Getting around limitations

Glenn Harper

Gloria Towne | All Around Towne Photography

I learned a new term this week — life-size. It doesn’t refer to a 2D poster, or cut-out image of a person at 1 to 1 scale, but the extent to which your life extends beyond your body, both in terms of the territory you travel in the physical world, and the extent and effect of your interpersonal and social relationships. 

We start out our lives with a very limited footprint limited to our home and family for the most part, then gradually we walk and bike our way into a wider world of our neighborhoods and schools. At last, we get a car and have the freedom of motion in the world that brings.

As we progress in our professional and social development, our life-size can grow to literally span continents and we can affect hundreds, thousands or even millions, depending on the level of fame and fortune we reach. Certainly the life-size we have at 45 dwarfs the one from which we began life’s journey. 

At a certain point, our physical and mental powers diminish, often accompanied with downsizing of our roles in life. No longer connected to our professional community, kids moved out, other family living in distant locales, friends moving or dying, our life-size shrinks to an alarmingly small remnant. This can be hard to reconcile with the image we built of ourselves over the decades we spent in our working lives. 

Mobility is vitally important in finding new and meaningful ways to show up in the world after our roles as breadwinners and/or parents have subsided. We must find new communities and establish new relationships, or risk being isolated and suffering the mental and physical health consequences that go along with loneliness, such as: 

 Physical changes

Triggers physiological wear-and-tear, significantly raising the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease,and stroke. 

Impairs the body's natural defense mechanisms, making you more vulnerable to infections and illnesses. 

Increases the risk of premature death, carrying a greater risk factor than obesity. 

Disrupts natural sleep cycles, which directly contributes to higher rates of Type 2 diabetes and chronic fatigue. (1)

Mental, cognitive consequences 

Strongly linked to the onset and worsening of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), severe anxiety and suicidal ideation. (2)

Depriving the brain of social interaction speeds up cognitive decay, increasing the likelihood of developing dementia. (3) 

Isolated individuals frequently turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with emotional distress, creating a compounding cycle of addiction and further isolation. (4)

Sustained isolation creates a behavioral loop where individuals start avoiding social interactions entirely and experience relief only when canceling plans. (5)

Often, we lose the ability to drive, which can limit our options in staying connected to the larger community. Intercity Transit offers many services of value on their website, including Dial-A-Lift and accommodations for wheelchairs and other assistive equipment. Here is a partial list of other area transportation resources: 

American Service MediCar: 360-352-0342 
American Cancer Society: 800-227-2345  
Around the Sound: 253-858-7088  
Catholic Community Services Volunteer Transportation: 844-851-9380  
Horizon Medical Transportation: 360-491-6983  
Kaiser Permanente Medicare Transport: 844-299-6230  
Lacey Veterans Services Hub: 360-456-3850  
Medstar Transportation: 800-236-2011  
Nisqually Transit: 360-456-5236  
Senior Services for South Sound: 360-586-6181 ext. 128 

Mobility can also be restricted by bodily limitations. It can be quite an adjustment to go out in public with a cane, walker or wheelchair for the first time. However, it is of great importance to general well-being to keep the body moving, and the mind and heart engaged with the larger community.

Too often, pain, discomfort or just tiredness can induce a sort of inertia in which we move less and less, making us less capable of movement and increasing our risk of falls and the negative effects listed above. 

It may be that our physical condition makes physical travel impossible or impractical. Although there is a lot of resistance to technology in some circles, it can be a lifesaver in expanding our life-size by bringing the world to us virtually. Most of us learned about Zoom during the pandemic and discovered it can provide real-time, face-to-face conversations on our digital screens. 

GetSetUp is entirely free for seniors in Washington. The Washington State Aging Network has partnered with the platform to provide free virtual classes, tech support, and social events for older adults.  

The program offers classes that are specifically designed for and taught by older adults. Topics include technology basics (Zoom, smartphones, and email), health, fitness, finance and hobbies.  

To take advantage of this free access, visit the Washington State GetSetUp Portal to create an account and sign up for classes.  

Glenn Harper provides support in aging and end of life. He is Chair of the Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council and board member of the Senior Action Network. He facilitates several free Death Cafe and Elderhood Roundtable gatherings in the area where Elders are invited to talk about difficult topics in a nonjudgmental space. Learn more about these events here.