Old men working
Discussion
Friend of mine his dad is 78 and refuses to give up working on the farm.
Well tonight just got a call to say his dad just had an accident and has broken his leg and back.
Luckily his son only lives next door, as built a house there. So he was there pretty sharpish.
His dad refuses to realise he isn't as fit and mobile as he was before.
Why don't people accept they can't do as much as they used to, and end up with this happening?
This isn't the first farmer I know who has been in the same situation.
Seems pretty sh!t if you ask me.
Well tonight just got a call to say his dad just had an accident and has broken his leg and back.
Luckily his son only lives next door, as built a house there. So he was there pretty sharpish.
His dad refuses to realise he isn't as fit and mobile as he was before.
Why don't people accept they can't do as much as they used to, and end up with this happening?
This isn't the first farmer I know who has been in the same situation.
Seems pretty sh!t if you ask me.
Its not that he doesn't want to accept that he is getting old, its that he doesn't know what to do with all his free time so he goes back to work. Farmers get like this because they spend 12hrs a day doing odd jobs around the farm for years and have no understanding of "free time".
Looking at it from the other side I bet he was fitter than most 78 year olds before the accident.
Looking at it from the other side I bet he was fitter than most 78 year olds before the accident.
Oldandslow said:
Yeah but lots of men retire then lose the will to live and die soon after. If he's happy working then why not.
You're not wrong there, have seen it happen to quite a few people. Work all their lives with no other interests other than their job. Then come retirement, with no other interests/hobbies to focus on, quietly slip away. Quite sad really!
Oldandslow said:
Yeah but lots of men retire then lose the will to live and die soon after. If he's happy working then why not.
This is true. My Grandad was a butcher for well over 30yrs with his own shop, up at the crack of dawn every morning till he was nearly 80. When he sold up, he went down hill very quickly, got dementia and died in a rest home within a few years. I think its because he was so used to getting up early and occupying himself with work
things that when he didn't have that anymore he didn't really know how to occupy himself.
srebbe64 said:
Reckon on average a physically mobile old boy is likely to live longer than a couch potato coupled with a nagging wife. good luck to him - hope he's back on his feet soon and enjoying life!
Doesn't work like that, probably never has. As for the OP, I have a relly who is nearly 10 years older who is exactly the same (and probably not very oddly a lifetime farmer). Just can't give it up, which is probably a good thing but possibly not.
The real key is probably being genetically lucky, along with an intense desire not to be stuck in a box for all eternity (ok it is inevitable but not actively chasing it, like some do, seems to be a factor as well).
elster said:
Just seems a waste to just work for life.
Saddest thing I heard was an old lady in the village I used to live in. She (and her husband) had never been to even the local town (all of 8 miles away).. He spent his whole life working in the same factory. 65 years old, he retired. Two weeks later, he died. So he basically spent his entire life working hard, then died as soon as he stopped. What a sad life that must have been. His wife didn't seem to mind, she went and booked herself a holiday to Wales..My Father in law is 84, he worked 2 jobs for most of his life, and he still works bloody hard. Recently he decided that his Focus wasn't cutting it anymore, and decided he'd have a Lexus is200 instead.
At 82 he was fitting a new central heating system, and rang me to give him a lift. He'd got the boiler frame mounted on the wall (about 7 feet up), all the pipe work instaled, and all the radiators mounted. He was just having a little problem cutting through the wall for the flue. The wall in question was a double skinned, breeze block and stone wall, about 12 inches thick!
To be honest, other than his hearing, you'd take him for a chap in his mid 60's.
He's also just taken delivery of a 42" Panasonic Plasma; to watch the Ashes on.
He got made redundant at 78, and asked my Wife to prepare some CV's without his age on.
Mind you, I reckon if he had to spend 7 days a weeek with the Mother in law he'd probably be inside by now
I hope i'm as fit as he is when (if!) I get to that age.
PS he's the Father to 11 Kids, Grandfather to 21, and Greatgrandfather to 20.
At 82 he was fitting a new central heating system, and rang me to give him a lift. He'd got the boiler frame mounted on the wall (about 7 feet up), all the pipe work instaled, and all the radiators mounted. He was just having a little problem cutting through the wall for the flue. The wall in question was a double skinned, breeze block and stone wall, about 12 inches thick!
To be honest, other than his hearing, you'd take him for a chap in his mid 60's.
He's also just taken delivery of a 42" Panasonic Plasma; to watch the Ashes on.
He got made redundant at 78, and asked my Wife to prepare some CV's without his age on.
Mind you, I reckon if he had to spend 7 days a weeek with the Mother in law he'd probably be inside by now
I hope i'm as fit as he is when (if!) I get to that age.
PS he's the Father to 11 Kids, Grandfather to 21, and Greatgrandfather to 20.
My grandad was the same as the bloke in the op's situation, was 74 about 40ft up in a tree, dismembering it fromt he toop down as there were green houses around. he slipped and fell about 10-15ft and grabbed a branch (one handed as he had the saw in the other) stopping himself from hitting the gound. he climbed back up and finished the job. he was taken to hospital the next day as he had torn 3 muscles in his back shoulder and arm. He later developed cancer in these areas and dies from it when he was in his mid 80's.....I hope to god im half as fit as that man when im in my 50's never mind my 70's. He was unbelievable.
elster said:
Friend of mine his dad is 78 and refuses to give up working on the farm.
Well tonight just got a call to say his dad just had an accident and has broken his leg and back.
You are asuming that 'due to his age' the gentleman in question was at blame or in some way responsable for the accident - do you have details as to exactly what happened or are you simply passing on this information 2nd hand & flling in the gaps?Well tonight just got a call to say his dad just had an accident and has broken his leg and back.
Stickers said:
elster said:
Friend of mine his dad is 78 and refuses to give up working on the farm.
Well tonight just got a call to say his dad just had an accident and has broken his leg and back.
You are asuming that 'due to his age' the gentleman in question was at blame or in some way responsable for the accident - do you have details as to exactly what happened or are you simply passing on this information 2nd hand & flling in the gaps?Well tonight just got a call to say his dad just had an accident and has broken his leg and back.
My grandad was a plumber by trade and my uncle took over his business when he allegedly retired! To be fair he did actually get away with holidays, motorbikes, fishing and various tinkering for a while, but he was drawn back to building sites!
He did the less taxing jobs like making tea, fitting toilet seats and testing that taps worked properly He just enjoyed the atmosphere of the building site, chatting to fellow tradesmen and customers and generally being active!
He did the less taxing jobs like making tea, fitting toilet seats and testing that taps worked properly
He just enjoyed the atmosphere of the building site, chatting to fellow tradesmen and customers and generally being active!Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff