Taking Care of Our Elderly
Davis 1
E. Diana Davis
ENGL 2010
Professor Asplund
21st September 2012
The Responsibility of Taking Care of Our Elders
My grandmother knows a lot about how it feels to be left in a house alone, waiting for someone to assist her to just get out of bed. This Saturday morning I decided to go visit her while my grandfather was at dialysis. She was surprised to hear my voice as she turned her head over my way and smiled. I could hear the sound of relief in her voice just knowing her granddaughter was here to see about her. My grandmother has been blind since March 2012; she is a diabetic that has had an eye surgery to help repair a detached retina that is still healing. In the meanwhile she’s been dealing with paralysis on her right side from a stroke she suffered over twenty years ago, and it’s really taken a toll on her health.
As I sat down beside her with a pen and paper I told her I wanted to get her point of view on how she feels about being an elderly person in this hard economy. I needed to know if they were able to cover all their needs on a fixed income. Did she really feel like her and my grandfather’s needs were really being met? As she began to tell me about her fears Davis 2 And concerns my heart sunk and I thought to myself, have we really failed to live up to the obligations of taking care of our elders. As she spoke in her little sweet tone, she made me aware of how hard it is to do simple things like taking a shower, cooking and even going to the restroom is a hard task to do these days. She said “I feel like everyone is too busy to lend a hand, and me and your grandfather don’t want to be a burden on you all.” I thought to myself as her granddaughter, was I even doing enough? Was the responsibility of taking care of our elderly been overlooked, or was it being passed down to the few faithful people who were getting burnt out on the responsibility?
My grandparents as parents bared the moral, legal, and ethical
E. Diana Davis
ENGL 2010
Professor Asplund
21st September 2012
The Responsibility of Taking Care of Our Elders
My grandmother knows a lot about how it feels to be left in a house alone, waiting for someone to assist her to just get out of bed. This Saturday morning I decided to go visit her while my grandfather was at dialysis. She was surprised to hear my voice as she turned her head over my way and smiled. I could hear the sound of relief in her voice just knowing her granddaughter was here to see about her. My grandmother has been blind since March 2012; she is a diabetic that has had an eye surgery to help repair a detached retina that is still healing. In the meanwhile she’s been dealing with paralysis on her right side from a stroke she suffered over twenty years ago, and it’s really taken a toll on her health.
As I sat down beside her with a pen and paper I told her I wanted to get her point of view on how she feels about being an elderly person in this hard economy. I needed to know if they were able to cover all their needs on a fixed income. Did she really feel like her and my grandfather’s needs were really being met? As she began to tell me about her fears Davis 2 And concerns my heart sunk and I thought to myself, have we really failed to live up to the obligations of taking care of our elders. As she spoke in her little sweet tone, she made me aware of how hard it is to do simple things like taking a shower, cooking and even going to the restroom is a hard task to do these days. She said “I feel like everyone is too busy to lend a hand, and me and your grandfather don’t want to be a burden on you all.” I thought to myself as her granddaughter, was I even doing enough? Was the responsibility of taking care of our elderly been overlooked, or was it being passed down to the few faithful people who were getting burnt out on the responsibility?
My grandparents as parents bared the moral, legal, and ethical
Cited: Http://www.aflac.com/ Aflac_WorkForces_Report 2011