The aging homesteader

Beth, welcome to Permies.

Thank you... figuring this site out bit by bit.

I am noticing an interesting balance developing in my homestead activity  philosophy.  While I do tend to push myself beyond my comfort level, I am careful not to push myself too far past those boundaries.  Injuries take longer to heal….sometimes much longer.

There are things in our generation which are stronger than next gen young people. INSIDE that boundary in my opinion  pound for pound, some of us can work circles around those half our age or younger.

Maintaining core strength and being vigilant not to incur injury is definitely something to remind each other about so I thank you for this insight

My husband spent his lunch hour breaking up the ice which came off the roof and onto the deck. We're both 70+ and I have no idea how long we'll be able to continue to do this sort of thing.

How do you cope with ice falls from the roof? Any accomodation for old farts? I was wondering if putting up temporary aluminum sheet walls to direct the ice away from the door/deck would work, or ? We could get heating coils, but the sheets would then be icicles, right?

TIA!

Jennie Little wrote: We could get heating coils, but the sheets would then be icicles, right?

I'd be more concerned that it would actually drip, and then the drips would turn to ice on the deck creating a greater hazard.

I have seen roofs with cleats on them that trap the snow/ice on the roof so that it just melts in place. There may be pros and cons to that also - con being if there's such a thick layer that the mass becomes a problem.

Hi Jeannie,

I have a relatively small rear deck..10x16?   Anyway. I am looking into covering this year with a transparent awning.

Emmett Ray wrote:If young folks only understood - I mean REALLY understood - that older folks still feel the same on the inside as when they did when they were in their 20's.  Don't just look at an older person and see old age.  They're still the cheerleader, football star, dancer, electrical engineer, etc., that they were when they were younger.

Great post Emmett!! especially this bit.

In my mind I'm still about 23, although getting to the stage where I have to deliberately remember that I'm not when I'm working hard, or I regret it later. The years fly by ever faster as I get older, and I'm starting to worry that the roof will still leak when I really am too old to get up there to fix it 'properly'.

“We are always the same age inside.” … Gertrude Stein

Jay Angler wrote:

Jennie Little wrote: We could get heating coils, but the sheets would then be icicles, right?

I'd be more concerned that it would actually drip, and then the drips would turn to ice on the deck creating a greater hazard.

I have seen roofs with cleats on them that trap the snow/ice on the roof so that it just melts in place. There may be pros and cons to that also - con being if there's such a thick layer that the mass becomes a problem.

Yeah, we have a steep metal roof on the house and with poor foresight installed gutters at the same time....but no snow/ice cleats!  That was some years ago and since then essentially have been 'gutter-less':  It took only one season for the ice dam to slide off the roof and rip the gutters into uselessness.  At this point, if we *do* shovel the ice away that falls on the deck....and this only happens in late spring....it's only because we are just on this side of having the strength to do so.  Next of many projects in retirement will be to add snow cleats (via a roofing contractor) at the appropriate points along with gutter repair/replacement.

I am laughing to myself after reading how we youngsters from the 60s and 70s are now older and adjusting. It never fails to amaze me how life repeats itself tho. Here again we are into living basically with our gardens and canning, etc. and many relearning the old ways.

I am not a real homesteader, but I am in the aging group. I had spent many years in the business world sitting, computers, etc. and had planned to buy something small and off grid, have a few animals, a garden, etc. when I retired. Unfortunately, a serious accident left me somewhat disabled and rethinking what now needed to be done. I retired early, moved across country to the country, and found a one level apt with some great porches and a very small yard. I got some free pallets from the farm store and had a neighbor make an enclosure for a garden that would be only containers for bigger veggies like carrots and potatoes, etc. Eventually, I want to make a medicinal/tea garden around the perimeter of the pallets with both pots and inground plants. The place I live is very rural, and many people have to work for themselves. A couple of my neighbors do yardwork for people, and dump shavings and branches, etc. in the woods across the street. It is my intent to make use of those branches and put them thru the pallet slats to try and deter critters, and the shavings will hopefully cut down on the ticks. I've rigged up tables using old saw horses and boards with buckets to relieve back strain, and will be using a lot of hanging planter both within the garden and on an old clothesline. I am hoping to plant some peas and beans in a long planter on the porch and have them climb up some lattice that will also provide shade. Other pots will have lettuces and other things that will be within easy reach to water from a rain barrel I created nearby. The back porch will have some over-the-railing planters for herbs and edible flowers, again easy to water and get to. I may not have the off grid place I wanted, and I don't have the animals I wanted (I do have stray cats who have 'blessed' me with kits and keep the mice population down), but I think I can make this work and call it an indirect homestead. Thanks for listening to me ramble, and good luck to all the agers out there.

