Life of A Senior

The summum bonum of life’s has been done: the children and the grand children have all grown up and gone their own ways, as they should have, and as I also did, more than four decades ago! Didn’t I?

The old systems have changed, as change is the eternal constant. No longer will there be any senior or junior, or even servants, to look after me. They, too have their lives to live; and re-live in these new and newer environs.

And hence I, when I am 64 and more, must learn to fend for myself. All by myself. All for myself. And so let’s look at all my needs, one by one. What do I need now, that I did not need or needed, earlier?  It is still the same, except that now I am all by myself.

To live now, and I have to go on living for the end is not for me to command, I need the usual stuff.

Most people would think of their health issues. Most people at this age take medicines regularly. They will be needed to be reminded of that. Healthcare is rather a complicated and a personalised issue. One will need an aspirin to an ambulance drive to the nearest hospital.

Yes. Having an in-house doctor on call will be a good thing.

Most doctors, just to be good doctors simply have to be good and patient listeners. Half your ailments vanish when you talk to a good doctor. More important for me would be not to become their prolonged patient And not keep them from their other more needy patients! But then, any other person can also be a good listener.

Do I need to see a doctor? Perhaps, now and then. Fortunately I am in command of my faculties; and I am not bed-ridden.

But, God forbid, if I do fall ill that badly, I cannot just wish it away. That is when the medical needs of an old person will be require the medical facilities for old people to be really very badly tested.

I am not worried about that now, since I can afford the best of medical facilities, even when I can no longer sign a cheque. I have arranged my finances in such a way that for want of a pound I will not be deprived of a penny.

But that, I suppose is another constant that will happen: going out of my house feet first, before any hospitalisation or after that. Immaterial. It is not tomorrow that worries me; it is today I need to pass happily. That is important.

And what do I do in the interregnum?

After the health issues for me the more important one be “Food”. This will have to a healthy type, yes; but a lot of variety will need to be made available. And should there not be “cheat days”?

Good wholesome food that is not too spicy, not too oily and yet not too bland. Good food can be simple and yet tasty all the same.

I must not have too much food, of any kind, either.  Someone must tell me when to stop!!!! Hah! Hah!!!

The next important thing is clothes. Yes. I do not no longer need any fancy clothes. Just good ones and clean ones to cover me by to keep me warm when it will become chilly. So I wear my decent clothes easily accessible from my cupboards, and leave them for being washed and ironed. And packed back in the cupboard.

And the house must be cleaned every day, too. It is not much of a house now; just a few small rooms. But it is still my home.  

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

I find TV boring, though once in a while it is good! Like watching India beat Pakistan or England or Australia. But, many people simply love watching the “the idiot box”, as the TV has oft been called; but even then, they have to do different things. You cannot just sit and watch the TV the whole day. That is also bad of health. It is better to have potatoes even on a diurnal basis, rather than be a couch potato!

Having said all that, a television set can be a good companion to any old person. It is a good window to the outside world. Aprt from the cricket matches, there are other sports worthy of being watched. Or the good scientific programmes, and shows on the geography of the world and its history, too. Watching these on the larger screen will be quite a scene. These days the whole world can be found in a small chip.

So, I will need a good technical person at call, should my TV or the computer go out of order. Connecting TVs and computers is a young thing: I don’t want my ten-year old granddaughter to help me connect and laugh at me from across the world wherever she is; someone at the place of my residence, dedicated to this work will be a good help. 

All the usual tech support and the facilities will be good. Come to think of it why not also have all modern IT ones. For instance, some help in filing returns, etc.

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

It is indeed so funny: people do not want me anymore! They want my experience of 45+ years; but in the body of a 35 year old person!!! Ha! Ha! How self-deluding that is!!! Give me a day or give me 300 days: I can still guide them how to do things, the way they should be done. But no!!! They will still experiment with an inexperienced 30 year old.

Oh let them be! That is not issue here. Right now it is something much more personal and demanding.

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

Don’t worry I have so much to do, which I could not or did not do earlier. Bridge. Chess. Carrom. Walk. Gardening. Reading. Listening to music? I must keep myself busy: that is the need of the hour, the need of the day, the need of the night.

We should have a lot of games, indoor games. all of which can be paid for by the players. Would we not have done it, while living in our old Society building? These games do not cost much, Card games may lead to disagreements, arguments, but we can evolve a system, to avoid them and let the game to continue.

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

I can gaze out of my window in the day time, and watch the traffic go buy: small cars, big cars, trucks and buses, all moving so slowly, you can even read their number plates! Yes, I may not need a telescope for that. But motor cycles and scooters go on struggling on the roads. And watch the younger people trying to cross the road.

Talking of telescopes, yes, there is another idea for such a place. Have a private and a mini “observatory” to gaze at the stars. This does not cost much; just someone with the knowledge of the skies can take you to the skies.

What will I do, when I have no one to joke with, no one to taunt, no one to bully, no one to bully me, no one to bicker with???? Life has come a full circle: I started alone and I am now all alone.

