Cross posted from Grandma's Army
The corona virus has taken over our lives. We still have freedom of choice – every person within his/her circumscribed small world. However, no matter how smart we are, there’s something we have to cope with that’s bigger than ourselves. We are forced into taking life slower, which isn’t a bad thing. It gives one more time to think and see what’s really important.
Another consequence of corona is that older people are suddenly being taking into account. In Israel, a lot of thought and resources have been allocated in order to protect older people. Until now, youth has been much more admired and visible in the public sphere than us “oldies.”
According to the head of the Gerontology department at the university of Haifa’s Health and Welfare centre, since corona, many senior citizens feel that they are being stereotyped. As if every elderly person is especially vulnerable and in imminent danger of becoming infected with corona. That they are unfit to make their own judgments, without others having to decide for them what they are able, or unable, to do.
On the contrary, the majority of the elderly weren’t even aware that they are “old” until the present crisis. In their eyes the prevalent attitude is patronizing and separates the elderly from the rest of the population. Many feel hurt and insulted. Some feel that society treats them like kindergarten children or dogs, that have to be taken out once a day for a walk.
There are 100,000 people over the age of 67 in Israel, and 80% of them are healthy and able-bodied. It makes no sense to imprison 800,000 senior citizens who are defined as healthy and active. Isolation and lack of physical activity can be detrimental to these citizen’s mental and physical health.
Jewish tradition respects the elders. In one of the ten commandments, it is mandated to honour one’s father and mother – that is, the older generation. Judaism also partners old age with wisdom.
The sad fact remains, however, that retirement, mandatory or otherwise is a fact of modern living. Apart from changing the attitude of society as a whole, most of all we must change the self-perception of the aged and near-aged. The life changes that come with old age are not a cause of retirement from productive life, but the opportunity to discover new and more meaningful ways to develop oneself and surroundings.
It is not necessary for aging people to step out of society and let the younger generation learn only by trial and error. The wisdom and knowledge, that only decades of life experience brings, is the only way for the next generation to build on what has come before.
Elderly people must chose to age with dignity. The aged should be encouraged to command respect and admiration and to use their wisdom for the benefit of their descendents. No matter what modern society says, these words are true for all eras of history.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary "elderly" is defined as decrepit. Since most seniors do NOT fit into this description, perhaps you need to find a better term for persons over 65. I'm 77 and certainly nowhere near decrepit - still very active physically in my Jewish community and elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI would put it to you that the use of the word elderly is an ageism insult.
Shalom
I am active 82 year old and define myself as a) a senior, or b) a third ager. Naturally my children consider me "elderly" which is correct in comparision to their ages and i consider them "youngsters" - Is that so bad?
ReplyDeleteI am I. I don't feel qs if I have changed over the years (77). BUt I am all too aware that the guy looking at me in the bathroom mirror is the guy everyone sees, and looks old and decrepit. But nothing new here. Looks have always been just skin deep, have they not?
ReplyDeleteWell said.
ReplyDeleteHere are my thoughts on the situation.
So, more deaths have occurred in the older population? Of course they have because the older you get the more likely you are to have UNDERLYING HEALTH PROBLEMS. And those underlying problems are what turns coronavirus deadly.
It is not because of the age per se. So to arbitrarily lock down every single person who happens to have a particular date on their birth certificate is ludicrous.
Statistics show that the majority of fatal cases OF EVERY AGE have had underlying health problems.
Isn't this where the lock-down should be concentrated? There should be provisions for diabetics, those with respiratory diseases, those who are morbidly obese, those where the immune system is weakened (as with cancer patients) to remain isolated.
This is where the government needs to step in to provide help in this difficult period so that, where appropriate, their jobs remain safe for them, and to ensure that they receive financial help to enable them to stay home for longer.
Even in the old age homes, which by their very nature, contain many vulnerable people – why else would the majority of the residents be in the homes in the first place? – many have not been affected by the disease or have survived it.
So even there the situation should be re-examined to see how the more healthy can be allowed more freedom, rather than a blanket lock-down.
It is surely significant that the villages and residential communities for Senior Citizens have NOT had more fatalities than any other section of the country?
I must admit, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I do not feel protected as much as "shunted off" while many people virtue signal their "concern".
If they were really so concerned about us they would allocate hours every day for doctors' surgeries, clinics, supermarkets, parks, malls etc. to admit only US and keep those we are supposed to be in danger FROM, away from us, not the other way round.