Same with my parents. It’s not so much as shortening their lives, but how it affected their quality of life. I’ve seen people my age who are heavy smokers and have a hard time just walking from their car to inside the grocery store. They can’t visit their grandkids because the trip is too much for them. I don’t want to live into my 80’s or 90’s and needing someone to care for me for many years or be in a nursing home.
Old Joke - “I want to die in my sleep like my 95yo grandfather. Not kicking and screaming like the passengers in his car.”
+1
I recall my aunt–who was a lifetime heavy smoker–needing a portable oxygen tank in order to move around as a result of Emphysema. Her last few years were sad for everyone in the family, and she was clearly depressed by her lack of mobility. She died when she was in her 70s.
By contrast, my parents both gave up smoking when they were in their early 60s, and they both managed to live to their early 90s.
It’s really eerie, because you essentially described my OWN aunt
She was also a heavy smoker with emphysema and the portable oxygen tank
But she was also obese, with ALL the associated conditions
She wasn’t seen for a few days and my 1st cousin sent her kids to slide the window open and crawl inside for a look
Well, they found her and it was BAD
she was in her bedroom, deceased on the floor and it was clear she had literally fallen, couldn’t get back up . . . because of her weight . . . or summon help. This was before cell phones were common. So her last memories were probably sheer terror
She didn’t have much self-control and paid the ultimate price
I agree. What I got from the article is the reasons for continued use in some trucks have nothing to do with the braking performance of drum brakes, only to do with industry inertia, cost, and (big maybe) protection of the mechanism from dirt/gravel/salt.
She wasn’t obese, but her decision-making during her later years became somewhat strange. She bought a new Malibu, and the first thing that she did upon arriving home was to take a steak knife and cut the shoulder harnesses out of her car.
When I asked her why she did that, she said, “If I’m in an accident and I break my arm, I wouldn’t be able to open the belt, and I would be trapped inside”. I pointed out to her that a broken arm (as well as other injuries) would be much more likely w/o seatbelts, and in any event, if she had a broken arm, she probably couldn’t open the door. She accused me of being “impertinent”.
The saddest thing was when we attempted to visit her during her final hospital stay and she screamed at us that she didn’t want to see anyone. Two days later, she was dead.
Here’s what a trucker had to say in 2014 about disc brakes:
“I have disc brakes on truck and trailer.
With EBS (ABS is allready fased out in a lot off countries but not yet in US)
Stopping distance is MUCH shorter and locking up the wheels is nearly impossible.
Brakes fading due to excessive heat is nearly impossible.
Would never go back to drums.”
Dad started smoking in his teens. In his 80’s when the dementia really kicked in Mom was sure to find a care center that had nice smoking area for him. Funny thing though, his mind deteriorated enough that he forget he smoked and by the time he died at 90 he hadn’t smoked in 2 years.
Mom also started smoking in her teens, and is now 81. Twice a week she takes a long walk to the smokeshop to get her Marlboros instead of driving. She says the exercise is good for her.
When my Great Grandmother reached her mid 90s, she decided that she wanted to take up smoking. We all figured that it probably wouldn’t do any harm at that point, and it might amuse her. So, her daughter would allow her to smoke one or two cigs each day, and we would all tell Gran that she was blowing smoke rings… even though she wasn’t… because there wasn’t much else to say to her at that point, given some mental deterioration. She died at the age of 99.
That is the biggest problem I see today. Our population is growing - not in numbers, but in size. Come January where I work out at, there will be an influx of new members (mainly obese or morbidly obese) trying to get back into shape (or in shape for the first time). By February 99.99% have quit. Every once in a while, you’ll see someone sticking it out and turn their life around. Most just give up. If you’re under 40 and out of shape then start NOW to get into shape. The difficulty of getting in shape as you get older goes up expediently. It’s a lot easier when you’re younger.
Ya, except we should all be as healthy as my mother. She’s 81, lives on her own in the same house I grew up in, still driving. She has no medical issues or restrictions, takes no medication of any kind other than a vitamin every morning. Cataract surgery got her eyes back to where she only needs glasses to read the newspaper.
Frankly I wish she would drive instead of walk, when she visited earlier this year I noticed her balance doesn’t look like it’s a good as it once was. At her age, one fall is all it takes…
I have a good exercise bike, mat, resistance bands, light weights, etc.
I have no illusions about getting “ripped” or anything like that. I stick to the exercises the PT place showed me and am currently at a pretty good weight
I’m not on statins and am doing everything under my power to keep it that way . . . I’m doing moderate exercise, am getting close to my target weight, etc.
A LOT of guys at my work are obese, have no self-control, eat fried chicken, donuts, pastries burgers, guzzle energy drinks EVERY DAY and do no exercise. Not surprisingly, they are on a ton of medications
I’ve got scoliosis, 2 types of arthritis, my knees, legs and hips are NOT good, but I’m literally lighter and possibly more agile than some of my younger colleagues . . . but that’s only because I’m putting in the hard work
There are no short cuts, when it comes to health, imo
My recently-deceased friend was “only” 78, and when he fell at home, he broke his hip. After successful surgery, he returned home with in-home Physical Therapy ordered. He cancelled the PT because it “would cost too much” (which was incorrect, actually), and a couple of weeks later, he fell again, sustaining a cranial injury that led to his death.
So, age is definitely a factor, but when someone decides to put ridiculous monetary limits on their own medical care, the age-related risk increases exponentially.
My store manager boss, one of the best in the business mind you, a real reader of character and left you alone as long as you kept busy!
His final years paralleled those of your 78 year old friend, sorry for your loss by the way, but he was only 68 and had retired from his post one year prior to going through exactly as your friend did.
My boss was compromised in other ways though: Heavy smoker from his 20s until retirement, and I occasionally smelled a nip on his breath when we were discussing goals for the day ahead, or I came to get a price for something.
I think those habits hastened his demise from a fall at home he could have survived.
A very beautiful young lady (inside and out) I worked with years ago died of lung cancer at or close to age 22, she was very fit and a blessing to be around, and seemed to have everything going for her, she never smoked anything in her life, was not around any smokers at home… Sometimes life just hands you a ■■■■■■ hand…
(mopar: I just had to edit the last half of the above four times to get rid of the blocks! Who in their right mind at Community Administration thought this thing was a good idea???)
As for your young colleague, I wonder if environmental factors, stress, etc. or even, as much as I disagree with it - genetics – led to such an early demise.
Yup…Exactly. Everyone wants that magic pill. I’m in my mid 70’s and not on any prescription medication.
I have some equipment at home and can get a decent workout in. But I like going to the gym because of diversity of equipment. There are literally 15 different Chest machine and free weight exercises that I can’t do at home.
Unfortunately a lot of people I worked with also were obese. But surprisingly number of us weren’t - especially sitting at a desk all day.
No Idea, She was very laid back, had a very out going personality and was nice to everyone and would talk to anyone, not stuck up in the least… This was 30 years ago…
tty hand?