Al Rave lives in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, at Sanford Health Orchard Hills and via both words and action is breaking down barriers about how 85-year-olds conduct themselves.
Rave has a green and black tricycle that looks more like a rocket ship than it does anything you would expect to see an octogenarian pedaling around the city park in Dell Rapids. He rides it up to 13 miles a day if it’s not raining or snowing, it’s not Sunday and the temperature is 35 degrees or warmer.
That means six days a week he is pushing the pedals. And he loves every minute of it.
“It’s called determination,” Rave said. “I always strive to do my best no matter what I’m doing. I did that all my years on the road (as a trucker), while I farmed and when I was in business for myself. It’s just a drive that I’ve got. Sometimes I have to try and hold myself down because I just want to go, go, go.”
Rave has dealt with several health issues over the years and some of them have been serious. A year ago, food allergies put him in the hospital. His doctor told him his blood pressure reading would have killed a lot of people.
Rave jokingly responded, “Sorry to burst your bubble this morning.”
‘Moving in the right direction’
Instead of telling you how he has overcome those issues, he shows you. He rides that tricycle all over Dell Rapids, he eats right, and he doesn’t place limits on himself.
Rave has not always made a priority of living healthy. He nevertheless serves as a memorable example of turning things around well after the age when some people have quit trying. It is never too late to start a good habit or give up a bad one.
“Getting these miles keeps my knees moving, my hips moving,” Rave said. “My focus on life – everything is moving in the right direction. Sure, I’ve had problems. I’ve had a stroke. I had West Nile. I’ve had a lot of bad diseases. But I am not on any medication, none whatsoever. I’m on cod liver oil and a multiple-vitamin. That is it. Oh, and honey, I drink honey three times a day in hot water. I don’t drink ice water, period.”
Rave credits living at Orchard Hills for part of the healthy turnaround in his life. The circumstances were initially challenging – like so many, he had apprehensions about calling senior living apartments his new home.
The combination of independence and being around people grew on him quickly, however, in this small town 20 miles north of Sioux Falls.
“It’s clean, warm, the people are friendly and the meals are good. The cooks are nice. Everybody is good,” Rave said. “It’s a God-loving place and if you love the Lord, you will never have any problems. Like I read the Bible from cover to cover. I’m on my third trip through it. I read it in the morning, and I read it at night before I go to bed. My life has changed – it’s about a complete (flip) flop compared to what it was five years ago.”
‘I just go out and enjoy’
When Rave is out on the road these days, people will wave. Sometimes they ask about his three-wheeler and he asks them if they want to ride it. He’ll ask anyone that – doesn’t matter about their age or if they are a man or a woman. Sometimes they take him up on it.
As the miles add up, he collects memorable sights and sounds. There is a lot going on in Dell Rapids if you’re paying attention.
“Last Thursday morning, I came up on a pair of geese over on the other side of the bridge,” he said. “They had three little ones. … By the time I got my camera out, they were gone. So then I came around the bike trail and came back down along the river and there were two more pairs. So there were eight little ones with three pairs. … A week ago, I got a picture of a snapping turtle down by the dam. I was this far from him.”
Sometimes he’ll listen to music while he rides.
“I listen to a lot of gospel music,” he said. “I don’t really think about what I’m going to be doing tomorrow or the next five minutes. I just go out and enjoy everything that I can see along the river.”
Rave used a cane when he moved to Orchard Hills, and now he walks on his own wherever he goes. Though he’s not recommending it for everyone, he can now stand on one leg without hanging onto anything. It’s all about getting up in the morning and thinking about the things you can do, instead of the things you can’t.
“I don’t know where I’d be,” he said, “if I wasn’t riding.”
Learn more
- Senior living residents share importance of staying active
- How do you know when it’s time to seek senior services?
- Navigating senior care from the sandwich generation
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Posted In Community, Healthy Living, Senior Services
