Independence for Seniors
Posted by David Thomas on July 3, 2009
The Fourth of July! A grand day, and once again time to celebrate America’s stirring Declaration of Independence, and the 233 world-shaking years that have come after.
But national independence is not in the Senior Spotlight today; senior independence is. Of course these thoughts are for seniors, to some extent. But they are mainly directed at the children of seniors, and for the professionals who work with them. They are intended to tell you perhaps the most important fact about the person you are dealing with, namely:
Seniors declare they will not give up their independence!
We seniors do not want to lose our financial independence, our mobility or our power to decide where and how we live. We do not want to give up our jobs along with the productivity, relationships and influence they give us. We do not want to give up our familiar routines, and we do not want to believe that we can no longer pursue meaningful goals.
We do not want to use a cane, a walker or a wheelchair. We’re glad those handicapped ramps are there, but we hate depending on them. We don’t want people to help us with what the bureaucrats call “activities of daily living,” because it embarrasses and frustrates us. We don’t want to give up our favorite foods and drinks. We don’t want to take so many pills.
We don’t want to move out of our own homes and into places where living is regimented and restricted. We don’t want to wait there for friends and family members to visit; we’d rather visit them ourselves, or see them at our house. We don’t want to lose touch with all the familiar people and places that have made up our lives, either because we’ve moved far away or because we just can’t get out any more.
And if you’re coming to take away our cars or driver’s licenses, you’d better come armed.
But we seniors are not totally out of touch with reality. We know that at least some of these “independence removers” will push into our lives, and we give some consideration to how we’ll handle them. We also recognize that we need to keep track of our thoughts and be consciously optimistic. We try to take some pleasure out of each day and live in the present, not the past or the future. We look for involvement in things that interest us. We know we are free to be ourselves.
So, if there are seniors in your lives who are starting to experience some of the changes that come with aging, try to remember that they’re not very happy about them. And remember they’d really like you to recognize how important their independence is, even as you take loving and necessary steps to make things easier for them. They will thank you for that, if only in their hearts.
