The United Nations recently marked the International Day of the Older Person, highlighting the important contribution they make to society.
Attention was drawn to the struggle that communities face in trying to manage the response to the complex and diverse health needs of the elderly.
Here in Australia, Canberra, ‘the age-friendly city’, as the number plates read, is apparently one of the better places to grow old in.
The services, the support, the health care — it has a lot going for it.
Four people all born in the 1920s spoke to the Sunday Canberra Times about the challenges they face and the things that bring them pleasure in their twilight years.
One common thread between the four was that they had no regrets. “What’s the point?” they said.
All four still live at home but make the most of the services available to them like the Red Cross’s Meals on Wheels and Woden Community Service’s huge array of groups, they can participate in overcoming ‘isolation’.
The UN points out that the elderly could be our parents or grandparents — they deserve to be treated with love and respect.
Maybe it’s time to put your hand up and connect with the elderly in your community.
