As I mentioned earlier, growing older with my disability was not something I thought about until recently. I was young, 29 years old, at the time of my spinal cord injury and my body was able to compensate for some of my disability. Because of this, I didn’t follow the advice of my physical therapist, who had outlined a regimen of exercises for me to follow when I was discharged from the hospital so many years ago. Those exercises would have slowed down the effect of my disability as I grew older. It wasn’t until recently that I fully understood growing older with a disability. I also discovered that while it was too late for me to go back 25 years and do my physical therapy, it was still possible for me to start exercising now – which could help ease the process of aging with my disability as well as improve my overall health. Knowing this, I started exercising more often and now I exercise every day I can.
Thinking about growing older with a disability led me to information on how growing older will impact other areas of my life such as driving. I love to drive but lately I’ve noticed my vision, reaction times, and even my thinking have slowed down. Realizing this I am beginning to become more cautious than I normally am while driving. Because I have a reputation as a fast, reckless driver, I jokingly tell my family that I’m losing my nerve. After reading the University of Michigan Driving Decisions Workbook, I realize what is happening to me is normal -- I just have to make the proper adjustments in my driving style.
The Driving Decisions Workbook is very helpful because it offers practical solutions to many problems older drivers face. The workbook encourages you to have your eyes checked regularly. It also mentions how our brains "slow down" as we age. This results in the inability to do two things at once, such as keeping track of your driving speed and what other cars are doing at the same time. In addition, as your body ages, it loses some of its flexibility or muscle strength and this slows down your reaction time. The workbook offers solutions to these and other problems that are age-related. You can download this workbook free at
www.umtri.umich.edu/library/pdf/2000-14.pdf.
There are many options for older persons with disabilities to improve the quality of their lives and to enable them to live as independently as they can for as long as possible.
However, in order to live independently people must to assess their needs, plan and set up the necessary services to meet those needs, advocate for those needs and find a way that they can access cost-effective social and health services. As a person with a disability becomes older, he/she should make it a point to become aware of programs and agencies that have free material on the subject and provide related services.
I feel much better after doing research on growing older with a disability. I know the proper exercises to do, the proper foods to eat and the proper precautions to take when taking medication. As a result, I am adjusting my lifestyle accordingly. However, the most important thing I learned was having a good attitude toward growing older. The Creator has bestowed many blessings on me throughout my lifetime and I do not think he will quit doing so now. With that in mind, I look forward to enjoying the next 30 or so years of my life.
Aging Links