Our elders need to be respected as people in their own right. They have lived just as busy and complicated lives as we have. And, they have seen wondrous inventions during this time – the automobile, the airplane, space adventure, television and all the communication devices developed since that time, and the depression, the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the neverending strife in the Middle East. Life for them was much more difficult than it is for us – we have all heard the saying – “I walked two miles to school through rain and snow, etc.”
I never thought I would be the age that I am now. My parents lived to be 81 and 85, and before I know it, the time will go fleeting by and I will be that age. The saying “getting old is not for sissies” is very true. Over 1.7 million people aged 65 and over die in the United States each year. The 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures estimate that 454,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2010. By 2030, it is estimated that there will be 71 million people equal to or over the age of 65 in the United States (973 million worldwide). Everyone ages!! By the way, Alzheimer’s is not a normal aspect of aging.
I volunteer for Hospice and visit different retirement/nursing homes. It breaks my heart to see so many older people there, just existing. Many cannot feed themselves, and many are lonely. Their lives may now be as simple as worrying about whether or not the aide gets them to the bathroom, or changes their diaper, or whether or not their dinner is coming.
No matter what the state of the elder’s mind is, and many are very alert – they all have stories to tell and want to be valued for who they are and what they have experienced. It isn’t their fault they have gotten older and that their bodies have failed them. They are still a person.
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