talked about they they decor out. I don't know if you're able to show part of it or not. Allison Newlon: I'm going to, yeah. Do you mind if I share my screen? Julie Cook: Yeah, share it, share it. Allison Newlon: You go ahead and talk and I'm gonna pull it up as you're talking. Julie Cook: So they put her in this whole suit to simulate what it's like to get older. And and there's weights and there's things that special shoes that make her her gait wobbly. And there's things on her hands to mimic arthritic hands. And she's wearing funky glasses to for her vision and a thing around her neck because you don't have the mobility you used to. And what registered with me is that she said while she's doing all of these things and having difficulty, she remembers when these things were not difficult. And the frustration of I used, yeah, there she is all decked out. She used to be able to get in and up out of a chair, no problem, run up and down the stairs, no pro pick up a basket of laundry, no problem. Remembering I used to be able to do all of that, and now it's so much of a struggle, really resonated with me. Like, man, that would be tough. Knowing I used to, and I can't, I can't really do much about this. It's just a process. Allison Newlon: Right. So the suit that the people at the MIT, which is I'm a school for very smart people up in the Northeast, if you don't know, Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: is that they made this like suit to mimic what it is like to be in an aging body. and so even her shoes, the shoes that she described were Crocs, but they had a foam bottom on them that It was well right now they're showing eye goggles to mimic like really bad eyesight, but the shoes have like a rounded bottom, so it puts you off balance a little bit and it really made her feel uneasy when she was walking. Let's see if I can there are the shoes down there and see if I can get a picture get a video part of that. But it it and then there were some bungee cords that made her walk like she couldn't. Couldn't take long strides, right? So like short steps. Like, do you does anybody here remember like the Carol Burnett show and Tim Conway? And he would just shuffle like this, like he was like the clockmaker or something. Yeah, and he would just shuffle and just and Julie Cook: I love Jim Conway. Nikki's too young, but I remember Allison Newlon: the people would be like waiting for him because he was taking so long. Well, so they're the there are the shoes right there, and you know, they're showing, but it's wild. And she couldn't and the bunchy cords attached to she can't take a long stride. And so yeah, I mean this is really very interesting because we we do get impatient Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: with You know, it's take like I said, it takes me I have to make sure that wh whenever I go pick up my mom, I really allow for like twenty minutes for her to get in the car because it takes that long. So anything adds 40 minutes because it's the getting Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: in, the getting out. And yeah, I do get frustrated and I feel bad and guilty about that. But maybe I wish we could get this suit for I probably should spend an entire day in this suit as punishment for my sassy Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: behavior. but Nikki, you were saying something really interesting. Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: and I'm gonna stop sharing for a second. or maybe I can well, Nikki, you I want you to talk about what you were talking about in terms of the exercise stuff, if you don't mind. Nikki ElitePrepServices: Yeah, the The number one thing that when you age into Medicare is the doctors are always making sure that the patients are doing exercises. So they have them doing Zumba or Yoga, just trying to get them mobile because you n as we talked about before, the fall that could end it all. And depending on your age and depending on the type of fall that you have, it could permanently debilitate you. Or handicap you for the remainder of your life. And like they talk about in this video is where you break up your life into day like quarters of 8,000 days. So when you think about it, you think, once I turn 65, okay, well I it's smooth sailing from there, everything will be great, but you don't take into consideration how your body is going to start what everybody says. My body hates me, my body's you know working against me, and that's kind of What is taking place? So when the doctors are trying to push the healthy eating, the healthy exercising, and the mobility for the senior patients, it's to get them to not go through what she was talking about where you're losing muscle mass, but you're still carrying around that weight. So it's still a workout, it's still exhausting, you still get fatigue because you're still carrying around that weight, but you don't have the muscle mass anymore, so it just takes you. longer to do things. So the doctors now that and it's part of like CMS's regulations for Medicare doctors is to make sure that they're monitoring the body mass index, they're keeping an eye on their