by Donna Carroll Batton

Created on: March 03, 2010   Last Updated: September 16, 2010

According to Population Reference Bureau, women outlive men in almost every society.  It goes on to say that in more developed countries life expectancies are 79 years for women and 72 for men.

Another fact that has come to the fore is that women tend to take better care of their health than do men.  They are more likely to make and keep appointments for routine checkups and tests and also tend to eat healthier.

 What does all this mean to women as they reach their senior years?  It may very well mean a retirement life very different from the one they were expecting.  While hoping to be rewarded with a long, healthy life and many years to enjoy their leisure activities, they may find the “golden years” are not at all what they envisioned, due to the declining health of their spouse.

 Take a look around when you visit a doctor or hospital.  Notice the older couples.  You will see that, more frequently than not, the wife is obviously the caretaker for her spouse. 

With the realization of this sad commentary to our senior years, it invokes the question; how many women are prepared for this situation and is there was anything we can do to prevent or prepare for it.

If you and your spouse  take steps while you are in the earlier years of marriage, you can help ward off some major health problems in later years.

The best thing you can do, of course, is to impress on your spouse the importance of taking good care of his health.  With retirement a still far-off vision, it is easy to put off lifestyle changes and health-related resolutions.  Try to communicate the future you want with your spouse when the responsibility of jobs and family are behind you.  Paint him the picture you see of the two of you enjoying leisure activities together.  Stress the importance of keeping his body and mind fit and healthy.  Stress healthy eating and help him overcome bad habits such as smoking or drinking.  Make medical checkup appointments for him and impress upon him the importance of keeping the appointments.

 There is another step you, as a wife, can take to make things easier if your spouse becomes ill regardless of these precautions.  Talk to your spouse about the need for you to know where all important family documents are kept and learn the methods your husband uses to pay bills, update policies, etc.  Don’t be like the many women who,

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