The elderly populace is large and is also growing because of the advancement of health care as well as education. The elderly are faced with various physical, psychological, as well as social role changes, which challenge their sense of self along with the capacity to live happily. Numerous people experience loneliness as well as depression as they age, either as a result of living all alone or because of a lack of close family connections and reduced ties with the culture of origin, which fails to contribute to the community activities actively.
Yes, I am old; I admit this freely and confidently. Even though I am about to turn 82, I feel extremely lucky. There are so many people out there who do not get to experience the golden old age as I have. The average worldwide life expectancy is 71. This means that half of the people pass away before this. So why is Old Age Such a Belittled Condition? It baffles me to think that mocking or belittling old people make others feel better about their lives.
It dismays me to see words like “oldsters” “senile” “overage” etc. being used to describe the elderly. Why is it not a big deal when one makes fun of old people? Why do people feel it is okay to mock old people? We are a large group of the entire population, and if you don’t feel comfortable mocking another large group of people, why us?
One could find hundreds and thousands of mems, blogs, and articles mocking old people. There have also been instances where people have made videos that are directed towards making fun of the elderly. If this is supposed to be funny, I believe that my sense of humor is not developed in a way to find these jokes funny.
As a nation, we need to stop this trend which traumatizes old people from making themselves feel better. It is very important that we understand, that everyone at one point in time has to turn old. No one remains young, active and healthy no matter how much we want to.
Old age is the inevitable part of life, which everyone has to go through. There is nothing belittling about it. One needs to understand that every stage of life has its advantages and disadvantages. There is nothing wrong with being in a certain age.
Aging is a series of progressions that begin with life and continues throughout the entire lifespan. It signifies the closing period in the life cycle, a time when the individual looks back on life, on the past accomplishments and then begins to finish off the course of his life. Adjusting to the vicissitudes, which accompany old age, requires the individual malleable and develops new coping skills in order to adapt to the various changes that are common to this particular time in their lives.
With their advancing age, it is unavoidable that old people lose connection with their old friends and that they find it more difficult to make new friends. Therefore, it is very important that instead of belittling the elderly, you take care of them and help them live a better life.