“Getting old is not for sissies.” I often hear this famous quote by Bette Davis. I see the truth of it. I see people struggling with loss – loss of status, loss of independence, loss of a spouse. I see people living with chronic pain – waking up in pain, going to bed with pain. I see people dealing with an unexpected diagnosis, illness, memory loss, death… But I also see people doing marvelously well, even as they face the challenges of “again”. What makes the difference?

Charles Swindoll’s famous quote comes to mind:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”

Getting old is not for sissies – Do it with the right attitude.

Sr Erika Janutsch: Nursing Manager at The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village

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