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

Painting is another thing I can take up. For this all I need is some paint and paper and an easel.  Who know I might even hold my own solo exhibition; and sell my paintings. I may not become rich, for none of the old painters ever did in their life time – barring one or two. But the owners of the paintings, and their great-great children have become millionaires with those paintings. I am not boasting, but I cannot foretell the cost of a painting a hundred years from now. Of, course, I will ensure that the materials I do use  for those paintings will last that long!

The same may not be said of photography; but is also something that can be very enjoyable and help people pass their long hours. Perhaps, I may land up taking portraits of my neighbours, and selling them, too! Naah! Methinks, I will give them for free.  

I am sure there will be a few who will have their own cars, just for sake of owning them as they done for some time. For many people, a car is like a relative! I may not like to drive on these badly congested roads, these days. But it would be nice I could some driving within the compound! And maybe nearby, too. There are people who have held their Driving Licences well past their mid-eighties. And hence, as long as the Driving License is valid, all such large compounds should have some car driving spaces.

And we can have “Treasure Hunts”, too. These can be designed with minimum fuss and no climbing of trees or any major exertion. Not only the joy of a surprise, but also the mental fun of unravelling the clues will definitely bring about a welcome atmosphere at such a place housing us oldies.

People like to buy things. Just simple things. So have a convenient shop, “convenios” on the site, depending upon the numbers of people there. Or, have a moving truck coming in on fixed timings, bringing in all that the campus wants, and more. For, remember, the eternal marketing rule: “supply also creates the demand”! If I see something nicely displayed, I am more likely to buy it, whether it is an essential item for me, or not!!!!

Is such a place for old people to reside in a home or a hotel? One should consider it as a hotel in the sense that all the facilities you need are provided for, at costs of course, without your having to do those things. Like going out to buy vegetable and cook them; or ironing your clothes after washing them. All those facilities are provided by the maintenance people without my direct and working involvement. And that is why I am here in the first place. For, it is my home that I have paid for, and, I will come here to stay permanently, till I go out carried away by four people, feet first! Or, is it head first?

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

There will be a good chance of making new friends. At the same time, many of the members other may not want to make new friends at this stage in their lives. I will not challenge that; but will not depend upon that to make my own life worth living here in such a place where nice old people reside. There are so many other things to do.

There can be many Round Table Discussions – without generating any steam! Many important topics a can be discussed threadbare; and the suggestions can be written and published. We old folks may have retired, but we certainly not tired.

Talking and talks can be also by other motivational speakers coming for a visit. To begin with, there will be many amongst us with diverse experience and exposure; and having enough knowledge to talk about our work. It will be indeed fascinating to listen to them.  

I am fond of reading. I have my own books. But a library in the campus will be ideal. It does not have to be large one; and maybe just a Reading Room. Who knows I might donate my own collection of books to it!

Not just us old folks, but many others have started liking those old films and songs of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, too. A good Home Theatre to screen these will be an added advantage.

The Home Theatre can have a small Recording Studio for this. There is also a chance that I might like to record my own thoughts. It may not matter if no one listens; but my work will be done. We also learnt so much history from so many unknown peoples who had left their thoughts just like that!!!! So let me some ‘history’ leave behind.

And so, what do I do in the interregnum?

Maybe I might just want someone to be around all the time! Not for any physical help or need, just an emotional feeling that there is another human being still around me.

Whatever may be said, I will still need a companion, a friend,  well-wisher to tell me if my shirt matches my trousers, and vice versa, or that the shirt buttons have been rightly put, or my T-Shirt collar is steady or my belt is not missing any loop in my pants and that the fly of trousers is closed! Okay! Okay! We now have Bermuda shorts, and most old men wear them; and they neither need a belt nor they have any fly in the front!!! A companion coming and going to smile at; and to be smiled back at, too.

Since physical travel is too exhausting with all the long waiting at the airports, so many forms to be filled, visas and passports and what not,  and the cramped aeroplanes, I am happy to look at the world from my computer. I can watch that any time; I can pause, and I can enlarge the photos, and zoom in on the right point.

Airplanes can be dirty; they are never washed, only sprayed clean every day. That is not clean enough for me. So that form of travel is out. Let me stay happily on terra firma.

As has been said, “Time Past and Time Future are both present in Time Present”. I would like to modify that by saying the “Time Present Is Always Present in Time Present”. The past was nice, with so many good memories; but we cannot survive in the present with just those memories. The future is unknow; even the best of astrologers have never been able to foretell their own health or passing away. Hence, let us live, and happily, and with contentment, and with gratitude in this present. For, we will not get any other chance to do so, the “after life” and the rebirth in the next life notwithstanding. For, we do not know what the morrow will bring: the form of “after life” or the rebirth are not issues of today. So, in today, let us enjoy loving our todays.

Thus a place providing good “Senior Living” will need to look into providing not only good health facilities, good food but also numerous and vastly varied activities and facilities like reading, indoor games, treasure hunts, driving, housie or bingo or tambola, to name a few, to help time pass by in an interesting and leisurely manner.

A good place for what used to be called “an old-age home” of then, a project for “senior citizens”, or what is now increasingly being called, “Senior Living” will have to be a first-class building with seven-star facilities, and yet be a nice and a simple home to us oldies.

Now I do not have to worry about what to do in the interregnum: the whole world is my oyster within the ambience of my home I will now spend the rest of my life in.

Zafar Iqbal