Respect Your Elders

Examples of agesim and age-based racism are prominent in our culture. We have created such a fear of growing older that younger generations are mis-guided about this natural part of life. The language we use, the pictures we show and the messages we see all turn aging into something ugly and negative. I see this everyday whether it be in commericals or normal conversation. I think that as a society we are very dis-respectful to our elders when in fact, we should treat them with great respect for what they have done for us. We must somehow break this illusion that aging is wrong. A natural part of life is death and sooner or later we have to deal with it. I work in a nursing home and I often get asked "how do you do it". How can I stand to work with the old, the sick and the dying. I respond to these questions by explaining that someone has to take care of these people and that someday I might be in a situation similar to theirs and we all need to help each other. I explain to them that I want to make their last years, months or even days the best they can be. Some people I work with are not as compassionate as I am and treat their job like any other job. This frustrates me because this is when I see the disrespect and intolerence. Just because someone needs help does not make them less of a human being than you or I. Personally, I am going into a field to work with the elderly population so that I can do as much as I can to help the people of our aging population. Maybe someday we will be able to shed more light onto this sorry state we are in right now and start realizing that everyone is worthy and desrves to be treated with dignity.

Do you remember?

I think that Alzheimer's disease has to be one of the most devastating diseases that we face today. It doesn't attack you in the most physical sense like Parkinson's or Huntington's disease does but, it attacks your mind. It seems like once you lose your mind you lose yourself and are just left with a shell of what you used to be. The research done on this disease reveals the strange and complex ways that the brain can malfunction which basically causes it to self destruct slowly over time. We know enough to about Alzheimer's to slow it effects in the early stages and I think that someday we may even be able to reverse some of the later stages. People who are about to enter old age have a right to be a fearful of this disease. I think we need some educational programs to teach people what Alzheimer's disease is, what the symptoms are, and to re-assure them that everyone forgets things from time to time. This may even be helpful for researchers to get a better sense of what normal aging looks like and what happens when aging is abnormal by speaking to the people who attend these educational sessions. As far as early detection goes, I think that should be treated like any other early detection test of a disease. If someone wants to know what their percentage is for getting Alzheimer's then they can go and find out. However some people may not want to know what their fate may hold for them and that should be respected too. If I had to make that decision I probably wouldn't want to know. Knowing myself I would want to enjoy life instead of ruminating about what was to come for me eventually.