When I started this blog – all of one week ago – I asked my friends to join my discussions and share ideas about getting older. One of my dearest friends said that she was – and I paraphrase here – basically pissed off with age, refused to accept it because it was a bitch… Furthermore, she said that in Serbia, her native country, old people were respected, but in the States (her present home) old people were invisible. This surprised me: I thought with the numbing globalization of iPods, iPhones and Reality TV young things were the same everywhere… so, just to confirm, how are old people in your country treated?
How are Old People Treated in Your Country/Culture?
1 Feb- Comments 2 Comments
- Categories Permission to Age
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flabsagsnwrinkles
This is me: I’m a 40something lady, mother of 2… who had my first and second child as a 40something and am now in the process of reflection… about… aging – both mentally and physically – and trying to stay young – both mentally and physically. A tough edge to straddle…
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The issue of aging has really hit me hard over the last few years after my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Though it’s still in the early stages we have watched her personality gradually change from (mood swings, quiet), watched her lose some of her independence and pretend not to notice as she forgets important facts like where my dads ashes are and the birthdays and ages of my children. My brother and I have taken on a more parental role. With us living overseas I think there is little doubt she will be eventually live in a nursing home where she can receive more specialized care. I don’t know of anyone who lives with and cares for their aging parents or in-laws.
My mother in law told me last summer that she felt invisible. She said that the older she got, the more she felt she was just lost in the fray of people and things going on. Her tempermant has changed over the last two years, I’ve noticed. She is losing patience with things, does’t want to learn anything new, and does not want anything to do with new technology. I am not sure all older people in Canada feel this way, but I suspect many do. Since I haven’t lived in Canada for the last 21 years, I can’t really comment on how the elderly are really treated, but there is a general practice of putting them into homes when they no longer can look after themselves, or their medical needs are beyond what you can do to ensure their health.