Why always in the name of correctness are we trying to make seniors' lives less joyful?

Every now and then I will read a question on the forum about healthy eating for someone who is in their 90's. Good grief, if the elder wants ice cream for breakfast, you ask if they want one scoop or two.

My parents alone must have helped keep Little Debbie's and Pringles in business for the last 10 years of their lives, and they passed in their 90's. Mom buying salt-free soup is a different issue :P

The idea seems to be to live as long as possible.  It is slow going to get people to recognize that not everyone shares this goal. And there are potential legal issues such as accusations of neglect, that have to be taken into consideration, but I agree, longer is not necessarily better.

I had a friend who had a bad heart attack when he was in his 40s. He was a smoker and he liked to drink. Doctor said he had to give both up. My friend said he gave up one. I knew which one, smoking. He is now 70 yrs old. Has had some health problems other than heart, but is still here.

Me, I don't want to be in my 90s just sitting around and looking at the wall. I certainly don't want Dementia and be like Mom in her own little world forgetting all the good things in her life. I think everything in moderation. I am approaching the Winter of my life and I should be able to enjoy it the way I want.

Maybe it's not always about living as long as possible. Maybe it's about being happy as long as possible. It's going to go how it goes. Nothing wrong with taking good care of yourself, but heck, at some point, you've done what you could. So just do what the heck you want. And enjoy every moment of it.

I totally get this! My 88 YO mom likes to have a glass of wine in the evening, and smokes.. She misses my dad and her old independent life of traveling the world with him,, or even just driving! Her doctors all know this,, and say "let her be".. it makes her happy . She has so little joy left that I can't take these from her, we just adjust .

There was a musician on my country (Noel Rosa, if I'm not mistaken) who once said "the doctors want to keep me alive, but I want to live."
Yes, it's a though call. I see the problems my mother faces, and I don't know what I would do in her place. I am at that age that the fact I will never be a racing driver or learn to surf start to sink in, but living TV room-to-Bedroom is not that an option. There's a thrid way somewhere,, but finding it... ah, how hard it is.
If I knew where it is, or how to find it, I would have a bestseller in hands and a Sociology Nobel would be in reach.
I guess we all must go trial and error.

I think sometimes we get so focused on extending life and fighting health problems that we lose sight of the fact that quality of life matters as much as quantity, in my opinion by the time we reach our final years it should matter more.

As long as your actions aren’t impinging on those around you in a way that makes their lives miserable, go for it.