Are you prepared?

[Enzian]

A lot is genes. My mother died 89, my father smoked for 40 years (quit at 60) never exercised, was overweight all the time after 40, and lived to 93. But his quality of life the last few years was terrible, and that is a big reason to exercise; it may or may not make you live longer, but there's less chance of spending your final years as a zombie.

I'm 80 now and I do think if one is going to be outside one's home country it is best to have a live-in woman at this age. My previous bee-ach didn't work out, but Fortune threw a new one at me right away, and while I don't feel very romantic about her, there is lots of mutual respect so it works. And this one spends much less, a plus.

I have a friend 77 living alone, almost unable to walk, I visit 2 times a week. I can't fix him, but I can be there. He has a fall almost every week, alone, so it's a constant object lesson.

 

[Max69xl]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:29 AM, BritManToo said:

Walking 10Km/day on the flat isn't that much exercise, is probably the answer.

There's also a genetic propensity for old age as well.

 

But at 76 you need to expect death at any time.

I'm 64, cycle 20Km/day, hike in the mountains often ...... doubt I'll make 70, none of my family do.

 

Did have a pal that had strokes from age 60, Dave2 on this forum, he died age 70 in his bed.

So it's not the end for you quite yet.

 

Walking 10km/day in a steady pace is more than anyone needs. After ~7,500 steps (use a pedometer) = ~6km, it won't do you much good in terms of trying to reach an old age. The curve flattens after ~7,500 steps. But if you're going for better condition, then you must go further than 6-7km/day.  

[Max69xl]

There are actually quite many nursing homes here and there in Thailand for Thai people and foreigners. There are at least 8 in Pattaya, maybe more. I haven't got a clue about the cost,though, and how it works. 

[Nemises]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:00 AM, Spaniel said:

So, my question?   Particularly directed to those staying alone.   Should a stroke, heart attack etc. happen to you while alone have you made any plans to seek help?  I do not have any answers to this so hopefully others will have some helpful replies,

My answer... 1/ live in a condo with a 24hr reception desk and 2/ have plenty of quickly- contactable female friends. They need not be gf’s, just friends that live nearby and preferably have a car. You keep them happy with birthday gifts etc.

 

I have 2 nurses, among others  “on my books”. Both are genuine friends only. I always remember their birthdays and bring them gifts from abroad (before & hopefully after Covid) when I return from holidays. In return I always get instant responses from both whenever I message them. Hope this is helpful. 

[rumak]

18 hours ago, rumak said:

 

Maybe when hell freezes over .     "Dad,  it already has.   They named it Canada"  !

oops.   i was just joking about how cold much of Canada is for 6 months or more/year.

 

not intending to suggest Canada is hell  ????     My daughter has been there for 15 years,  worked a

bit in the US as well.    She informs me that living in Canada is sooooo much less stressful and aggressive than the dysfunctional neighbor to the south.  

 

[rumak]

30 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

There are at least 8 in Pattaya, maybe more.

suuuuure !   but when i wheeled myself in there they all told me " short time only " 

 

whats the world coming to ???????? 

[wwest5829]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:39 AM, BritManToo said:

...... about 200Kcals according to Strava.

Anything less than 1,000Kcals is hardly worth the effort IMHO.

Not debating but it is other than just calories. I had been walking about 4km, on the flat in a local park. 1 km x 4 loops but it was holding a steady 6.7 Kph pace (if I recall correctly). For me, it was a matter of getting the heart rate up a tad.

[hobobo]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:54 AM, nikmar said:

I think about this as Im mid 50s now. Really never expected to be in Thailand this long. 

An aquaintence of mine died alone in his room a few years back and I wonder about his last moments.

I have this unnerving vision of keeling over, clutching my chest and my darling wife smiling and standing on my throat.

Kick the wifey out and move your mia noi in her place!

[BigStar]

On 8/8/2020 at 11:09 AM, bodga said:

Yep makes you wonder why bother with any exercise, I  think some people are  just prone to it whatever. No  history of heart problems in my Family Dad dead at 86 Mother  still alive at 92

Up 2 u. Maybe you can do nothing and equal or beat their record. Me, I prefer to hedge my bets. 

[flexomike]

On 8/8/2020 at 11:10 AM, KarenBravo said:

I think the 50's are a dangerous age. Any undetected defects like heart conditions, aneurysms etc. seem to hit at that age. After that, most fatal conditions develop.

 

"Getting old is not for pussies"

Katharine Hepburn. 

who wants an old pussy?

 

[Tony125]

On 8/10/2020 at 9:56 AM, Pravda said:

I'm looking at some of my relatives in Canada who lived unhealthy lives, didn't much care about taking care of themselves and some even continued smoking after a stroke. All are still alive and well and are pushing 80.

