After writing these columns over the past four years, I think that is time to tell you a little about me.
I am an 82-year-old retiree living, since 2015, in The Bridges of Seaforth lifestyle community in southwestern Ontario with my wife. Previously, we lived just north of the GTA in Alliston. I have a son in Calgary and a daughter in Haliburton. My wife has a daughter in Beeton. We moved here for the peace and quiet of an agriculture community – a great move.
My wife and I worked in the printing industry. I am the fourth generation of male Murrays who have been in the printing business. My son (the fifth generation) works for a large printing company in Calgary. My wife is the second generation. Printing ink is in our blood. My daughter is in the environmental business.
By 1956, my Father had built the largest privately-owned printing company in Canada – 750 employees. He sold it just as I was graduating university (Bachelor of Science degree); I joined the company and was slated for a top job but I blew it and went into sales. I was successful and became a consultant type of sales person. I stuck with that until I was in my early 40s, when I suffered a job loss when new management took over the company. With a lot of help, I got on my feet again and established a one-man company as a sales, marketing and management consulting company. With my heritage, education and experience I was successful. And, I was my own boss (except for my clients) – a positive for me as a 10 per center! My basic beliefs follow:
My grandparents and my parents were successful – I inherited great genes. Upon examining my heritage, I feel that I am an 80 per cent following my father and his father’s bloodline, and 20 per cent in my mother’s bloodline.
With this good set of genes, I believe I could live to be 100 years old. My father and his father both died of a stroke. My father died at 89 years of age after living with Type 1 diabetes for 52 years.
I have a need to know – the who, what, where and when of many issues.
I classify people as belonging to either:
90 per centers – those who like doing what they are told. These people work either in the government, in large corporations, or in the education field or as lawyers, accountants and other businesses that have many rules and regulations.
10 per centers – these people are the ones who are independent and don’t really like doing what they are told. This is me. This group does follow the basic rules of law and society.
That our lives occur in 4 stages in our span of life:
From birth to 25 years – making a mature human being ready to leave the ‘nest.’
From 26 to 50 years – creating a career and a family, getting involved in ‘life.’
From 51 years to 75 years – enjoying life and family and preparing for retirement. Finally relaxing.
From 76 years to death or 100, whichever comes first – as a retired person and preparing for death. The end is coming.
That we should all have a health check-up once or twice per year by a triage nurse or doctor assistant. This would result in a triage document for any health conditions to go to the patient’s doctor or to specialists.
That “the brain controls the body and the body feeds the brain.” This is important.
I have looked after my health, as a priority, since I entered Stage 2, above. My basic health revolved around the principles of lifestyle, diet and exercise. My father, with his Type 1 diabetes, taught me this. My daughter, at nearly 50 years old, has been a Type 1 diabetic for 40 years. My son lives in Calgary and he and his wife spend most weekends in the mountains either skiing or hiking – very healthy. Good health runs in the family.
That my greatest asset is my brain and keeping it healthy is my priority. If I keep my brain healthy, my body will follow and my brain will get properly fed. Personalized health involves the whole body from top of head to bottom of feet. Brain Health + Physical Body Health = Total Health.
Crosswords, Sudoko, word games, etc. just help memory but do not increase brain health. I am very good at ‘figuring things out’ but my memory is not the best. I got through university by cramming at the last minute and learning what the teacher/professor would put on the exam. I used education to ‘understand’ what I was being taught. My success as a consultant was due to this early training in ‘figuring things out.’ The brain needs to be active to retain good health.
Knowledge is power. I research brain health at least 10 hours per week in order to keep my knowledge current with emphasis on non-pharmaceutical interventions. There are no drugs for dementia available, as yet.
I do love life and intend to live it the best and the longest that I am able.
Yesterday, I picked up a brochure from the London Cancer centre that showed all the cancer resources available in Huron and Perth counties. However, I could not find any brochures dealing with dementia or brain health. This should be corrected!
My current ‘Voyage with Dementia’ is now joined with an autoimmune disease called dermatomyositis (DM) where I am now in recovery at home. Writing opinion columns about these trials and tribulations has been very beneficial to me. My benefit is that it gives me a purpose to life and the energy to carry on. I have recently been through eight years of my dementia voyage and am now in my fifth month of my DM voyage. Who knows what will happen next, but I will be ready.
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Bob Murray is retired from the graphic communication (printing) industry and has been living in Seaforth since 2015. Murray was diagnosed with dementia in 2013 and works hard to stop the progress of the disease to Alzheimer’s Disease. He shares his experiences in his column entitled “My Voyage with Dementia.” Follow him on his blog entitled Voyage with Dementia – https://myvoyage553264702.wordpress.com.
