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-François La Rochefoucauld

Ran into Andy at the gym the other morning;  
 3
He followed up with a grumpy-old-man-rant lasting 10 minutes3 From politicians to
tattoos, few were spared his righteous indignation3 Finding it highly amusing and
infectious as herpes, I couldnǯt help myself; I chimed in too! I told him he sounded
like a grumpy old manǥ

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Several years ago I gave a series of talks on the topic of DzPossibility Agingdz based on
an experience with Geri-athlete Mavis Lindgren3 Following each talk Iǯd get folks
staying after to ask a question; and inevitably the last one in line 0 

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I even had one who waited 25 minutes to complain about the perspiration
under my armsȄIǯm  joking (gave a talk in a fitness center gym without AC
under a skylight with mid-summer sun bearing down on me)3
I identified the GOMS when the pattern repeated after several sessions3



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White men over 80 years old are at the greatest risk of all age, gender, and racial
groups for suicide3 The rate for this group is six times the current overall rate and
three times the rate of African-American males over 80 years old3 This is
troublesome because the oldest-old group (85> years) is the most rapidly growing
sub-population of elderly adults in the United States3

(U3S3 Suicide Rates, by Age, Race, and Gender)

Where is some of their angst coming from?



 
Men have traditionally identified with work and studies have shown that the more a
personǯs life revolves around work, the more difficult retirement can be3 Retirement
often diminishes social contacts and status, placing them in what Meredith
Minkler termed +
  ,- when older people  *  
  
     

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I
n my own experience white collar professionals with titles seem to struggle the
most3 I've witnessed MDs who continued to hang around the hospital after
retirement3 At home the title of DzDr3 dz affords less prestige and respect3 I once
had a physician come up to me after a talk at a continuing care facility, he was crying
uncontrollably as he recounted his post-career struggles to find self-respect in a
place devoid of meaning and purpose3

Working in a trauma center in South Florida I encountered old men in the waiting
rooms not just complaining to each other about their ailmentsȄbut+



'


 &.Lacking career, hobbies or other interests around which to organize
their lives they took on Dzsick-careersdz in an attempt to find meaning in disease,
decline and loss of independence3

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In an article in Psychology Today, Elana Premack Sandler, LCSW, reports
on Psychologist Silvia Canetto commenting about elderly men and suicide:
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Sandler asserts that despite the disproportionate risk of older adult men for suicide
itǯs only relatively recent that attention has been paid to prevention in this
population3 She posits that it hasnǯt been politically correct to devote more
resources to a group which has enjoyed a historically privileged status3 And she
believes that when speaking in terms of life and death, political correctness isnǯt as
important as 0
 



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; which is crucial in understanding this
population and helping them to live fully within any age3

See
Grumpy Old Men: On Thin Ice
eHow: How to Deal With Grumpy Old Men
Dana Carvey: Crabby Old Man
Symptoms of Depression in the Elderly
How to Help Suicidal Older Men (and Women)
American Association of Suicidology
Freezer Geezers
Elderly Suicide PSA
(Photo alexlibertarian3blogspot3com)

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