When Grandma Turns Cougar
For some people, the very idea of Grandma turning anything but slightly deaf is ridiculous. Grandmothers with elderly problems by definition usually conjure up the impression of a frail old lady sitting in the corner knitting squares or writing her jam recipes. The severe elderly problems that older ladies might anticipate do not usually include dressing in an outfit that would suit a woman sixty years younger and tearing up the local dance hall with her Tina Turner impersonation.
The sad reality is that these days, Grandma may look and act very differently to the kind of lady portrayed in Little Red Riding Hood. In fact, occasionally she might bear a closer resemblance to the wolf! Older women might still suffer from all the elderly problems associated with physical deterioration, such as failing memory, stiff joints and poor eyesight but certain other faculties might be surprisingly limber and ready to roll.
Dress an elderly lady in the right frame of mind the right way and she can pass for twenty or thirty years younger. With the modern cosmetic products on the market, elderly problems and a lifetime of wrinkles and crow’s feet can be disguised in a very short space of time and shock the socks off the neighbors who are accustomed to a more traditional grandmotherly figure.
Grandmothers who outwardly display all the signs of remaining young at heart by socializing with people a great deal younger, wearing fashionable clothes and staying out late at night partying, cutting a dash with men significantly younger and spending money like water might be experiencing elderly problems in the form of an emotional crisis. Such problems are difficult for family members to address, especially as Grandma might not thank you for interfering in what she perceives as the best time of her life.
Elderly problems of this kind are best dealt with gently and by gradually introducing professional counseling. Difficulties for ladies who indulge in this kind of pastime are invariably connected with being eventually rejected by younger men, being taken advantage of financially by younger companions and generally being disappointed when the older values still held within are trampled upon by a younger set of principles.
Ladies who continue to suffer an emotional crisis even in the face of advice from relatives and professional counselors can cause untold misery for close family members. A person suffering with elderly problems of this type may also feel criticized and unfairly judged by people with the best intentions. The best way forward is to treat Grandma with all the love and respect you can find in your heart and gently try to dissuade, rather than dictate another set of rules early on which might propagate elderly problems and make them worse instead of better.
