Let's Talk Without Taboos - Older Adults

@VirtualVariety - 26/12/21

According to a survey conducted by the U.N, in 2019 there were 703 million people aged 65 years or older in the world, and they even made positive calculations for the following years, concluding that this adult population could triple by 2030, however, not everything is as nice as it is said or sounds.

It should be no secret to anyone that right now there are many older adults on the streets, working, looking for a way to survive, dealing with an illness, or managing to get a piece of bread. The saddest thing is that most of these poor elderly people have families in good positions, a family that abandoned them, the family that left them in oblivion for the simple fact that they are no longer useful to them.

There are so many cases of mistreatment for these poor people, many of us forget that old age is to return to childhood, I explain better... When we reach the age of 70, 80, and even 90 years, we go back to being children, we do not control our needs, we urinate, defecate without wanting to, among other things, then many forget that this is involuntary, instead of helping, to guide that person, they end up punishing them, insulting them, even physically mistreating them, so that is where we see the wickedness of human beings, they forget that those people once also took care of them, they gave them their daily bread, they guided them and the most important thing is that thanks to that man or woman you are in this world.

If there is something that I support is that if you do not have the patience, love, or affection to take care of an elderly person, then enroll them in a Geriatric or Nursing Home, where they will have the help and care necessary to enjoy the last years of their life. Because I find it very sad that these people have to go through such a hard time just because of their advanced age, just because they no longer have the strength they had when they were young.

We can never forget that all or a great majority of us will reach that age, and we don't know in what condition. It is here where I remember many phrases that are said in Latin American culture regarding children: "You have to have children so that they will take care of you when you are old". However, this is relative, because many grandfathers or grandmothers who are in the street or in a hellish home had children and these are the ones who are giving them the worst days of their lives, these are the ones who mistreat them and do not take care of them.

Then we have to be sincere, we have to be logical, a child will never guarantee you a happy, healthy, calm and peaceful old age, on the contrary, it can play against you, with this I do not mean that having children is bad, only that we should not depend on it to think of a healthy old age, a pleasant old age, because many times there are cases where your son or daughter becomes your worst enemy.

According to the O.M.S 1 out of 6 people over 60 years old has suffered some kind of abuse in his life, but the most ironic thing is that this occurs only in those grandparents who do not have the most abundant economic resources in the world, are those who in his life were wage earners, because there are older adults who spend their old age enjoying their millionaire fortune and nobody in the family treats them badly, on the contrary, they continue to treat them as if they were 20 years old, so this is where we see the double standards of human beings, where many are moved by the interest and not by love, not by affection for that loved one.

"Nothing makes us grow old faster than to think incessantly that we are growing old." - Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

The worst thing is that many people from dawn until nightfall remind that person that they are old, that they are no longer the same as they were 20 or 30 years ago, that they are useless, that they only serve to urinate, defecate and eat, unfortunately, this practice only seeks to break this person internally, make him/her see that everything has changed, that now he/she depends on others to do basic things that he/she used to do.

That is why sometimes we see in the news that there are many cases of suicides in the elderly, and even with this pandemic cases have been increasing, we all have limits, we all get tired of the same, of the mistreatment, insults, abuse, injustices and perhaps for them this is the quickest way out, more viable because they do not have anyone else because they do not have someone to listen to them, to support them, to enforce their rights, it is difficult to find laws in a country where the elderly are a priority for the state as much or more as children are, it is something that should change, we need equity in all senses, and inclusion in the laws, where those people over 50 have a voice in many areas, where they have support.

That is why I want to advise you who are reading this, if by any chance you are in charge of an elderly person, if you do not have the time or patience to take care of him or her, to make the time he or she has left to live easier, then look for a way for someone else to take care of him or her, look for help, but do not take your anger, your frustration out on him or her who is not to blame for reaching that age or for having so many limitations, let us be empathetic, let us be aware that they are not to blame for anything.

If you know of any case of mistreatment of the elderly, denounce it, report it, make the change, no one deserves to suffer because of others.

Before ending this article of reflection, I want to thank all of you who take the time to read our articles, to support us with alike, with a tip, with a comment, or share this that we create, I also want to thank this platform @Read.Cash platform for allowing me to share here my thoughts, my knowledge, my way of seeing life, and everything I have learned along the way, I know I have not been the most perfect content creator but every day I try to improve and bring relevant content that goes along with this magnificent platform, I sincerely hope that in this 2022 this digital space becomes the window for many people in the world to express, to tell and enlighten all of us who make life here. Thank you for everything, I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

"Let's Talk Without Taboos, is a new space dedicated to chat about those everyday issues that many seek to avoid because they are so strong and raw, we hope you like it and encourage you to comment."