 

Some people are fooling themselves about Thailand if they think the quality of healthcare here is great even with the awesome health insurance that they have. 

 

Of course not everyone is lucky to have a Canadaian passport and the older I get the more I appreciate it. 

Your post is a little dumb.  How is your Canadian Passport and superior health care doing for you right now? You can't even get there in a hurry if something happened to you now because of Covid lockdown of flights. I have been active all my life from National classed runner, Martial arts practioner, and general sports. When I retired and moved here got lazy/fat had a heart attack.  Wife had a neighbor help me into our car and drove me to Vibhavadi Hospital (private) which is nearest hospital like 11 mins away. Orderlies carried me from car to exam room, Dr' s said " we have to operate now your heart stopping."  I had Angioplasty done , fully recovered and got back into exercise, less junk food, more fish , veggies/fruits.  Am a lot better conditon 6 years latter than when I had the attack..

The best hospital in US or Canada/Britain can't do anything for you if you have a stroke/heart attack here. 

[abrahamzvi]

On 8/8/2020 at 11:29 AM, Sheryl said:

From what I see on this board, quite a few expats are completely unprepared both in terms of being able to afford medical care and in terms of support systems.

 

Many rely on the assumption that they will die young and suddenly. both assumptions quite likely to be wrong.

 

People live a lot longer today than in the past and ages at which others in your family died are nto the best indication.   My mother just turned 90 although her mother died in her 50's and her father in his late 60's. My aunt is 88, her mother died in her early 40's and her father, in his early 70's.

 

It is an extremely bad idea to count on not living to an old age and nto needing medical care and in-home assistance.

 

 

 

 

How right you are!!

[Mick501]

Kcals walking is simply a function of weight and distance traveled.  For say 70kg person walking or running 10km would equate to fought 600kcal.   If you are only riding 20km I'll make the assumption there are no serious hills included.   You would burn far less than by walking 10km.

[BritManToo]

51 minutes ago, Mick501 said:

Kcals walking is simply a function of weight and distance traveled.  For say 70kg person walking or running 10km would equate to fought 600kcal.   If you are only riding 20km I'll make the assumption there are no serious hills included.   You would burn far less than by walking 10km.

Cycling 10Km on the flat = 150Kcals

I do it every morning and ever evening making a total of 20Km and 300Kcals.

[Spaniel]

9 hours ago, Mangkhut said:

Walking 10 kms a day is quite a lot for 76 year old person imo. It equals 6 km/h for 1 hour and 40 minutes, which I doubt many 76 year old is able to hold. Anyhow....

 

How about blood pressure, blood sugar, cholestrol etc etc? How about diet, lots of sugar and fast carbs? Those are more important factors then exercising....
 

And remember that even persons that exercises a lot, have a healthy diet and normal main monitored levels of blood pressure, cholestrol, blood sugar etc etc - get strokes and heart attacks. Nobody can secure themselves from any diseases. Nothing last forever, and everything has an end.

 

The most surprising with this story is that a 76 year old person got surprised that he got a stroke....

Thank you for your reply and will try to answer your questions.

Since having the stroke 5 months ago I have not been able to get back up to 1o km per day.   Two months ago wife and I started back to walking in the evenings but for now best I can do is 1 km  per day.

 

Diagnosed with HB pressure about 3 years back and on BP medication , Hyzaar

 

Blood sugar ok and chol on the high side but still within the ok range.

 

Why was it so surprising that a 76 y/o (actually I was 75, just turned 76 in July) had a stroke?

I will tell you why, and I am speaking only about  myself.    Prior to this stroke I had never had any serious illness, during my working career I believe I only missed a few days work over many years, I have been truely blessed with good health!    So, that is why I was a bit surprised when I had a stroke.   Please post again if you need any more clarification.

[Spaniel]

6 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Walking 10km/day in a steady pace is more than anyone needs. After ~7,500 steps (use a pedometer) = ~6km, it won't do you much good in terms of trying to reach an old age. The curve flattens after ~7,500 steps. But if you're going for better condition, then you must go further than 6-7km/day.  

I walk because I enjoy walking especially with my wife.   We hold hands, laugh and sometimes, when we feel no one is watching, even kiss!    I have been blessed not only with lifelong good health but also a rather youthful appearance.   When I told neighbors my age they all accused me of lying!     We laugh a lot and enjoy simple things.    

[NightSky]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:54 AM, nikmar said:

I think about this as Im mid 50s now. Really never expected to be in Thailand this long. 

An aquaintence of mine died alone in his room a few years back and I wonder about his last moments.

