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Now available: No. 21!
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Something to enjoy with all your senses: getting older! (Part 1/3)
The ability to communicate is the basis of all social interaction and of involvement in social life. Hearing and sight problems can have grave consequences. They are frequently the cause of insecurity, withdrawal from social life, loneliness, isolation or even depression and can thus considerably reduce quality of life. Moreover, those affected are often cut off from modern methods of communication for long-distance contact, such as telephone, video, and Internet, as it is much more difficult to use them with hearing or visual difficulties. Identifying these problems swiftly, correctly judging their severity and correcting them if possible, for instance with a hearing aid or glasses, can make getting older far simpler and more enjoyable.
For a long time, we thought that old age was the time when we sit back and relax and finally have time for family, friends and hobbies and to enjoy life. Yet if we are to believe the many books on this subject, getting old is no walk in the park. They generally provide tips on how to maintain mobility, on dealing with health problems, sources of help and support, and warn about limitations, dangers and loneliness. You can easily get a disquieting feeling just from reading them. And the worried looks of the GP, the well-meant advice of our own children, the grand children’s admonitions to take more care or dubious compliments along the lines of “Who’d have thought you could still do that at your age?!” generally do not make anyone feel better. Thus we finally come to realize that perhaps it isn’t so much fun getting old after all. Many people counter this fear by saying that it depends on one’s attitude and what one makes of old age. They are right, but that’s not all there is to it!
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