Caring for the Elderly

By "elderly" we mean nothing more than someone who has an advanced case of vitamin MePA deficiency disease. When such an individual begins to take Dr. Aardsma's Vitamin MePA Dietary Supplement, how should his care be managed?

by Gerald Aardsma; November 15, 2018

For thousands of years, care of the elderly has been organized around an acceptance of inevitable decline and death.

Caregiving is like being in a dramatic movie where the inevitable end is already known…

[Dr. Mark Frankel, "5 Stages of Caregiving", http://www.caregiversolutions.ca/caregiving/5-stages-caregiving/, accessed 2018/11/12.]

The advent of vitamin MePA turns care of the elderly on its head. Instead of growing sicker, toward ultimate death, the direction reverses, becoming one of healing, toward ultimate wellness.

While for the elderly, the course of life is reversed, for the caregiver, the organizing principle is reversed. Acceptance of inevitable decline and death must now be eschewed. It is inappropriate and harmful. Caregiving must now be organized around the idea of convalescence, and most importantly, that the convalescence is likely to be protracted.

While the fact of healing is very good news, the rate of healing is still sobering. … It took Noah roughly 12 years of saturation dosing to reverse 1 year of physiological agedness.

[Gerald E. Aardsma, "Aging: Cause and Cure", page 104.]

To cope with protracted convalescence, both the elderly individual and his caregiver must make increasing independence their ever-present goal. Increasing independence rekindles the joy of living for the elderly, and it keeps lightening the load on the caregiver with the passage of time.

Traditionally, as individuals have entered the "sunset years," they have moved from total independence toward total dependence. MePA reverses this. Both the elderly individual and the caregiver must now strive in the opposite direction. Increasing independence is now the goal.

Independence seems critically dependent on three things: 1. responsibility, 2. mobility, and 3. housing.

Responsibility

Nothing should be done for the elderly individual by the caregiver which the elderly individual is able to do for himself. To do for the elderly what he can do for himself will act to keep the elderly individual dependent.

The traditional progression for seniors has been from full time responsibilities within society (e.g., homemaker, job) to loss of such responsibilities (e.g., empty nest, retirement). As a senior became increasingly elderly, even private responsibilities have been set aside (e.g., cleaning house) or taken over by caregivers (e.g., dressing) as physical and mental health declined.

Vitamin MePA reverses this trend. The elderly individual, when appropriately dosing with vitamin MePA, is slowly healing from aging. He will be able, increasingly, to take on new responsibilities. Just as the shouldering of responsibilities is normal and necessary for a dependent teenager in preparation for his departure from the nest, so it is with the elderly individual convalescing from aging.

Mobility

As physical mobility declines, our world shrinks. Has there been a loss of physical mobility? Begin a longterm exercise program designed to increase physical mobility. There are professionals who are eager to help with this. These days, there is even considerable free professional help available via YouTube. Use an exercise bracelet to count the number of steps taken each day, or walk a fixed circuit, going a little further week by week. The goal is to be able to get oneself wherever one needs or wishes to go. Make this a priority. Begin working at it, and keep working at it, however many months or years it may take.

Being overweight can be a serious impediment to mobility. If it is hindering mobility, begin a weight reduction program. In my experience, it is generally necessary to count calories to succeed at this. Fortunately, there are lots of technological aids for counting calories these days, including whole websites devoted to helping with the task. It is not necessary or desirable to drop excess weight in a big hurry. A better strategy, in my opinion, is modest weight loss over a long period of time. Even just half a pound per week will strip away 26 pounds in a year. And you are unlikely to spend much time feeling hungry if you have adjusted your calories to lose just half a pound per week. Get yourself headed in the right direction in a sustainable way, no matter how tiny your steps in the right direction may be, and, ultimately, time will get you where you want to be. MePA is expected to extend life spans by hundreds of years. Why not get weight in line right at the outset and enjoy the benefits long term?

Eventually, mobility will spill over into driving, especially for individuals living in areas lacking public transportation services. Has there been a loss of driving ability? Work to get it back at the earliest opportunity. The goal is to be able to drive oneself wherever one needs or wishes to go. Some years ago, a dear elderly friend, in her nineties, with limited mobility and far from perfect vision, constantly amazed me with her ability to drive herself wherever she wished to go. Once, when pulled over for speeding (NOT recommended at any age!), she got out of the ticket by mentioning sweetly to the officer that driving was the only thing she could do fast anymore! An ability to drive greatly expands the elderly individual's world, while once again reducing the load on the caregiver. It allows the elderly individual to take himself shopping, to the doctor's office, to church, and to visit friends, for example.

Housing

The traditional progression for the elderly has been from their own house or apartment to assisted living (either with a relative or in a senior facility) and finally to a nursing home. Each step in this progression represents further loss of independence. Once again, this traditional progression needs to be reversed.

Pulling up roots and relocating is not easy at any age, but, from what I have seen, it seems to be especially difficult for the elderly. For this reason, a great deal of deliberation is warranted prior to any change in housing for the elderly. If the elderly individual is happy where he is, then wisdom says to leave well enough alone---any change will likely instigate unanticipated troubles.

If the elderly individual is not happy where he is, then an alternative arrangement should be sought, but change should be in the direction of equal or greater independence, not less.