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for sharing. As we age, many of us have had to compromise our dreams and visions.  But, we do adapt. And, we can share how we adapted to help others traveling the same road.

I have found that, in a sense, I am secretly become a Prepper.  In fact, it is so secret that I haven’t told myself about it. I have gradually increased the household supplies I keep on hand so that not being able to go shopping is not much of an issue.  I realized this a couple of days ago when my wife asked me to put an item on our shopping list.  First, the list hasn’t existed for a while… and I got up, grabbed a spare box of whatever she wanted and handed it to her.

It makes sense in adjusting to the realities.  Looking into the not so distant future, being able to drive can not be assumed.

I'm improving my paths down the hill at the moment. We've been gifted a little invalid scooter (see here) which at the moment is for visitor use mainly, but could be useful for climbing back up the hill for us too in future - it even came with a little trailer! It is 28 inch wide though, so most of my little paths will be too narrow for it, and the main trackway is just a bit steep and the loose gravel makes it a bit exciting to navigate down. I've been digging to widen my 'bluebell path' round the escarpment to make it wide enough for Grommet to fit down, and then moving rock to improve the gradient and surface..
Still quite a way to go, but I'm pleased with progress after two afternoons hard labour. Not the sort of job I want to leave till I'm not fit enough to do it.

Hi Nancy,

Great project.  I have found that people tend to underestimate how quickly things can go very wrong.

As a gentle reminder, be sure to take lots of breaks, drink lots of water, and watch electrolytes.  Here we have 90+ temps and high humidity.

Hello John,
Given your background as a healthcare professional, please elaborate. How does one "watch electrolytes" without a blood test? What are the signs we need to look for?
Thank you in advance for your guidance!

Hi Amy,

For me, the signal that I have gone too far is muscle cramps.  I normally take a preventative approach and take supplements once a week.  Of course, each individual is different. As you indicated, a medical test is the most accurate way that I know of. If someone is in need of that level of accuracy, they should speak with their doctor.  I do not have heart or BP problems. I am not having problems with sodium, potassium, magnesium etc, so I am not too concerned about going too high given the limited amount I am taking.  I am more concerned about diluting my electrolytes through the amount of water I am taking in (and putting out).

Amy Gardener wrote: How does one "watch electrolytes" without a blood test? What are the signs we need to look for?

If I start feeling like, "I need water *now*", there's a good chance water won't be enough by that point. People sweat a lot of "salt", but salt is a group of things.

If I'm keeping up with how my body is feeling, it can be as simple as making sure I have some pickles with my lunch. Omelet sandwich with home pickled onions tastes just fine after a morning rushing around on the homestead. Salt doesn't cover the whole gamut of "electrolytes", but it will do the trick if you're mostly healthy.  If I've been doing hard work, I often need extra magnesium, but not normally on an emergency basis. A lot of it is getting a sense of how your body feels and learning to listen to it.  It seems to me that many people take supplements that they don't actually need. I grow my own parsley, dry it, and crush it onto foods I'm cooking. It adds a lot of micronutrients.  

Thank you John and Jay.
Your suggestions seem especially relevant given the extreme weather throughout much of the N hemisphere.
Coincidentally, a friend experienced dizziness and fainting just yesterday. I took her to the ER where she received a rehydrating IV after tests indicated low electrolytes.
Staying hydrated and eating pickles would have been a lot cheaper!

Amy Gardener wrote: Staying hydrated and eating pickles would have been a lot cheaper!

Pickles don't necessarily contain all the chemicals you're low on, particularly if someone is pushing the tipping point.

The web has some good suggestions:
2,500 mg sodium chloride (for 1,000 mg sodium)
385 mg potassium chloride (for 200 mg potassium)
390 mg magnesium malate OR 265 mg di-magnesium malate (for 60 mg magnesium)

( https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/ )

This can be mixed up as a large number of doses and then you can just take a little and add it to water +/- some sort of juice and a touch of some sort of sweetener. (I saw honey, maple sugar and white sugar all mentioned, and some sugar substitutes, although I personally don't like those.)

At least one site specifically discouraged "Energy drinks" because they have way too much sugar, and usually artificial colouring and flavour also.

