Do you hate your elders?

Question

I am kind of disgusted with how we treat our elders in this country. As far as I am concerned the very fact that a person has SURVIVED 65 years in this world is commendable by itself. What is disgusting is the conditions in which we expect our direct founders, (from a personal level inside the family, to a governmental level of overall impact, and then as to their economic impact), live out their days. Now in my personal experience with relatives mixed in with a slight stereotype of the depression generation, most don’t expect huge luxuries, they are content to live modestly even with the means for more, yet there are those that do not even have the basic comforts.

The reality is that all of us are going to be there someday, that I can guarantee you. Have you ever heard the phrase “treat others as you would wish to be treated?” That is as old as the hills and twice as dusty, and we have homeless senior citizens? We have seniors on fixed incomes that are experiencing ever increasing costs of medication and treatment. Not being able to receive the best medical care because of their financial situation.

There of course is no one solution to such a complex issue as elder care. With the reality of today’s family, there is no time to take care of the folks, and along with that even though both are working there is no extra money, so choices are made. Some proud seniors will choose situations that they know would be potentially dangerous (such as living alone with congestive heart failure issues, etc) in order not to be a burden on their families.

I guess the point I am making is that this is just the beginning. The baby boomers aren’t quite there yet but they will be soon enough. There is a lot of talk about the “strain” that is accepted will happen. Well it isn’t just a “strain” my friend, it is the straw that will break the camels back.

I could say that most people worry to some degree what is going to happen in the future. It is a lot harder to save for the future then investment company commercials would have you believe. I think everyone would be much more productive and happy as a nation if we had a real parachute for seniors.

I am not talking about anything huge, but we should be prepared to house and provide care for everyone, regardless. I think that when someone hits 65, they should have 100% medical coverage from top to bottom, prescriptions, transportation, care, everything.

It would be much more cost effective for us to build housing and utilize it than it would be for us to pump enough money into the social security system to compensate for inflation in order to provide a living for our seniors.

Build nice facilities, where seniors maintain the dignity of their lives with all the modern amenities, individual apartments and comfortable furniture. Like a mixture between a hospital and a hotel. Run an operating hospital from part of the facility to make it a profit center, and provide medical care to the residents. Run the living area like a 5 star hotel, concierge service, room service, entertainment, etc.

We only have to build it once, it will create millions of jobs, and we have the resources to do it if we maybe just stay out of the next war.

Do you have a better idea?

Answer 1

Wow.

I, too, am disgusted with how older people are treated in this country. You made valid points. I really like the hospital/hotel idea. It would be great to see this actually happen! I would also like to see families of older people to remember the older members of their family and spend time with them. So often, when a person gets older, the family loses patience and "dismisses" them. So sad, so shameful.

Of course, I have already promised my mom (who is 75 and very capable) that if and when the time comes that she needs care, I will not sell her home out from under her, put her in a nursing home, and forget about her. I don't understand how children can be so horrible to their parents. She can come to live with me to be cared for or I can care for her in her home, whichever she prefers.

Answer 2

Our elders are very important in the native american community.
we take care of our own.