The Science of Aging Well: How Your Beliefs Affect Your Health
![Patient using walker for knee rehab, a Personal Story.]()
First, the Ankle
Like many baby boomers, I participated in many sports and served in the military. For the most part, other than some incidental injuries, I made it to my ‘60’s’ and felt I would be able to continue to be active as I approached retirement and whatever followed. Well, my body answered very strongly “no way.” First, my right ankle that I had badly sprained in a YMCA pickup game while in college began to give me fits . . . sometimes just putting any weight on it was excruciating. I tried dozens of braces, inserts, shoes designed to lessen the impact, etc. Nothing seemed to work. Finally, just prior to officially retiring from my employer, I sought an expert. I was extremely unhappy with the recommendation which involved “fusing” the ankle with a series of screws. They even warned that it would also affect my other leg since one has to compensate for the lack of ankle movement. Well, to cut to the chase, just over two years ago I asked for another referral and ended up at the University of Iowa surgical center talking to the surgeon about my concerns about how “fusing” would affect my quality of life. Luckily, he and his staff thought I would be a “challenging case” but agreed to perform the surgery. Ankle replacements are not very common, the rehabilitation is lengthy, but just short of two years later I walk with no pain.
Next, the Knee
Another injury, this one my left knee, which I initially injured while in college started to become more debilitating. Although the knee handled a lengthy military service of almost 31 years and years of jogging and road races, again, as I progressed through my mid-60’s, it also became more problematic and interfered with my love of being out on our acreage and our international travel. Again, I sought a referral, and was accepted for a total left knee replacement. That surgery occurred just two weeks from this write up, and I am well into recovery.
Why this personal health story?
Well, my hope is that you will understand, as you will likely have your own stories to tell in the future. The bumps and bruises from ones youth often manifest themselves as we age. I was never very good at seeking medical treatment following most of the bumps and bruises through the years. I was the king of self-diagnosis and rehabilitation. Likely if I had sought medical appropriate medical treatment and rehabilitation, the degenerative effects of abuse and self-denial would have been greatly lessened.
The other reason I want to tell this story is that in the discussions with the medical professionals for both my ankle and knee replacements it was mentioned that the average age for these major surgeries was continuing to move to younger ages1. However, I would guess that the rehabilitation will likely be like what I have and am currently involved in . . . months of rehabilitation with professionals, and moving from crutches, to walkers, to use of a cane. Bottom line, even when working from home in post-pandemic workplace, my ability to do my sedentary job was affected. If you are in a work position that requires on-site presence, even planned absences for recovery and rehabilitation may adversely affect your income, even if only in the short term.
Calculating the Financial Risk
My personal disability policies, purchased throughout my career in disability sales expired upon my retirement. However, retirement savings, IRAs, 401k, etc. allowed my wife and me to weather the storm. My question to you is this . . . if you were to miss work for several weeks or months, can you and your family weather the storm? If you are not sure, I would suggest you to an honest and complete analysis of your current assets, debits, and disability benefits you may have through work, and then, if there is a shortfall, take action . . . talk to a professional. A good starting point for this analysis is to complete a data collection process to identify what you have and compare that with what you might need to maintain your lifestyle while disabled. The example shown below demonstrates the shortcoming and suggests and alternative to accepting the risk by yourself.
The Takeaway
There are tremendous resources that you can turn to as you go through this process. The Council for Disability Awareness was created to increase the awareness of the need for the working Americans and to provide tools to both the American consumer and agents and brokers that work in this marketplace. Additionally, your Human Resources office can provide information about the various programs your employer may provide. Many companies augment their group plans with voluntary disability programs, available through payroll deduction. Take the time so you are making conscious decisions that are best for you and those you care for and support.
1Ohio Health and Discovery, Nicholas Greco, MD, June 21, 2023
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