On Being Old: Speaking out about being old

I read a story in AARP magazine about a series of murders and robberies of well-off elderly women living alone in independent living communities in Texas. This had been going on for several years with the housing officials declaring their deaths as “natural causes” in spite of relatives reporting their loved ones had been robbed.

There was also a short article on “When Ageism Kills.” Robert Love, editor in chief, said, “It has been called the last acceptable prejudice…” 

This further got me thinking of the plight of older p0eople. Why should we get pushed under the rug because we are retired with health and body declining? Why should we have to pay more for groceries because we’re no longer feeding a family and smaller packaging is more expensive than family-sized? It’s like being punished for being old and alone. Plus, older people eat less.

For an example, places like Shaw’s offers sales on items if you buy five or more. What would older people do with five boxes of pasta (or any product) that might take months to use up, let alone needing more space to store these extras?

Older people are not all the same. Some are in better health than others, but it seems most are all treated as not having any worth – unless they’re very active in community projects. So much focus and programs go towards families with children … which is fine as they need help, too. But it’s like the elderly get written off almost as if they are no longer important. 

Then, older people have to go out of their way to seek help, sign up for elderly services, etc. And, dealing with Medicare or any insurance is not easy, no matter how easy they make it sound. It’s a nightmare, and each year to be hounded by insurance companies trying to get you to change providers is harassment in my book.

I know, I know, younger people don’t want to hear the plight of the elders. I was there once. I remember thinking, “I don’t want to think about being old. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.” Well, I’m there and it’s not easy, especially being a mostly stay-at-home person.

I believe this is a topic that needs to be more openly talked about. Older people shouldn’t have to be afraid or ashamed to discuss their issues. What happened to “Respect your elders?”

This was originally published as a Letter to the Editor in the InterTown Record newspaper. We decided to continue, and it’s turned into a weekly column.