diet, they're maintaining their health and they're pushing the exercises as much as possible because they want them to still stay mobile and active because when you start going immobile, that's it. There's there's no coming back from that. Allison Newlon: Well, I'll tell you, I you know, watching my in-laws, my mother Julie Cook: Mm-hmm. Allison Newlon: in law first, and then my mom go through like my mother in law, she fell a couple of times and then we'd have to go and help her get up and she never was like an exerciser person. She would just do like the stationary bike at home or s whatever, but she never But she never was one to lift weights or anything like that. but I watched her, I watched my mom who did a lot of cardio, like tennis and that kind of stuff, but rare did never went to a gym to lift weights or anything. and I watched them struggle just to, you know, really, you know, walk, get up from a chair, get on the bed, get off the bed, just you know, and if they fell on the ground, forget about it. They're not there's no getting up. And I watched that and I was like you know, th as you're going through things like that, things come up on your social media feeds. I don't know how like i it it's it hears you talking about stuff. It really does. And so, Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: you know, then I people working out would come up on my social media feeds and like older women w she's like, Well, I'm lifting this sixty five pound weight so I can lift my body later on when I'm eighty. so I started to lift weights about two years ago, not quite two years ago. Because I I personally would like to maintain muscle. And I'm not I'm not like a super skinny person. I'm not an overweight person really. I'm just kind of average. there's muscle under here. There's muscle under yeah, look, I have a little muscle right there. Look at that. but Julie Cook: Hey, look at you. Allison Newlon: I've been working on it so that I can be the strongest one in my assistant living facility one day, you know, like I want that. to happen but we have to as Gen Xers do that now I think is the sentiment that Nikki was saying is that we if you know they have them do it now as a senior but it's almost a little too little too late because there's no way you know that they're gonna build up the muscle mass but we can I think with the Mel Robbins podcast and seeing and understanding what it's like, and really we're gonna link that in the description below, that whole podcast and YouTube video. you can watch it and you can really get an understanding of what it feels like when she's wearing that suit, and maybe your patience level will change a little bit when you watch it. Cause she was like, geez, I really had no idea. can't hardly bend down to get the laundry basket. I, you know, I have to pick up something off the floor. I can't do that. I'm sitting down on a chair and now I can't get up like I like I, you know, remember doing five minutes ago when I didn't have this suit on, and now I should be more patient with seniors. and she said she felt like a jerk for having certain thoughts or not being as patient. so that's one thing that this video and this topic that we're discussing. can help us with but also being of a younger age let's get to the gym now let's start lifting those weights now so that we help our own selves in the future so our own family members and caretakers you know don't struggle as much and we don't struggle as much I guess that's that was the kind Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: of takeaway thing. and also they she had little gloves on. I'll see if I I'm gonna share the screen again. Somebody talk about like the little gloves and the arthritis while I'm finding that. I don't know who watched that part, but I did. Julie Cook: I I did. So she had these gloves on that simulate arthritic arthritic fingers. And I that caught my attention because I have this one finger that is starting to get one of those knobs on the side of the knuckle. I it resembles my aunt's hands. And I was like, my gosh, where did that come from? But it gets sore periodically. So to see her in gloves and both hands have that situation going on, I know how it bothers me. Allison Newlon: Okay. Right. Julie Cook: and and I think it just gives you a whole new perspective. Like even I think Nikki was the one that mentioned it takes like twenty minutes to get in and out of the car. And I'm I would be prone to get impatient with that until I see this and realize like we talked about, they're concerned about falling. You know, if we stumble or something, we can catch ourselves. If they fall and God forbid they can't catch themselves, they're on the ground and now we've got a whole different situation. So I think something like this just gives you empathy, one for what they're physically going through, and then just to be aware that, hey, we're all gonna be in these shoes one day. And and the the professor even says at the beginning that aging is a gift. And sometimes folks who are older don't see it that way. But the alternative Allison Newlon: Right. Julie Cook: to this is not good. So you know what? I'd