Coconut water was mentioned a lot. Apparently it is a natural electrolyte drink just as it is, +/- a bit of extra lime or similar for flavor. Many of the recipes I found in a quick search, were based on it. I have not tried it myself. Too often I see it bottled like it's some sort of trendy thing, but possibly I am misjudging it?

I will also point out that if someone has serious diarrhea, I have heard that this sort of electrolyte drink could be useful to have on hand.

Jay Angler wrote: I will also point out that if someone has serious diarrhea, I have heard that this sort of electrolyte drink could be useful to have on hand.

Yes! A handful of sugar and a pinch of salt dissolved in clean water has saved millions in cholera epidemics. The sugar allows the necessary salts to cross the gut wall into the bloodstream.

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/centennial-simple-solution-cash/

Yesterday I had one of those “ah ha” experiences.   My wife has multiple serious health issues.  Some impact her observations and thinking. She was frustrated that I was not keeping up on the tasks she felt were important.  It finally hit me, she sees me as 30 years old as opposed to 75.

While she has a reasonable acceptance of her disabilities, she sees me as her knight in shining armor.

I did not find and answer to my query on the full forum so will inquire here.  Is there already a thread that addresses the notion of "Diet for the Aging Homesteader"?  I think my 64 year old self is beginning to hit the wall with respect to its diet, more appropriate for a 25 year old.  Many of the aches and pains seem less about injury and bodily over-use and more about what kind of food item I've been abusing my body with lately.  Clearly, Permies offers fantastic nutritional correctives, but I'm curious about the dietary history of others in the Aging Homesteader class and if there was some point at which you realized it better to forego the slab of cheese on the burger....so to speak.  Perhaps there is a thread already for this that I'm not finding with a search?...  Thanks!

Hi John,

At this point, I suspect this is the thread.  I also, from the information in your post, suspect you know most of the changes that might benefit you. Here are a few points:

While reducing calories is stressed throughout our life span,  maintaining weight is often the bigger issue after the age of 80.

Eating your final meal of the day earlier, rather than later, is often beneficial.

I haven’t had a cheese burger in over a year.  Having said that, don’t forget quality of life.

I don’t trust restaurant food.  As a type 2 diabetic I keep close watch of my blood sugar …especially when I travel.   I have had several instances where my blood sugar exploded after having food at a restaurant. Once I had a cup of chili that resulted in my blood sugar going over 500.  The most extreme was when I has a salad with vinegar at a high end restaurant with similar results.  I have found I am much better off packing a lunch when I can.

When I have to eat at a restaurant, I try to order basic food that is hard to mess with (as indicated by the salad above, sometimes the restaurant manages to screw with it anyway).  Eggs (not scrambled…not omelet), hash browns, and a small steak.  Bacon and sausage can have too much trash in it. God only knows what gets added to the scrambled eggs. If I do order a salad now, it is without dressing. My wife is braver, she will order dressing on the side. Her sense of smell and taste is 1000% better than mine.

John F Dean wrote: I don’t trust restaurant food.

Me neither! I am at the point where I would take a cooler and cooking equipment and cook much of my food if I'm travelling.

If I have to eat out, I try to eat lunch out at a decent restaurant, and then I can better control what I eat at dinner time, and do my best to make sure I don't eat after 7pm.

And wrote:

... maintaining weight is often the bigger issue after the age of 80.

I didn't even make it to 80. Hubby was gone for 6 weeks fixing his parents' old house. I had a family emergency and left the day after he got back for 4 weeks, then the day after I got back, Hubby left for another 6 weeks to continue the repairs. Near the end of that period, I had a lung function test to get a baseline, and the first thing the technologist did was take my height and weight and I was down to 105 lbs. I'm struggling to put some of that weight back on, because I'm still feeling run off my feet.

@ John Weiland: Step 1 is eliminating empty calories.  
To accomplish this, making up your own "grab and go" food, making sure it's got the extra micronutrients we all need, is a good start.

Some examples: I make my own liver pate from birds I raise myself. I use the heart, liver, walking onion and especially home grown parsley as the base, and I freeze it in containers that are good for 2 lunches.

Home made bean dip using mostly beans I dry myself, and home grown and dried tomatoes if you like a little sweetness. Again, I freeze it in containers that are good for 2 lunches.

I admit I'm more a tomato and lettuce on a burger person - I only use cheese if it's been grated into ground venison, as venison can use a little extra fat.

