by Marilyn Rodgers

Created on: December 24, 2006   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

As a child I would take my Aunt's back-scratcher and long handled shoe-horn and use them as levers in my mystical rocket ship. The back-scratcher was a special lever since it came equipped with an end similar to a puppet's hand. The shoe-horn also held great powers as an "accelerator" due to its cupping mechanism. There couldn't be any other reasons for items like these.

Then there was that funny cane thing with the platform and four tiny legs. Hmm, maybe a broken pogo-stick? And, a small stick with a triangular wire that my Aunt used in getting dressed couldn't be anything else but an "ant-trapeze" in my juvenile reality.

Now, long in the tooth, so to speak, I realize the real reasons for those items. I'm affected by the very reasons my Aunt was and need them in my day-to-day living. My "rheumatis" also predicts rain and cold weather and acts as a barometer for humidity.

This condition slows me down a bit and I can see why things aren't what they used to be translates into more than just the objects I had other uses for as a kid. It also translates into how others perceive those with such maladies.

If you walk slower or have difficulty turning jar lids or car window cranks, you're probably "over the hill." Unfortunately, these perceptions are, sometimes, those of our neighbors. "Mrs. Smith at 78' hardly ever comes out of the house." "Old man Carter can't stand the noise of the kids on the block why doesn't he just move into a home?"

The elders of our community and neighborhoods have far more to offer than we give them credit for. Some are considered elders due to age, while others are considered elderly before their time due to illness. Maybe we just need to reach out to them. Although times have changed and things are done differently than in the past, the knowledge and wisdom our community elders hold in their hearts and minds can provide a brilliant perspective on why things aren't what they used to be. With that background, new programs can be developed in order to enrich community life, essentially shaping the future for our youth.

They know how things were and have witnessed, first-hand, the changes in society that have seemingly built walls between neighbors. They hold the history of our neighborhoods and can retell the stories of the development of the streets and buildings that surround us. Although having some infirmities may hold them down to simpler physical tasks, their minds are still sharp and ever-searching for new knowledge. All we need to do is

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