An 80-year-old man’s blog

I am just a regular sort of guy. I'm sure that you would not notice me if you passed me by in the street, for I am not tall, I am not small, I am not too fat, I am not thin, I am nearly bald, I don’t wear glasses but I am a Geriatric and I will probably be smiling, so if you pass me by, please smile back!  I'm not just heading for the Breakers Yard, I'm standing at the front door. But this is where the fight begins, and it's now!

I have always been keen on sport and fitness, but it slipped away a few years back and I woke up one day with a bit of a paunch. A retired accountant and I had worked hard for my paunch.

I have had a pretty good life, with its usual trials and tribulations, and my mental ability has always been fair. It’s not so long since I could recite all of the players in my hometown football club going back 70 years. But now, I am struggling to remember any at all. But I can still remember Pythagoras, Ohm’s Law, Pareto’s Principal, Fibonacci Retracement Levels and all the chemical formulae? I have read/listened to 32 books last year and love listening whereas I hated actually reading?

But now, I don’t remember something I read moments ago. Or people’s names when I have known them for 50 years or more! That’s the reality of my life. So, I want to raise more awareness of the cruelty of Dementia with Alzheimer’s being the most common, then Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Fronto Temporal Dementia and then some rarer types. I'm currently as 'compus mentis' as I have ever been. just these nasty little warning signs of a regular old geriatric.  Interesting fact is that the term "geriatric" is described in medical jargon as 'a medical speciality focused on providing care for the unique health group of older adults! THIS MUST STOP - NOW!  This is my fight against being or seen as "old". So I'm going to investigate the 'tricks, treats and troubles' of who I really am at 80 years old. So, this is my 40,000 km journey as a geriatric dad, for a cure!

Please be reassured that any contribution that you make towards fighting Dementia goes directly to Alzheimers Research through a fund  Managed by GoFundMe and their admin charge is 3%, 97% goes directly  to Alzheimer's Research UK. i believe that Research is the only way this disease can be destroyed, and my hope is that we don't allow our children and their grandchildren to suffer in the same way that this generation has done.

 Please help.

At the age of 80, I decided to raise awareness of the cruelty of Dementia by attempting a 'virtual' journey around the world before my 90th!

None of the signs are in my favour, but it’s definitely achievable. Yes it’s a 40,000 km journey, but it breaks down to 4000 km a year, and 80km a week.

On this blog, I will log my daily progress every week and track the journey on Google Earth. I want to share the issues that many face in “post-retirement”. 

Many successfully navigate them without any trouble, but there are equally as many who do struggle. Many issues can be faced successfully just by focusing on our lifestyles. This blog is committed to helping us all. But specifically focusing on "old age," "Dementia," and the cruelties of both. Hence "The Geriatric Fight Club."