We eat a fair number of eggs from our own chickens, so I know their should be good micronutrients in there.  I also make my own bone broth and again, add my own herbs when making the broth. I read somewhere that having some herbs and veggies in the broth really boosted its nutritional value. I'm willing to make a quick "Ramen" soup, so long as it's made with bone broth and a bunch of veggies and either egg or leftover meat.

Planning is the tough part. I know that's why I lost weight. I was too busy to pay attention to what the meals were going to be, and then was too hungry to cook properly. I at least tried to come in from the field and grab some fruit for a boost, rather than junk. Once the fruit gave my blood sugar a bit of a boost (I run low, not high), I was better able to focus on food. Even then, I sometimes just had to accept that it was going to be P-butter and jam. At least the jam was homemade, and the bread was my homemade sourdough no-knead bread.

Hi Jay,

I aim my final meal for 4 or 5 PM.  My wife has GERDS. And, frankly, I feel better with the earlier meal.  Yes, at one time supper would came as later as 11 pm or later.

John F Dean wrote:
I aim my final meal for 4 or 5 PM.  My wife has GERDS. And, frankly, I feel better with the earlier meal.  Yes, at one time supper would came as later as 11 pm or later.

Thanks for these responses so far....much food for thought and many relevant issues brought up.  This 'dinner time' concern is one I've had more of lately.  Wife pretty much embedded in her animal feedling schedule which means dinner, if I participate, is at 11-11:30 pm.  It bumps earlier by an hour or two on some deep winter days, but not frequently.  I don't really like eating that late but it does not seem to bother her own constitution.  I've considered that we may just have to make that meal a separate situation where I eat around 7-8 pm in order to get a better night of sleep.  Certainly in mid-summer the sleep schedule, if no bouts of insomnia, is ~12:30 am to 7 am.  But will also focus on types of foods (protein/carbs/fiber/greens) consumed at which times of day as I change things up.  Looking forward to additional comments as this impacts our aging selves.

Hi John,

To expand on my quality of life comment, I see nothing wrong with having a couple of beers, cheeseburger, and fries ….once a month.  Unfortunately, I know of people who have that meal 4x a week.

John Weiland wrote:dietary changes for the Aging Homesteader

We had what could be considered a stroke of luck about 10 years ago when my husband (44 at the time) was told he was prediabetic and headed for the cliff. His family is all diabetic and at that time we were watching one of his uncles die one limb at a time, basically.
I decided to make a change as a family- we eliminated most white stuff from our diet and nearly all sugar- at the time we were having sweet milky coffee and french bread with margarine for breakfast, and it just went downhill from there.
Over a month we stopped drinking sweet coffee (hard in Brazil!) and replaced the white rice with brown, upped the protein and started the campaign to replace a carb with a crucifer every day, cut juice out, switched back to butter and lard and a bunch of others. I made a hard rule of no fried foods, period. We also followed the excellent advice I have heard here to only drink water, caffeine, or alcohol, and leave all the rest.
His numbers sorted themselves out, and it just became habit. We have relaxed a few things (we'll have homemade fruit juice once a week on the weekend after a hike or something, and i'll make sourdough or homemade noodles with white flour sometimes-- I've even fried tortilla chips once or twice!) but for the most part I'm always thinking of fiber, protein, whole grains and the "good seeds" - flax, pumpkin, chia - that are good for us (and have replaced our high-sugar protein powder). I make pretty much everything we eat, and I feel like it's doing us really good. I definitely feel a difference when I travel and spend even a few days away from our routine.

Every so often we'll have a health setback (a bad virus last year, a surgery, etc) and we dial the whole thing back to crisis mode and I get a vision of what my future holds. Oatmeal, homemade yogurt, lots of soups. Our work schedule makes it so the only meal we have together is dinner, usually late at night, but I look forward to some day being on the early bird special plan (like my mother is! dinner at 2 or 3, a cup of broth or tea late at night, it does her good). I think that kind of timing is good. It also makes a good compromise- the way things look, I will need fewer calories as I get older, while my husband is needing more. This provides the best of both worlds, as he can have a sammy or a rice ball with the soup at night, for example.

