Elderly is a reference to old people who have crossed middle age. The old age is an integral part of human life. It is the evening of life. It is unavoidable, unwelcomed and problem ridden phase of life. It is interesting that everyone wants to live a long life but not be old. It is ironical that however undesirable it is old age has to come. We are all compelled to face the pain and pleasures of life. Old age complete the life pattern. It has its own pleasures though different from the pleasures of youth. In the last years, the world has witnessed a remarkable interest in the elderly. Many international conferences and symposiums were held to deal with the issues and problems they encounter. In 1982, the first initiative to care for the elderly was declared as the United Nations declared the ninth decade of the 20th century “the decade of the elderly”. In 1983, the World Health Organization adopted the slogan “Add Life to Years”. In addition, the UN conference held in Madrid in 2002 adopted a plan of action to solve the problems of the elderly in various countries around the world. The outcome of these conferences, however was just sweet promises and plans without any actual application. Prophet Mohammed (Peace and blessings be upon him) on the other hand, was a pioneer in this field. He taught caring for the elderly irrespective of sex, colour, or religion, and he himself set a great example in practicing the principles he taught. Not only Islam, every religion teaches us that we should care for the elderly.
Coming to the present situation, we see increase in the number of “Old age homes” for senior citizens, and this is very painful. This reflects the failure of youngsters to care and share for the elders. We should keep it in mind that we would also turn elders one day. Hence, we had the responsibility to protect the senior citizens. Elders can be protected and cared for as long as they live. There is no point in regretting after their demise. We may have plenty of priorities in our day-to-day life- be it at home or office, but serving the elders shouldn’t take a backseat. We should take a pledge that we would under no circumstance allow our elders to wallow in “Homes”. A good deed is never last. He who sows courtesy reaps friendship and he who plants kindness gathers love. Life is often about taken care of. The lessons are often about nurturing, care and compassion. Many people don’t want to take care of the elderly especially when they are ill as they generally have lots of emotional and physical problems required a lot of care. Giving the best possible care and understanding their changing needs should be the goal of caring for the elderly. Of Course, it is not easy to take care but it is definitely hard to let someone we love slip away. Most people take care of the elderly, maybe knowing that they have to or that there is just no one else to do it. Caring for the elderly requires a lot of patience, empathy and understanding. It is kindness that makes us take care of elderly. Caring often leads us into a world of love we possibly didn’t know.
We all need love no matter how old we are, who we have become, who we are with, what we do. Taking care of the elderly gives us an insight to unconditional love and help us love them in the same manner. It shows us that this kind of love does not exist anywhere else. It help us develop more compassion, empathy, courtesy and helps us build stronger and a more meaningful relationship and friendship. The additional time that we care gives us a wonderful opportunity to create laughter and conversation with the elderly people who are lonely. We learn that elderly people can be grouchy because of worries and unwanted tension. Talking to the elderly gives them peace of mind and sense of security. It helps them by taking away their despair, depression, loneliness and so on. We can never understand how much it means to them to have someone by their side and care for them, however their eyes speaks of gratitude, love and happiness and it lifts their spirit.
Care giving or taking care of the elderly improves our self-knowledge and our identity. It develops potential and renews our self-esteem. It rewards us in ways we cannot see however providing the basis for our self-development. It also enhances our quality of being humane as humanity also plays a crucial role in taking care of the elderly. Most people do as it is the right thing to do. Caring should not only be due to humanity however it should come from our heart. After all, we are all bound to complete the cycle of life and face the old age; we would all want someone to care for us. Caring for the elderly has in itself a reward and pride as Tia Walker says, “To care for those who cared for us is one of the highest honours “.
( The author is presently pursuing MTech in Construction Technology and Management . Views are his own [email protected])
