Does anyone feel old and useless with age?

Three of us

@cathyphillips oh yes ! I saw a cute thing on facebook that everytime the kids don’t answer the phone, $100 off the will!!

@mimigirl63 I don't know if I am truly an atheist, but I do know that the religious talk about just giving it to god or your heavenly father loves you and cares for you, is not helpful.

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@sillyblone so true.

To avoid being “useless”, get a reason for tomorrow. Plenty of places to volunteer. Animal shelters need dog walkers and kitten socializers.

My parents taught me well, with "giving back" at the core of their life's mission. So far, I have not felt useless - perhaps because I have been a volunteer all of my life - my earliest memory of volunteering is helping older neighbors when I was perhaps 8 years old.
An aging body has not changed serving others, but it has changed how. Here are a few examples:

I can no longer sew for others for hours and hours, but I can teach others how to do it. And I can share my wealth of fabrics and supplies instead of hoarding them. Yesterday a home schooling Mom "shopped" in my sewing room for fabric and supplies to teach 5 to 11 year old kids in their coop how to sew. And I shared some ideas for the simplest ways to do it successfully.

I can no longer pull buckthorn and plant trees as a volunteer Master Gardener. But I can plant and tend a raised garden at the local Memory Care facility, and spend time visiting with the residents about their garden memories. And I can staff a question and answer booth at a community event, encouraging new gardeners and sharing local resources.

At our community art gallery I cannot climb ladders to hang heavy work, or paint the walls, but I can staff the desk, clean the kitchen, teach a random class, and greet visitors.

Finally, when illness confined me to my couch for two years, I found Mayo Connect. As I learned more about my condition, I began to help others navigate the rare condition I live with.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't so "useful" - my calendar doesn't have many do nothing days on it!

@mimi -- Respectfully disagree with you, M.

I think there are many employers that will hire seniors. Just depends on your clean criminal background check; previous job experience; interview skills; presentation; personal fit with the company's goals, services or products; your schedule availability; basic knowledge of PCs; appearance; distance from the job; available transportation; mental sharpness; energy; social and get-a-long ability to deal with other employees and customers of ALL ages; positive nature... and a HUGE FACTOR:

Whether the employer is convinced that you're not likely to leave within the first six months.

So... don't give up trying. If you put your mind to it, and REALLY want it, I believe you can find a job that you feel you're gonna enjoy working at.

Please keep us posted.

All the best!

/LarryG

@mimigirl63 Young teens need you desperately. Find a way to volunteer. If you need a job and don't have skills, look into micro-credential opportunities. Learn a little Python and get a free Claude account and Strat writing code.

I’m sad to hear your S is so rude to you. My kids are generally pretty kind and nice to be around, though I do have to remind them sometimes to help around the house when they visit—put their dishes in dishwasher & let me know if they need my car.

They do try to find ways to help us. D made a flyer for my big event in September. She came with us to a few of H’s md appts to get a better idea of what’s going on either H’s health.

S and D are trying to help us resolve the fraudulent charges that were made on H’s Amazon account—it takes a village!

We had S come with us to meet CPA, so they know each other, since S will be our financial POA if we need it.

All in all, we are aging OK. I’m H’s memory because his short term memory has gotten horrendous. It’s working, with sone hiccups, invariably.