by Nadine Marie

Created on: February 01, 2008

The most important problem senior citizens face is there is no one to take care of them anymore. The oldest living member in my family is a victim of this. Although i do all that i can i feel as though taking care of our elderly should be a community effort. I watch how he is ignored by other family members until his check day comes.

Many of our senior citizens suffer from loneliness. In their most wise years all they want is a little companionship. There are no people to make the little days they have left more comfortable. I realized this just watching my family and how they interact with my uncle. He is such a humble and gentle spirit and when i see how they overlook things like feeding him or just giving him a little conversation it pains my heart. You have to understand that they have lived a full life and rest is what they deserve.

If we as a people could just take the time out and give back to those who have shaped the way for us to be all we are today we would be better off. It is not to much to ask just to give a few moments of your time to all those who have paved the way for us to be all that we are. Taking time out to fix a meal or just to absorb all the wisdom they have to offer is not asking to much. letting them know that they are important to us or making sure they take their meds on time is not to much to ask.

If you think about it in the context that one day you will be them and put yourself in their position. See life through their eyes and all that they have been through and tell me you wouldn't want what they so crave. They have a right to be comfortable and most of all feel loved. Some senior citizens can not do the things they once upon a time could do with ease. Sometimes the realization that the are no longer independent but are now dependent on what others can do is sometimes a hard transition. Should we not make it easy for them?

My uncle gets so excited when i come to visit. If i do something like bring him a little snack when others overlook the small stuff. Outside of work i try to spend as mush time with him as i can. I look at him as he has lived a full life and to be 75 years old he deserves a little extra attention. He has outlived 2 brothers, a nephew, a wife and a great-niece. He has seen many births and served our country. What i want to provide for him is a sense of security in all the he is as a patriacrh of our family. Looking at him is like watching history in the making. He is one of the founding members of our family and his blood flows through our veins. I will always do what i can to make sure that loneliness is not even a thought for however long God grants me the privilege to know him.

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