Does This Make Me Look Old?

Shiv and Sim continue their discussion on mental health, with a focus on burnout. They talk about the symptoms of burnout as outlined by the Mayo Clinic and to make it fun/competitive, Sim turns them into a scored questionnaire. They talk about possible ways to take action in preventing and dealing with burnout as well as their opinions on these recommendations. Please note that any information provided is not a substitute for professional advice...

October 10th was the World Health Organization World Mental Health Day, and coincidentally, Sim and Shiv decided to have a discussion around their own mental health this week. They touch on how the pandemic has affected their mental health, and how it has had an effect on society at large, including middle-aged and older adults. Shiv talks about her issues with self-care and Sim discusses her issues with work-life balance while working from home...

Shiv and Sim somehow manage to relate the weather and a reminiscence around "Northern Exposure" (remember that show?) to the 30th anniversary of the United Nations' International Day of Older Persons and Australia's inaugural Ageism Awareness Day held on October 1st. Did you know there is an International Day devoted to older people? Shiv didn't and this leads to a discussion around whether this is due to poor marketing practices or whether it might actually be due to hidden ageism in society...

Do celebrities really have a responsiblity to disclose if they've gotten plastic surgery to enhance their physical assets?  Are we doing the right thing by constantly admiring and praising older women and actresses who look younger than they are? Is it a requirement that you should want to look sexy, or value sexiness, at all ages? These are some of the questions that Sim and Shiv tackle in this week's episode. We've all read and heard how aging is not easy if you're in Hollywood...

What does it mean to leave a legacy? This week, Sim and Shiv tackle the topic of legacies. Not just the gifts of money, property and other financial assets - lovely though they can be - but also the a person's desire to make an impact, a sustainable impact, that will continue long after the person is gone. Shiv is still grappling with what she wants her legacy to be, though she's been thinking about it for a long time...

This week, Sim has a bit of a mini crisis as she starts to acknowledge the physical signs of aging in herself. While mulling over the graying hair, fall and drier skin, imagine her horror as she learns about feet getting wider, arches falling, potential shrinking (she's too petite to lose any inches in height!). Shiv, a lot calmer, graceful and scientific about these changes, talks her off the proverbial ledge. Barely :)   

This week, Shiv and Sim tackle the topic of phishing and phone scams. Shiv is paranoid that she's going to fall for one of them some day as she gets older, and the scams get more sophisticated. Sim worries about them but is also too lazy to do something about them. But jokes aside, the elderly are often successfully targetted for fraud scams, although surprisingly, turns out the milleneals aren't exempt either!   

This week Sim and Shiv decide to have a discussion around nursing homes. Sim comes across a number of articles reporting on nursing homes that cater to different cultures, something that will become more important as our population continues to diversify, and as that diverse population gets older. They talk about their attitudes towards their own care as they get older and how this may (or may not) differ from their parents' (and/or their culture's) attitudes towards the care of older adults...

The last episode on biological clocks with guest Tas, mom and health care professional. Biological clocks - while they exist of course - are morphing in definition and perception. In this episode, conversation delves into egg freezing as an option to delay having children and the consequences of having children at a later age...

Sim and Shiv continue the conversation on biological clocks with Tas, their 43 year old friend who balances the craziness of motherhood with the craziness of a full time job! Tas reminisces about about the magical, weird and scary period of pregnancy - when random strangers would want to touch her belly, it felt like an alien had taken over her body and she developed a random allergy...