 

At the end of the day we all will pass alone whether someone else is in the same room or not is irrelevant. We all eventually still pass alone and go back to the light!

 

With that said I often wonder what would happen (at any age) if i fell down the steps and my wife was away for a few days visiting her relatives. I could be stuck for days or dead.

 

Remember the emergency services number is 191 I think?

 

[IAMHERE]

On 8/7/2020 at 11:31 PM, KarenBravo said:

I think Trump is the poster boy for unhealthy life-style not being rigidly connected to longevity.

No exercise to speak of and a junk-food diet and he's seventy-four.

 

Doesn't drink alchohol either.

But great TF to turn the topic to politics; never pass up a chance to slam Trump.

Edited August 11, 2020 by IAMHERE
to add sarcasm.

[saakura]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:50 AM, 4MyEgo said:

he has 6 kids ranging from 2 to 16, he is 73, yes 73, had a stroke about a year ago, still goes to the local everynight as he lives around the corner, kids usually his 3 young daughters, 6-8-12 wheel him in and wheel him out, left side is shot, his younger wife is never around and I would imagine if he lives any longer his kids won't be doing what they are doing now.

Irresponsible idiot, another example of why educated Thais detest such farangs married to poor women here. He needs to be castrated before he gets her pregnant again.

[KarenBravo]

36 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Doesn't drink alchohol either.

But great TF to turn the topic to politics; never pass up a chance to slam Trump.

Slamming Trump on this thread? Where? Point it out.

[Mick501]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Cycling 10Km on the flat = 150Kcals

I do it every morning and ever evening making a total of 20Km and 300Kcals.

Many variables with cycling that Strava can't take in to account.  A Quality road surface equates to less friction, but even more importantly is the quality of the bike.  A 3000b hybrid from big c will take a lot more energy than a high end road bike, where 10km will pass on the flat without the least exertion.  

 

Strava  a for bikes is useful for comparing against your own previous efforts, but not much more.  Walking or running on the other hand is simply weight X distance travelled, and perhaps slightly modified for in

inclines.

Edited August 11, 2020 by Mick501

[BigStar]

6 hours ago, Spaniel said:

Why was it so surprising that a 76 y/o (actually I was 75, just turned 76 in July) had a stroke? . . .  Prior to this stroke I had never had any serious illness, during my working career

But for 3 years you'd had high blood pressure and had resorted to medication. I'd call that a warning sign. People taking BP medication still have a higher risk of stroke than people who don't need any, which says much for prevention. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924927/, Again, was it not possible to control it naturally? (Maybe not, just asking.)

 

6 hours ago, Spaniel said:

chol on the high side but still within the ok range.

On the high side doesn't sound that great, possibly going on for years, but we need to know the LDL, HDL, and triglyceride figures. That trigylceride/HDL ratio is quite important: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664115/.

 

[4MyEgo]

12 hours ago, saakura said:

Irresponsible idiot, another example of why educated Thais detest such farangs married to poor women here. He needs to be castrated before he gets her pregnant again.

Agree, too late as his last kid who is 2 looks totally different to his other white kids if you know what I mean, a touch darker, actually a lot darker if you know what I mean, that said I don't believe he can perform due to his current condition which might be a blessing in disguise. 

[bbabythai]

On 8/8/2020 at 10:29 AM, BritManToo said:

Walking 10Km/day on the flat isn't that much exercise,

<deleted>.... 10km walking is heaps of exercise. What are you talking about

[Spaniel]

9 hours ago, BigStar said:

But for 3 years you'd had high blood pressure and had resorted to medication. I'd call that a warning sign. People taking BP medication still have a higher risk of stroke than people who don't need any, which says much for prevention. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924927/, Again, was it not possible to control it naturally? (Maybe not, just asking.)

 

On the high side doesn't sound that great, possibly going on for years, but we need to know the LDL, HDL, and triglyceride figures. That trigylceride/HDL ratio is quite important: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2664115/.

 

Thank you for your post and concern about my  health but OP is about those living alone being prepared for emergency, not my health.   Please, everyone, lets stay on topic.  

 

Note:    HDL has been for years between 80 and and 98.   When I said high I l meant high end of acceptable range.

Edited August 12, 2020 by Spaniel

[Enzian]

49 minutes ago, bbabythai said:

<deleted>.... 10km walking is heaps of exercise. What are you talking about

Of course, half of it is that you're just not sitting.

[BigStar]

1 hour ago, Spaniel said:

Thank you for your post and concern about my  health but OP is about those living alone being prepared for emergency, not my health. 

That was part of the OP. The other part and major theme recurring throughout is your "surprise." So that needs to be addressed as well, you see. Obviously, NOT being surprised bears directly upon one's preparedness.