Originally Posted by Latitude65

You write as though you are a bit depressed. I hope that isn't, in fact, true. Not much I can do from this distance except to encourage you not to believe all that mis-information.

Some comments that may be pertinent:
Many years ago an aquaintance told me about a fellow worker at one of the nation's large manufacturering facilities. That person kept a record of the fate of recent retirees. He grouped them in two categories: Those who kept track of the time remaining and those who didn't. After several years the analysis showed those who counted down, as it were, lived shorter, less happy lives than those who didn't. There is a profound lesson in that.

In 1976 I was counselled my life expectancy was 3-5 years. So, much for "likely".

If the folks around you are focused on death and disability do what I did; change social circles.