A happy, single, semi-retired physician synthesizes a lifetime of medical knowledge and real-life wisdom in this guidebook to maintaining mental and physical well-being and independence in one’s golden years.
The seventy-five year-old author of It’s Down to You is an authority on dementia who enjoys the life of a single senior who is still busy making plans for her future. She’s well-versed in the use of the internet and mobile payments, enjoys travel with friends, and understands how to love herself. Most importantly, she faces the unavoidable fact of aging with a healthy attitude, leveraging her professional knowledge to guard against disease and tackle the problems of aging head on.
Divided into five chapters, the book immediately lays out eight key principles of aging in the first chapter: “Financial Independence”, “Exercise When You’re Well”, “See the Doctor When You’re Sick”, “The Importance of Friends”, “Enjoy Your Own Company”, “Maintain Interest in Your Old Hobbies and Discover New Ones”, “Steer Clear of Mishaps”, and “The Right Attitude”. The entire second chapter is dedicated to the prevention and diagnosis of dementia, summarizing the author’s many decades of professional experience while targeting the needs and concerns of those in the process of aging.
Maintaining physical fitness is, of course, very important to the elderly. In addition to encouraging regular exercise, the third chapter reminds readers to gauge their strength and ability so as to avoid exercise-related injuries. From maintaining the physical body, the fourth chapter turns to the equally, if not more, important topic of adjusting one’s attitude in the later stages of life. Therein, the author provides valuable advice on maintaining a sense of accomplishment and a positive sense of self, dealing with pain and disease, and the benefits of positive thinking for both the body and the mind. The final chapter addresses stroke, anemia, insomnia, and other common conditions experienced by the elderly, using case studies to illustrate which symptoms must be paid attention to, and when to seek the advice of a doctor.
Inclusive of body, mind, and lifestyle, and packed with easily understood examples, It’s Down to You is a comprehensive instruction manual for the later stages of life, from an author who perfectly embodies her message: that life is to be lived fully no matter what your age.