Tereza,  Sounds similar to what I've been dealing with in terms of family genes and reversing decades of traditional family meals and eating habits.  An additional factor is the fact that I did not really enjoy much of home life and time away from home was coupled with 'comfort snacking' on any number of sweet or salty packaged food items.  The association of food types with past occasions, events, or situations can provide profound grounding in habits both good and bad and the latter confound better eating approaches to this day.  But I feel fortunate that the family as a whole much valued gardening and growing ones own food and this carried on with my siblings.  So that becomes an advantage when comparing to development paths grounded in junk food and the inability or disinterest in growing and preparing ones own food.  Glad to hear of the improvements that the changes in your diet have made on you and yours and all of this makes the decision easier to start removing problem foods from the weekly menu.  Thanks!

John Weiland wrote: 'comfort snacking' on any number of sweet or salty packaged food items.  

oh my gosh, we may be twins! yes, i am a recovering sugar monster and lover of packaged crap. food is the reward and comfort of my people!

I have had a few things help me along as I changed my ways though.
For a decade when I was younger, I went vegan (for Lent, on a whim).  
Then I moved to another country where my beloved "crap" wasn't available.
Both meant I had no option but to change how I ate and learn to eat real food. I kind of had to go cold turkey with the "crap" and it just never came back. Veganism meant I learned to read labels (back then, there were very few options) and made it really easy for me to look at sweets, especially, and say, hmm, no.
Today I eat whatever I want, but I still don't see most packaged stuff as food (even though today the "crap" is easily available here). Plus our produce here is plentiful, cheap and marvelous.

I go to visit my family every so often and while it seems to me like a natural, easy shift, I realize it's a huge difference when I see what we all eat. We consume huge amounts of fresh produce and really, really don't buy much readymade. What they consider "impossible to make at home" makes me laugh.
I remember reading the old "eat what your grandmother made" but.... my grandmother literally lived on White Russians, black tea and Stella D'Oro cookies and not much else (not even kidding!), so I figured it was more useless advice.
Nowadays, we eat a lot more like what my Irish great-great-great grandmother and my husband's Japanese great-great-grandmother made! Maybe not so useless advice after all...

As I get older, I find that having better quality of fewer foods works best for me.  Kind of like many of us are ditching synthetic clothes for cottons and wool, which are expensive but better for our health.  I have 2 poly tunnels plus a young orchard and a few outdoor planters which, in combination grow an amazing amount of food while I'm at my job, but only from May to September, so I have now started to 'eat seasonally' again.  We can and freeze and dehydrate a lot.  I've been a "prepper" since I worked/lived thru the Loma Prieta quake in 1989.

I've swapped out crap "food" for healthier options.  I'm not into sweets, but give me chips!  So I joined "Thrive Market", an online shop and we now eat healthier versions of chips, crackers, even organic wine when it is available.  I stopped stocking up on stuff to make cookies and cakes, to my son's dismay, but he works in a bakery and snacks all day anyway.  I am saving a lot of money with this change.  They have crazy good sales at Thrive Market, as well, which is the only time I actually buy stuff.

I have been a member of Azure Standard for a few years now, and find that another addiction, cheese, is covered as well.  The organic, raw cheese is all we eat now.  We buy the 5 lb blocks every couple of months and shred most of it, enjoying it on all things requiring cheese.  You won't believe how good raw organic cheese is.... I'm now a cheese snob.  I freeze about half of each block of cheese, using it up just in time for the next order.

I bought a sourdough starter from Azure as well, and make bread and crackers when I can, but our grocery store now sells "Naked" brand breads and buns so that is my go-to.  Very clean bread, and all we eat besides sour dough.  

I do not drink 'city water' without running it through my Berkey filter.  Yes, I am a water snob. I take it with me in canning jars or recycled wine bottles or stainless steel bottles.  I drink a lot of water.  I also have some "LMNT" electrolyte packets in my bag to add to water when I get overheated or feel dehydrated.  I usually add something like a sprig of rosemary or mint or something when I refill after lunch, for a change and medicinal benefit. Easy adds are a newer habit for me.

I cannot start a day without coffee, thus I purchase shade grown organic coffee- pricey but amazingly easier on my 62 yo stomach.  I used to just add honey or stevia but found that Albertsons grocery (Safeway companies) sells organic "sweet cream" and vanilla creamer, so instead of making that ourselves, we simplified and buy those when available. I need convenience items sometimes.

