Posted under General & Marketing Massage for Special Populations & Massage for Elders
Hello all,
It’s been a while since my last post and it’s good to return. I just returned from a beautiful and tranformative two weeks in Peru. The focus of the journey was a combination of exploring some indigenous cultures and spiritual awakening. Of course, you can’t go to Peru without visiting Machu Picchu and our group spent two days there. But one of the most powerful parts of the journey came near the end when I traveled to a small island in Lake Titicaca called Amantani. Our boat was greeted by a group of the most heart-centered people I have ever met– men, women and children alike– and I lived among them long enough to get a sense of life there. Their lives are based on the value of community and living in right relationship with both self and community. Joy seemed to radiate from the eyes of these sweet people and I was so moved by their generosity and their strong connection to nature.
I’m always curious about how different cultures care for their elders. It was immediately clear that old age does not equal debilitation on Amantani. Several older adults helped to carry our gear from the boat to the house by tying a large cloth around the gear and hauling it on their backs up a path. I DO mean up, too, as the terrain is really hilly and the elevation is somewhere around 13,000 feet!  I saw old women herding sheep. People walk everywhere– there are no cars. Food is fresh and prepared simply. At the end of my stay I asked our guide about the elders. Elders who have needs are cared for by families as I assumed was the case. But the thing I made note of is that she said they just don’t have many debilitating diseases such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. She said people there don’t expect to get sick in old age.
I’ve thought about this a lot since my return and have formulated a question about it and would love to get your feedback on it. I wonder how much of our decline in old age stems from the “learned expectation” in our culture that as we age it is a given that our health will deteriorate.Â
I understand that the answer is complex, but an idea worth pondering I think…
To a healthy and well old age,
Ann
Laura Allen on 05 Jun 2009 at 3:31 pm #
Hi, Ann! Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I have been blessed to have a lot of relatives on my mother’s side of the family who have lived a century, and they had something in common with your Peruvians: they weren’t sitting in the rocker waiting to get sick. Most of them were farm people who remained active until they couldn’t move anymore–gardening into their late 90′s, keeping on the move, walking every day, and eating fresh farm food that they grew themselves. At 70, my mother looks the best I’ve ever seen her look, and she can run a marathon. She’s “retired”–and she doesn’t stop! She volunteers here and there, walks every day, has a big garden, and just goes like the energizer bunny. There is a lot to be said for living a simple life!
Ms. Pravati Gangulee on 23 Jul 2009 at 10:03 pm #
Dear Ann,
As a women close to 70, I found your write up very exciting. Being a part of our “modernism”, I had resigned into believing that in old age all we can expect are problems — like lack of energy, loss of memory, a run away BP and loneliness! You have noted and shown us how, as in Peru, simple life can endow fine health and joys in life.
I thank you.
Regards,
Pravati.
Ann Catlin on 13 Aug 2009 at 12:20 pm #
Pravati,
We all can use these gentle reminders!
Blessings,
Ann