Community Chat

[151949]

Out for a boat ride yesterday with some other retirees we were discussing how difficult it is to keep track of the day of the week, let alone the date when you are retired. We also noted how difficult it is to remember the season when you live in Florida and it is always summer.  My hair stylist says her clients are always forgetting their appointments so she sends a text the morning of the appt so they show up.

When you are retired and these things happen to you - it is reassuring to know they are happening to others as well. I have gotten into the habit of checking my calender every morning while I have my coffee.

[qualitygal]

Stagger your appointments of where you need to be, and then that helps with having to be somewhere. Too many days run together. List something each day to help.

[2blonde]

I knew there was a reason why I'm still working!

[VaBelle35]

I can totally see this!  I am on vacation right now, and I have no idea what day it is.  I have to keep looking at my phone.

I am an avid calendar person, so I have all kinds of appointments on my phone to remind me what is coming up 2 weeks, 1 week, 4 days, 48 hours, 24 hours, 12 hours and 2 hours.

[Havarti]

I volunteer with seniors and have come to realize that even the most astute often lose track of what day it is.  I have come to the conclusion that a working week is so structured that the activities specific to each day tell us subconsciously what day it is.  What worker or parent doesn’t know the feel of Monday morning or Friday afternoon.  During the week there are triggers such as garbage day, maybe a meeting at work that is held weekly on the same day at the same time, there are kid’s activities/practices, religious activities that occur on a set schedule, favorite TV shows that come on weekly, etc.  All these consistently repetitive patterns in the course of each week set our inner clocks to set our sense of timing.  When the kids are grown & gone and we are retired many (if not most) of those patterns disappear.  By the time someone makes it into senior living environment even things like garbage day are irrelevant.  Days become the same and they run into weeks that are the same.  Big events are doctor’s appointments and the results of medical tests are like getting your SAT/ACT scores – news to be celebrated & shared because they may dictate your very future.   

I watch staff at senior centers asking questions of the residents like “do you know what day it is?” and I think those young workers are in the cycle of life where the pattern of the days/weeks are clearly defined.  They think if someone can’t answer those questions they must have memory issues.  I don’t think that is necessarily true.

[Trinity11]

That's interesting. I have calendars in a lot of rooms in my house which may be why I never forget what day it is. 

[chrystaltree]

....must be a FL thing....

[StylishLady]

As DH jokes, our week is 6 Saturdays and a Sunday. Sunday is dress up, church, and no cook day. As far as seasons go here, there are two. Season and off season. Season means snowbirds and extra traffic, crowded restaurants, beaches, and stores. Not complaining, just observing.

[tansy]

Husband and I were trying to decide if it was Wednesday or Thursday when we were getting up this morning

I do keep a detailed calendar now to keep track of appointments and such.

[Jasmine19]

I don't think this issue is related to aging as much as it is to going out and doing things. I have become somewhat of a homebody since I retired so I don't have as many "markers" as I used to. A year ago I would think,"Monday is the day I have lunch with Mary, I went to Macy's last Friday, Thursday I'm going to a meeting", etc. If you don't go out much the days do kind of run into each other.