The other day I was reading somewhere, that a rich businessman was planning to build up a Day Centre for older people as a kind gesture to his community; he , however, had faced some opposition - curiously, from a group of the ’ potential’ users who were supposed to ‘benefit’ from the Centre. Their reason was ‘‘they did not want a ‘Granny Creche’ where they could remain out-of-sight’ of the rest of society’’ <p>
I pondered over this news and felt , those older individuals were correct. Time is changing rapidly ; there was a time when separate day ‘care facility’ for the elders was welcomed by all mostly by the elderly. The numbers of old people were relatively small and some of them needed others to care for them , away from their homes , for a change. They would socialise among themselves , listen to old music and have occasional singsong popular in their times ! Yes, those were the days!
Things have changed and living altering rapidly. Todays’ most retired people are fit as a fiddle and doing virtually everything -- shopping , visiting friends, driving , helping others including the young , grandchildren , going abroad on holidays , cruising etc even dancing and partying!! Some are even working part-time ! And to them I would say ‘bravo’ - that is exactly how one should spend their retired years, not in day centres and rest homes but in the very heart of the society.
Within the next 3 decades nearly 20 % of the population will be above 70 and every 4 years another year of longevity will be added to their lives. What will be required to ensure that people live as ‘normally’ as possible and in their own homes with their own friends and relatives. In this context, we must ensure the society as a whole becomes more ‘age –friendly’ and make ‘independent living’ easier for all. This is the only way , ‘ageism’ or age-related discrimination of any kind can be expunged once and for all. Citizens of all ages should share fun and enjoyment and care for and learn from each other... there is a lot to learn from todays young - who are totally different from when we were children ourselves. Time has moved on - todays young are not like yesterdays young ; similarly tomorrows older people will be different from todays elders and that is normal and natural progress of life.
There must not be any social segregation of the old - we are a big large family and should live with each other , other than in exceptional situation when ‘separate’ facilities may be warranted.
All homes built should be suitable for living by everyone – children, disabled , old and the infirm – all transport should be fully accessible to the ‘dependent and somewhat infirm’ , all supermarkets and shops should have facilities for everyone - young and old ; with nappy changing rooms , wheel chair access and resting places. Everyone , unless severely dependent or totally disabled, should be encouraged to live as independently as possible.
When 94 olds are climbing Mount Everest , who needs separate ‘granny creche’??
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