Growing Old Gracefully

Rohini Anandaraja

The topic of growing old has been in the air recently. Many years ago, about the time I was beginning to see "silver threads among the black!", my family and I were planning a trip to Sri Lanka - not having managed the get-away for about 12 years.

My mother who was with me in New Zealand at the time, was chatting with me one day while making some early preparations for the trip, when suddenly she came up with "Rohini, you can't go to Sri Lanka with silver streaks in your hair - no one has grey hair in Sri Lanka". Of course  all I did at the time was laugh and her suggestion that I have my "silver" touched up was not heeded.  However some years later, of my own accord I decided it was time to start the cover-up! This done, and with some very good genes from my parents who looked young to a ripe old age, perhaps also helped by my small stature, I probably gave people the impression of being "spring chicken" for a good number of years - to the extent that the question was asked from time to time by some of my older patients " Are you old enough to be my doctor?"!

In one instance when I was verging on 60 years of age, a patient of mine in his late 70s whom I referred for surgery, happened to see a good family friend of ours as anaesthetist. When asked who his GP was - the patient had said "Dr. Anandaraja - she is very young - too young to be a doctor" and my friend's reply was " I don't know about that - she even has a daughter who is a doctor"! ( verbatim from the anaesthetist)!
With friends like these who needs enemies!

My patient's first comment when he next saw me was "You DO keep your age well"! So it was then!

In recent times however, on the slippery slope with furrowed brow and sans hair-colour (fortunately not sans everything yet) the frequently asked question has changed to "Do you have grand children"?!