my parents are getting old

We have a roadtrip planned this summer to see my parents. It has been a while since we've visited, and I fear that they will have changed in appearance more than I am prepared to see. They've already started to exhibit signs of doing "old person" type things - like gambling at the casinos several times a week, and mixing up their childrens names on the phone. They both *seem* to still have their faculties about them (as much as they have had them up until now), although some of the stuff my mother says over the phone makes me wonder.

My father says that he is preparing for retirement, and that this time he will actually stay retired. I'll believe it when I see it. He's the type of guy who needs to feel useful, like everything that he is doing has a concrete, easily understood purpose. I'm the same way at times, so I guess that's who I get it from. I suspect that much of his "busy-bodiness" has to do with the fact that he and my mother are opposites and don't seem to get along very well. So they limit their time around each other by staying busy with other things, and when they do spend time together (going to the movies, gambling), they are still inattentive to each other to a certain degree.

I'll bet that my dad buys an RV when he retires. He seems to be about ten years behind whatever his neighbors are doing, so its only a matter of time before he picks up some of those polyester jogging outfits, a Cadillac, and his and hers adjustable beds. Why do people inevitably buy into these age-based product trends? Is it simply a matter of desiring more comfort in one's old age? There's *got* to be an alternative to those ugly jogging suits, though.