NOT in the slow lane, YET
The blog is about living life after 70 with joy, resilience, and purpose. NOT in the slow lane, YET is a source of positive, helpful advice, encouraging people to set and achieve goals and find joy in life. The blog will cover personal experiences and thoughts and concerns. Topics of blogs will include health, retirement, fashion, travel, and living in continuing care retirement communities. The blogs will be short and appear at least once a month on my website www.nadineblock.com or by email if you choose.
A Letter to My Great Grandchildren: Healthy Futures with Individual Health Plans (IHPs)
Dear Great Grandchildren,
My mind sometimes wanders to the future and my great-grandchildren. It would be so lovely to meet you. I wish I could hug, read to you, and see you grow. I dream that science and compassion will create healthier and happier lives for your generation and those to come.
Lessons From Life in the Past
I was born in 1936 into a fourth-generation pioneer Wisconsin farm family. An extended family was nearby to help raise children. My great-grandfather came from Austria and brought thirty family members with him. They built their homes, which had no electricity or indoor plumbing. They used horses for work on the farm. In my father’s generation, tractors took over heavy work. Children were expected to help with farm work and, at an early age, drive tractors and use dangerous heavy machinery.
Healthcare was rudimentary. When I was born, fifty percent of children were born at home. Doctors said parents should not spoil children by picking them up too much; crying was good for their lungs. No AI, genetic testing, or readily available material on health practices, exercise, or child/maternal healthcare existed. Parents raised their children the way they were raised. Children were taught to be obedient.
Mothers read newspapers and listened to doctors talk about raising children. Mom once campaigned for eating liver. My siblings and I hated it and put it in our pockets for the dog. In my early childhood, there were no antibiotics. Polio was a dreaded specter. A neighbor boy got polio and was on crutches. We could not go to the Sunday movies or big gatherings. We observed newspaper images of iron lungs, devices used by individuals requiring assisted breathing for the remainder of their lives. Fortunately, the polio vaccine ended that challenging era. Long-term healthcare planning was unheard of, at least in my house.
Despite the challenges, we grew up with a sense of community and strong resilience. The hardships we faced made us determined and adaptable. I hope you carry some of those genes.
Possibilities for you: The Vision of IHPs
Life will be different for you.
Science will find better medications, end dreaded diseases, and help families raise children healthfully. Imagine that healthcare becomes more personalized and preventive starting from birth.
Schools have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to address each child’s needs. As a school psychologist, I helped write these.
I think about all the health information that is available now. Why can’t we have IHPs (individual health plans) for children using AI, genetic testing, online medical records, and evidence-based nutrition and exercise practices? Future generations could enjoy healthy living from childhood through old age. Parents would be empowered to make well-informed decisions. Parents could opt to get this information and later pass it on to their children when they felt it could be helpful.
My Old-Age IHP:
I do not want to live for over one hundred years as my mother did. Still, for as long as I live, I hope to have enjoyable years of being ambulatory without a disabling and painful physical condition or significant cognitive problems. I want to savor life and embrace my limitations.
My Old Age IHP:
- Walk 7,500 steps daily except Sundays and occasional rest days.
- Strength Training: Engage in 30 minutes twice a week.
- Floor Exercises: Engage in 30 minutes twice a week.
- Balance Work: Stand on one leg for 20 seconds twice a week.
- Mindfulness Practice. Attend weekly meditation classes. Use controlled breathing for wakefulness and anxiety.
- Medical Care: Follow doctors’ recommendations and attend regular check-ups. Stay updated on immunizations and advances in geriatric care.
Advocate for necessary medical testing, even when ageism suggests otherwise,
How would IHPs work?
I envision a world where IHPs revolutionize healthcare. How great it would be for parents of my yet unborn great-grandchildren to have evidence-based knowledge of environmental and lifestyle risks early in life and be able to engage in prevention practices or coping mechanisms if needed.
For example, if a child is predisposed to become obese, the report would stress the need to keep a child from getting hooked on sugary soft drinks, along with other dietary recommendations. If the child has a history of skin cancer or melanoma, the parents should train the child to use sunscreen, avoid overexposure to the sun, and schedule regular examinations. Children would be taught stress-relieving skills like breathing exercises and meditation.
Like the IEP, it would support children and be multifactorial. Each child would be unique, and all children would be covered. Physicians would use a team approach to develop it, including family and relevant professionals. In the beginning, it might just be medical information and recommendations. It would help parents prepare their children for a healthy life.
Later, as people become accustomed to the idea of individual health plans, genetic and family history information might be added. Evidence-based advice from nutritionists, exercise professionals, and maternal and childcare experts might be included. It would be their family’s and, later, the child’s choice to receive and implement it. It would be updated as we age. It could be put together using AI.
A Dream for the Future of IHPs
As I reflect on my life, I am hopeful. While there are many obstacles to implementing such plans, we have information and resources unimaginable in my childhood. We have shown that humanity can solve problems if we all work together.
I hope you have a future where health and happiness are not just dreams but where every child thrives, and every parent feels supported in raising children healthfully. Let us support personalized healthcare (IHPs) to rewrite the history of healthcare beginning in childhood.
Love, Grandma Nadine
Note: Co-Pilot used in editing. 3-25-2025, 4-19-2025