Old age-Are we prepared?

USA has many remarkable facilities; one among them is its public libraries.Members can borrow Books, DVDs, CDs, browse the internet- all free of cost ...yes not a penny (no membership fee either).As long as you don’t loose the items borrowed.

Lately, if some thing goes missing I immediately call out for Aditya (my 2 yr old son).When he understands what I am asking for, he brings it from somewhere (am yet to find where his hiding place is) and hands it to me. Otherwise simply gazes at me. As luck would have it he decided to hide one of his favorite DVDs “Baby’s busy day” and was refusing to give it back.

So I went to the library and told the librarian- an old lady, that I don’t seem to find the DVD at my home ,so she told me I would have to pay the fine to which I agreed.She then started looking up on her system for that DVD record, scanned my library card and then I thought she would ask me for money, and the job is finished.(yes I have been through this process a couple of times earlier too)
Instead she kept doing something with her system for about 10 minutes. I began loosing my patience .As I was waiting there looking at her face – I discovered she was having difficulty reading the screen. She also kept murmuring “I don’t know if I am doing this right”. After about another 10 minutes she decided to get help from her colleague. She called “Sophie can you help me...”
So Sophie peeped into her system and remarked…”Anne you have deleted the record and it cannot be recovered”
Sophie left her with a “you-do-this-every time” kinda look.

Poor Anne didn’t know what was to be done. So she started scrolling the screen up and down. I was feeling sorry for her. I started imagining my grandmother in her place. My grandma is so protected that she wouldn’t leave the home without anybody with her and this old lady here was all alone in this situation to earn a living.
Finally Anne mustered up her courage and asked for another colleague Jane.
Jane also looked very disappointed but at least she tried explaining to Anne what the alternative way could be.
Anne was so nervous that she was struggling to sort the coins and give back the change, didn’t remember what the date was; she even forgot the spelling of the word busy. She was not able to follow the instructions of Jane and was fumbling for words while talking. After she completed all the formalities, I looked into her eyes and told her thanks and to take care with a smile. I could see a sense of relief on her face.

It is an undeniable fact that faculties get weaker with age. So what’s the way out I thought- personally when I get old I don’t want to be in Anne’s situation.
And that evening I saw Baba Ramdev’s yoga on TV and there was this sense of enlightenment. He preaches that if we practice prananyam 30 minutes a day then we can live up to a 100 with all our senses intact.
30 minutes a day - definitely worth - to avoid the embarrassment, feeling of helplessness in the later days...what say??
And yes, not to forget the other important aspect to survive in older days-Financial planning! Good luck with that too :)