Does anyone feel old and useless with age?

Aah, it can't be that bad.
As my Dad always said "I'm still on the right side of the dirt!" Yes, today, after 11 consecutive days of physical labor and just taking yesterday off, "everything hurts" - and I'm about to make it worse by going to PT for 2 bad shoulders, then coming home to mow lawn.
But I'm sitting across the table from my spouse of 53 years, exchanging remarks as we work on our computers. Yesterday I got to celebrate the 9th birthday of one of my two miracle grandchildren, and plan our first adventure for after school gets out on Friday. Next week we have a dear friend coming to visit for a few days. Life is good.

I'm 79 and I take a few pain relievers like gabapentin and CBG oil from hemp and an antidepressant, so I feel pretty good. I hope you are seeing your doctor often and searching for pain remedies. Having a purpose and/or goals in life can help with tolerating pain as part of aging. Wishing you well.

I feel the same way..... Big Hugs

I think it is easy to have down days when everything gets to you. Some days the sun just seems brighter and there is something to look forwards to, those are good days. As we get older, personally I find that having too much time on my hands is not a good thing. Too many things hurt, both physically and mentally! I've taken up knitting again, just very basic baby blankets to donate to somebody, it's relaxing and has a purpose. My eyesight is going too. I pick easy patterns that can hide mistakes! I do think there is a lot to be said for helping others, in whatever way you can. I've been wondering about volunteering at the local school, listening to children read or something. I used to do that when my children were in school, hope they still allow volunteering! It is hard not to feel out of touch and not wanted, I feel the same way a lot. My kids have productive lives and don't need me much, that's a compliment, but it has a downside lol. They both live far away, in different states, but it is what it is. As a stay at home mom, who had a couple of jobs, but not a career, I do find myself wondering what it was all about. I can answer all the jeopardy questions on cooking!!! Is that gonna be my obituary?!!! I am sorry you are going through a rough patch. When all else fails to lift my mood, I putter in the garden for half an hour. It's astonishing how dead heading a few plants, pruning or pulling a weed or two feels productive. It works every time to make me feel better. Even having a bird feeder and keeping it stocked and enjoying watching the birds is rewarding. They depend on you! Finding joy in the small things has become my motto as I get older, I hope you can find something that is within your capabilities that you can enjoy each day. You may be older, but you are NOT useless!

I'm hopping aboard this discussion; it's one where either you laugh or cry and I have to admit at different points along the past 6 months since being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma I've done a little of both! Right now, I'm into the happier portion but I think a lot of that has to do with re-entering volunteering within the community. My 10 year old pet therapy dog I'd taken to the local children's hospital for 8 years died after a brief illness a few months before my diagnosis; I subsequently got a new pup I was in the midst of training when I had to start treatment and - WHEW - that was a lot to handle at once! However, it all paid off as once I became acclimated to my immunotherapy, Lexi hit her one year mark and completed her therapy certification process, we're going to start as a therapy team soon for a local hospice organization. And I'm finally feeling up to traveling again, but giving in to my need for more frequent rest periods when I do.

Just as I've learned to do with facets of my condition, I've got to give myself grace with new technologies -- although it's frustrating. Just yesterday as I was attempting to do a simple matter of changing channels on the TV, I apparently selected the wrong one of the THREE remotes we have for the ONE TV and somehow screwed up the entire system! I found myself actually longing for the days of having to get up, walk to the TV and turn the dial to change to one of the maybe 3 networks to choose from!

Last time I went to the local library, I almost cried for the card catalog....my youngest son had no idea what I was talking about.

I agree, TV remotes can be confusing. I had given some thought to volunteering with a grass roots political group about a year ago to help them get out the vote, but my social anxiety regarding my pre-cancerous and cancerous skin decided against that. I’ve become a quasi-recluse depending how I feel that week about my skin issues. As I might have said on the Melanoma and Skin Cancer thread, I’m convinced that my Mohs surgery almost two years ago opened up decades of repression about an early age PTSD of some sort that has come back to bite me on the backside.
Card catalogs in library no longer exist? Really? Technology is radically changing life. Some day I see AI taking over moving pictures, no more flesh and blood actors and actresses, and I won’t even start about the thought of being in a driverless car. My oldest daughter (who is in her early 40s) is in a supervisory position with a large financial institution, and she has hired people in their early 20s who she says can’t even write in cursive, which is making her feeling old.

I live this conversation. I’m 82 and for several months felt exhausted. So started a round of seeing drs. No answers yet. I’m trying to learn to enjoy my resting times. And looking deeper spiritually

Seems like a good plan that's working for you. I'm taking 20 mg of Lexapro. I'm not sure it's working as well as I would like. I had better results with Prozac, but then it stopped working.
May I ask what type of antidepressant you're taking?

I read all the comments and frankly I feel flabbergasted. I am 90 years old and I am fine. Really. I only take two medications, both of them for high blood pressure. I do have extreme depression due to the fact that I lost my husband almost 4 years ago. We were together for 62 years and there are many times I do not want to go on, but I do. I live an independent life. Everyone seems astonished that I still drive. This makes me angry. There is nothing wrong with me so why shouldn't I drive? And after observing how others drive, I have come to the conclusion that I am a safer driver. But I didn't arrive here in a vacuum. For a great many years I was a race walker. Wore out a hip and had to have it replaced. I also ate a healthy diet. No one told me to do these things, they just seemed good to me. Now I reap the rewards.

I take 150 mg Venlafaxine, also known as Effexor. It seems to work the best for anxiety. I have tried others but I always come back to it. It does have the side effect of numbing my sexual drive and the pleasure of sex, but then so do the others I have tried. My partner is more of a companion so we don't get that intimate anyway.