Lately I have been hanging around ‘Seniors’ as much as I can. I have been known to randomly stop old people in the street and start a conversation with them. I am helping ‘oldies’ pack their groceries and carry them to the car, cross the road and, heaven forbid, talk about ‘Bridge’. In my technologically advanced world and the ever-increasing fast paced life I find myself in, I am craving some old fashioned human connection. I don’t mean the comments left on Facebook or the Skype chat that my children have with their grandmother – but the old fashioned ‘cup of tea and biscuit’ connection.
As we move into Senior’s Week we should reflect as a society on how far we have come in “accepting” seniors back into our busy lives. As the ever-increasing isolation of today’s up-and-coming seniors consumes us, we need as a whole community to reflect on our aged members and what we can learn from them.
If we take time to listen to and probe the wealth of information database that surrounds us in the minds of our grey generation, we may find ourselves becoming wonderfully engrossed in lost knowledge. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against further advancing society with technology and how convenient my life is with what is available to me, but there is a part of me that craves human interaction and the desire to learn as much as I can about the fascinating lives that our seniors have led.
Our lives will lead us through many changes – some will be welcome and others unfortunately may sneak up on us, or our aged loved ones, and be seen as cruel and unfair. We cannot stop the passage of time but we can as individuals or as a society make sure that our seniors are helped and guided through this time of their lives with dignity, respect and acknowledgement of their lives.
So, as we celebrate Seniors Week and look at the numerous events and activities that are being held throughout our community, let us not forget that seniors should be seen as an integral part of our community every week of the year and if we listen we may just be pleasantly surprised at what we hear!