Have you ever wondered how it will be like to grow old? I believe that it is the hope of every individual; to live long and see his/her future generation. Well, there are many debates on the lives of older adults on some of the aspects of lives such as how they see and believe things, how they cope with the numerous challenges in the universe, and how their bodies adjust to various changes both emotional, physical, and psychological among other issues. To answer some of these issues, I decided to interview one older adult named John, a 72 years old man and his wife Anna aged 68. Growing up in a humble background, John told my friends and me that life is what we make out of it, and we should not let our history define our future. He mentioned that we all have the power to change our destination, and that if he had allowed his past to disrupt him from achieving his goals, he would not have given himself, his children, and his wife a better future; an achievement he was very proud of. I have to admit, the interview turned into an inspiration lesson not only to me, but also to my friends, as we got a chance to learn many things. However, this paper will mention some of those things that are related to this course.
The first question was about his aging experience based on physical, psychological, and social perspectives. Upon asking this question, he smiled and showed us a picture of his early 20’s and one on their wedding day. He jokingly said that after marrying Anna, he added on some weight due to his wife’s talent. However, he mentioned that upon reaching the age of 60, he was not as strong as he was in his 40’s and he could not do a lot for himself. He went ahead to state that his state deteriorated every year which he blamed on his career. As a former marine, he stated that some of the physical activities they did during training and in the line of duty affected his physical state and some of the fractures and injuries he got at work were haunting him at his old age. Moreover, he acknowledged the effort put up by his wife and children, and thanked them for their unshakable supported throughout his life. During our visit, he was in his wheelchair due to a fractured leg which he had acquired upon tripping on his stairs.
Psychologically, he stated that he hated the negative image that was held by the public relating to old age. The first thing he mentioned was that most people think that old couples cannot have fun, which he said was absurd and wrong. He mentioned that he had never stopped loving his wife, and they never stopped having fun. He said that with age, the fun does not stop, but instead seems boring to the energetic young people who can do things like mountain climbing, skiing, ice skating, and swimming among other activities. For them, they said that they enjoyed each other’s company, watching movies, and traveling and that was their kind of fun. He was also furious about the society's belief that aged people are weak. He mentioned that his wife was still strong and healthy, and she still performed some of the tasks she used to when she was young. John stated that as long as one takes care of himself when young by eating healthy foods and ensuring that he/she is physically fit then, they will not have a problem at their elder age.
Socially, he mentioned that the society had changed drastically and it had lost most of its morals, which he blamed on technology. He said that during their time, people used to respect their elders, a situation that has changed nowadays, and he feared for future generations. He mentioned that the society needs to appreciate the impact of the elderly, and asked the young people to learn to live with the elderly and consult them on various issues. For instance, he blamed the increased cases of divorce on poor spouse selection and rushed judgments. He stated that technology advancement, more so, phones and laptops have reduced the time necessary for couples to get to know each other more before deciding to move in together or start a family. His advice to the young generation is not to rush into making decisions and not to marry out of physical beauty, but marry out of love claiming that beauty fades, but love and personality do not change. They said that some of their worst experiences were losing friends out of illness and other circumstances which happens a lot as they grow old. According to them, ties tend to become weak, and circles shorten a state they admitted to be depressing.
After asking them what the young generation should know about aging, they had a lot to tell. They started by saying that aging is not an illness or a curse, and that one should not be ashamed of aging. They criticized those young people who are too afraid of aging to the extent of using pills or undergoing surgical operations to make them look more youthful. In their views, the society should start appreciating the aged and create a culture which encourages peaceful co-existence between the young and the age. Children should be given a chance to hang out with their elders and get to learn some of the exciting things about being old as they learn on some of the necessary survival skills. They also encouraged us to plan for our future. John mentioned that most of the elderly people who are in miserly did not utilize their youth positively. He claimed that most of the young people engage in drug and substance abuse, a condition that not only results to the poor health condition, but also poverty and depression in old age. He advised us to take care of our financial, physical, and emotional states while young for a better future. Anna added that kids should learn to respect their parents, while parents on the other hand create a strong bond with their kids for they might need them when aged.
Lastly, I asked them about their treatments in both the local community and broader society. In their view, they said that the government should do more to ensure that the elderly get better health services. They acknowledged the contributions of the various leaders and other stakeholders in providing better treatments and service delivery to the elderly, but also mentioned that more effort should be put in place to ensure they receive better treatment. John, for instance, claimed that in one instance, he had to cue for a long time before getting medical service in a public hospital and vowed to never return to that facility again. According to him, the elderly should be given special care and have their specialized facilities specifically designed to cater to their needs. In such facilities, they claimed that they would not only get medical help, but also get to interact with other seniors. This condition is no different from what other young people and I experience. For instance, in some cases we have to cue for long before getting medical services and most people settle for private hospitals.
