by Amy Jo Browne

Created on: February 24, 2008

With medical technology changing rapidly, elderly people living in today's society are facing changes that generations of previous elderly have not seen. Today's elderly people are more active at seventy-five then previous generations were at sixty-five years old. It is simply because medical technology is allowing people to live healthier lives, which enable them to live longer.

Not only is technology allowing them to live longer it is also because there are more living options for the elderly people which means they are not living alone at home. Depression can cause anyone of any age to lead a less productive life style, but for the elderly it is worse, because they feel they have nothing to give others.

Studies have shown that happier people live longer, and these elderly people in today's society have many living options. These options range from personal care homes, assisted living centers, rehabilitation homes, nursing homes in addition to living with relatives. All of these options increase the livelihood of the elderly people because they are eating better, socializing more, and safer then they would be on their own.

I worked in what is called an Eden nursing home where the nursing home is set up to be as much like a home as possible. Of course, it looked like many of the nursing homes around the nation but with a huge difference. This nursing home had all types of residents in it, from those who needed short-term rehab including long-term residents there for medical attention.

One of the biggest differences was the pets that you would find in a personal home you also found here. Birds, plenty of fish, five cats, 4 dogs, and a chinchilla made their home here, along with a classroom of kindergartens who delighted the residents with songs or story time. All of these differences helped to make the elderly people at this nursing home lead fruitful lives, because they did not feel useless.

The elderly people within this nursing home were almost as active as those elderly people who were still able to live on their own. Both types of senior citizens are free to go on trips to many locations to see sporting events, concerts, and even do some light shopping.

My grandparents seemed so old and frail twenty years ago, and now my own parents are those ages and do not seem so frail. My parents are 64 however; one would not guess that as their activity level is quite high. They are both retired by still active and enjoy a wide array of activities including huge family gathering at there house with all the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Medical technology is helping my father live a long more productive life, but my mother acts as if she is much younger and still volunteers where she used to work. My parents are like other elderly people in my community by keeping active they seem to stay younger for longer then previous generations did twenty years ago.

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