As far as dietary changes go, I am landlocked in Northcentral Wyoming but I am a seafood addict.  I joined "Wild Alaskan Company" for scheduled fish deliveries which has worked out well for me.  My son will live with me til the end, as he is special needs and does not drive or thrive on his own, so what would have lasted two months now does not.  Luckily he loves all food so we grow our veggies and eat salmon or cod at least twice each week.  We found that our air frier is the all time greatest, fastest, cheapest thing to use for cooking all meat, so we treat it like the asset that it is.  A little olive oil is all it takes, no greasy ick, and it does not heat up the house.  We just ordered a case of salmon from Azure to compare. Same price for twice volume.

We use fancy olive oil and organic butter and only our own or organic seasonings and herbs.   I learned to do that from a 105 year old engineer that I sat with at a conference once.  He carried a stick of butter and a container of Redmonds real salt in his pants pocket, plus he grazed all day on peanut M&Ms that he kept in his shirt pocket.  

Basically, I hunt for elk and deer every few years, buy local grass-fed beef annually, I get cases of chicken from the Hutterites nearby, I purchase a hog or lamb from the 4H kids each year - so local and not feed-lot stressed meat, and get the fish from Alaska.  I grow about 90% of my veggies and fruit, put up a lot of it for winter, and add turmeric and Redmonds to everything I eat.  I also use collagen powder for arthritis, make a million tinctures or buy the ones I cannot make from Nicole Apelian or the Homegrown Herbalist, (mostly the mushroom ones) and never ever ever go to doctors or dentists.  I have found that simplifying the menu with better quality works great for us.  Simple spice changes on the same old food creates a whole new meal, so no need to dine out or travel anymore.  Sorry so long. Live long and prosper!!

I used to be quite the food junkie. But change is possible, at any age. I was already an older man, over a few years I gave up drinking, then meat, then any animal products, and then went WFPB.

I have noticed that fatigue is becoming a big issue for me.  What are simple problems first look like major barrier# to me. Once I kick myself in the butt to get moving I am fine.  As the day moves into evening my energy level seems to improve. I suspect “Sundowners”.   Any ideas on how to address this?

John F Dean wrote:I have noticed that fatigue is becoming a big issue for me. ...............Any ideas on how to address this?

Just hopping in to say this is where I'm at as well.  Probably something to do with cardiac issues and aging, but I was noticing a bad interaction between fatigue and joint pain over the past year.  I would say as a measured and cautious recommendation to give nattokinase supplement a try or some cardiac support mix that includes nattokinase.  With my stroke history, clotting is more of an issue than bleeding....and these systemic cardiac mixes that reduce fibrin levels in the blood stream and at joints where inflammation can occur seem to be helping.  So fatigue and joint/muscle pain were really slowing down my work rate and a daily nattokinase as supplement to other prescribed meds have made a positive difference.  All recommended with additional consulation with your health care provider....Good luck!

Historically my family lives to a ripe old age. Deaths before 90 are generally due to accidents.  I am fortunate in that I have minimal joint pain…not heart or other circulatory issues. I do have well controlled diabetes.  But the diabetes runs in the family ( grandfather and aunt) and seems to have minimal impact on life span.  And yes, I do keep up on medical visits.

John F Dean wrote:I have noticed that fatigue is becoming a big issue for me.  

Not to overstate the obvious, but you are a caregiver who (from what I can tell) have always had a Very Full Plate, and you are reaching a, erm, certain age.
also with your health background, you know the score in general.  still, if i may ask some very obvious but potentially finger-wagging questions....

if you're fatigued.....are you resting enough? Are you sure? can you incorporate more rest into your life somehow, if it's lacking?
Is there a chance, (and i say this with all respect and knowing what i have seen of you here, a man of great generosity and seemingly bounsldess responsibilities) that your fatigue may be related to emotions and/or depression?
Even if the answer is no, do you think there's a chance you could talk to someone about it? I know you have a loved one with medical issues, which is hard (having supported two family members during end of life, i know that "hard" is so amazingly inappropriate but damn if any word really suits it).
You know the drill about the oxygen mask and caring for others. It comes from somewhere-- from you. I'm always singing the same song lately, about self-care, but it's real. Nobody is coming to save me if I don't care for myself.

Additionally, considering sarcopenia and age, are you doing some sort of muscle building/maintaining exercise? (might help with the rest as well)

All asked with a lot of love and respect. I wished I lived closer and could help. I make a mean pie.

Hi Tereza,

Taking some time to digest your observations.  I think it boils  down to the fact that in the past I could always push my way through a rough day, hard work, etc. no matter how exhausted I was, I could always find some reserves to tap into.  I am finding that that extra bit of energy needed is no longer there.