rather have trouble getting out of the chair, but I want to be patient with those folks. That's what I got from it. Allison Newlon: That yeah, there she is in the chair. Sorry, I went through a few commercials and everything, but and they were talking here's the here's the hopefully I don't get another commercial here. I think I might look so she's got these gloves on and she's trying to tax. Julie Cook: The texting Allison Newlon: Let me see if I can get her she was trying to get the water bottle cap off. Yeah. So I thought that that was pretty interesting actually what he just said there. that we're trying to be green, use less plastic. So now the the cap on the water bottle is smaller and really sh you know the senior needs a larger you know, Julie Cook: Mm-hmm. Allison Newlon: larger something or other. But she's having a hard time even just picking up the phone. but it really simulates what it's like to be in that position. so hopefully you'll get some good information. Yeah. Julie Cook: The look when she's sending a text too and the phone is right here. I mean, how many folks have we seen seniors that we work with and that's how they text or stretched way out. Allison Newlon: That's true. Look at because yeah, those those glasses are right. Those glasses she said that You know, she has hard time seeing normally, but they're like, Well, we're still gonna we're still gonna put these glasses on you. So it's like a double whammy. She said she couldn't even she was just saying hi. And she's like, I think that's the H I, you know, and I think I'm Julie Cook: Yeah. Allison Newlon: sending it to my husband. I get texts from my mom all the time that are strange. And then and I just know that it's it's yeah, I don't I think if I were to look on here, she'll say things like, I well I I actually should find it because it was kinda they're kinda funny. let's see here. I get the I get like a blank a blank text. There's nothing in it. Julie Cook: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Allison Newlon: that one. let's see. yeah, you did? Nikki ElitePrepServices: I got the voice one this morning. Yeah, just h hearing him get in and out of the car, crumbling in the pocket. Yeah. Yep, there was no Allison Newlon: That's funny. Julie Cook: Yeah. Nikki ElitePrepServices: audio. When I saw audio message I was like, he doesn't know how to send an audio message. What is this? Allison Newlon: He does Well, I in all fairness, I do that by accident sometime. Then I'm like, Julie Cook: No Allison Newlon: I hope I didn't send that. yeah, Julie Cook: Whoops. Allison Newlon: so they're they're I do. I get kind of strange messages from time to time and I and I c you know, now I know why, right? I I can't find other ones, but there was some maybe I deleted them, but they were kind of funny. but I hope that that is helpful. I hope this is helpful. I really appreciate them doing this. I would love I'm sure they don't have a million suits that they could send around to, you know, people in a small podcast, you know, startup like ourselves with just, you know, 50 something followers, right? Or subscribers. But boy, if they sent if we got the opportunity to put that on, I would, I would literally wear it. I would wear it for a minimum of five hours. That's it, I think. Like or a maximum of five hours. I would give it five hour test, right? And then I could just That might shut me up for a while. And not. Five minutes! Julie Cook: I would give it five minutes. That looks absolutely miserable. Yes. Yes. Allison Newlon: Well, she also had that weighted vest on under it, right? And I Julie Cook: Mm-hmm. Allison Newlon: I just got one of those. I just got one of those. Have you ever used one of those weighted vests? Like you have two? You're a show off. Nikki ElitePrepServices: I have two of I have a ten and a twenty pound. Julie Cook: No. Allison Newlon: You're a show off, Nikki. Nikki ElitePrepServices: Ha Allison Newlon: I j I think the one I have is twenty Julie Cook: Not this girl. I gotta work on my muscle mass. Allison Newlon: tw I think the one I got is twenty pounds and I just started to use it literally like in the last week. it's a it's a game changer. So sh she also had that on underneath that suit. Anyways. Fun stuff, fun stuff. Anything else Julie Cook: Stuff. Allison Newlon: to add? Julie Cook: No, be kind to folks who are going slow. Allison Newlon: Yes. Nikki ElitePrepServices: Yes. Allison Newlon: Be kind for people. Nikki ElitePrepServices: They're taking your supplements now. Allison Newlon: Yeah, start exercising Julie Cook: Yes. Allison Newlon: now. Be kind. have some more patience. Okay I think that about wraps it up for us today. Remember the links to the YouTube that we featured here with Mel Robbins will be in the description below as well as the link to her book the Let Them Theory. And if you have something you would like to share with us put that in the comments. We'll take a look at that if you have any suggestions for us that we could do on a future episode with Love to hear from you. If you want to reach any of us, our contact information will be in the pinned comment. Thank you for watching.