Elder Abuse

A few years back I was hospitalized for a surgical procedure. My roommate was an 84-year-old woman who was always cheery and did not appear sick. During my recuperation, she would get my tray from the food cart when it arrived on the ward, and in the afternoon she would bring me a cup of tea. After meals, she helped the nurses by picking up the trays from nearby rooms. Everyone, patients and staff, liked her.

When I inquired about her health she would only say she was under observation, so I asked one of the nurses. I was told that the lady had come into the hospital months earlier for a gynecological problem which was dealt with. Why was she still in hospital?

The nurse explained that before the woman was admitted, her only son had obtained a power of attorney “in case”. Then, while his mother was undergoing treatment, he absconded with her money without leaving a forwarding address. Hospital officials had put the woman on a waiting list for a senior residence she could afford on her pension, and in the meantime she remained in hospital. For the nurse who recounted the story, this was a disturbing trend.

The nurse also told me that on Mother’s Day the woman had asked if any mail had come for her. All she wanted was a word from her son, to know that he was all right. When I returned to the hospital a few weeks after my discharge, I learned that the lady had died. My nurse was convinced that she had willed her own death.

Many boomers face the reality of caring for aging parents and would never consider abandoning or otherwise mistreat them, but the statistics are there and are food for thought. If only one person in our society is being abused physically, financially, psychologically, I believe it’s everyone’s problem.

Senior abuse is happening today in the best of families. We cannot close our eyes to this ignominy. We must speak out, report it and make it an important issue for everyone living in our town, in our neighborhood. If we fail to do so, we become the silent conspirators of those who prey on the vulnerable.

 

Wise Ways for Life

Have you ever noticed how some people seem to have it all together? They are unstressed no matter what, no matter their age. Research shows that these people often have common traits or common habits which I read about and that you might wish to consider:

·       * Don’t do anything you will have to lie about later.

·        *Practice preventive maintenance in every aspect of your life, i.e. your car, your health, your teeth, your personal relationships.

·        *Do not procrastinate which is stressful. Hard work is often just the accumulation of easy things you didn’t do when you should have.

·      *  Take 30-minute walks every day, an easy way to cure stress and a great way to think.

·       * Seek the friendship of non-worriers.

·        * Simplify all areas of your life.

·        *Before speaking your mind, ask yourself if it is true, necessary and kind.

·        *Do at least one thing you enjoy every day.

·        * Laugh often.

·       * Learn to live one day at a time.

·        * Focus on understanding and loving.

·        * Keep smiling.

Have a great day!

 

 

 

 

What a Summer!                      

Like many people I am back to my routine after taking a break, something everyone needs. But even if you were far away for a while, there’s no way you could have avoided how climate is affecting people everywhere around the globe.                                                                                                There’s no way climate-change deniers can continue to preach that all is well and that people are exaggerating the damage being thrown at our planet. The summer is only half over yet we’ve seen all sorts of climate disasters from life-taking floods to fires that destroy forests and communities, from the highest recorded temperatures some regions have ever seen to once fertile land now so desolate no vegetation can grow. One thing I saw on the news and could not believe was a river of water in the desert.                                                                                                                    My question: Do we still have time to repair the damage? While most people are involved in doing their part, be it through composting, recycling, etc. we still have a lot to do. Almost everywhere single-use plastic bags are now banned and people bring their own reusable bags when they go shopping. No one is complaining even if they didn’t think it was feasible when the idea was first floated. How many fewer plastic bags are ending up in our rivers and oceans? As they say: It’s all good.

             It is, and we, humans, can adapt to lots of things if we set our minds to it especially if we all work together. Let’s hope we can rely on each other to do the right thing.