A Time to be Thankful - Day 15 Senior Citizens

In 1984 my Great Aunt Laura suffered a stroke.  For the longest time my mom and I would go visit her every Saturday in the nursing home.  Being in a nursing home around old people was very boring to a 14 year old.  I dreaded the days when I had to babysit her.  She never talked to me much and she whined a lot.  The needy old people scared me and I hated the smell.

Since Aunt Laura had never been away from her home on Fugate's Fork, she had a lot of anxiety.  Her new life was now in a new strange place with strange people. Being secluded in Fugate's Fork, she was never really around running water, TV, or the sounds of the hustle and bustle of city life.  No wonder she had such a huge fear of being in the nursing home.  

A few years later she came home.  The Home health nurses came in to assist her but she never really liked them.  She never was able to walk again because of the stroke. But I believe it is because she fell into a deep depression and gave up.  She never had anyone to love or encourage her the way her big brother, George had done.  He passed away while she was in the nursing home as well as did her motivation to live.  Her husband wasn't the best either.  He would not allow her to go to her brother's funeral.  

My Uncle Jr, Great Aunt Laura, & Great Uncle George

The last time I saw my Great Aunt Laura was before I moved to Houston.  I stopped in to hug her goodbye.  Like always, she shed a few tears when I was fixing to leave.  I was looking forward to my life in Houston that I never could imagine the depression and loneliness she suffered. Her life and death always saddens me for it represents how depression can kill. No one should have to fight the battle of depression alone.

Years later when I worked with senior citizens at Bayshore, I was thankful for all those years of visiting my Great Aunt Laura in the nursing home. Little did they know that I could relate to their childhood years of not having inside plumbing, shoes, and thankful for hand-me-down clothes.  Some even had a better childhood than I did.  Some were willing to listen to my own childhood stories while others assumed I was some youngster with an attitude.

Everyone has a story to tell.  Young and old.  We all have our own experiences.  We just have to take time to listen.  Many do not listen to the senior citizens.  Like those who judged me as a youngster, we too sometimes do the same. We imagine they are old, grouchy, and set in their ways.  I find it strange that so many cultures appreciate the older generations while America kind of throws them to the side.

We all will grow old and want to share our experiences with others.  How many will listen? What can the older generation tells us that we don't already know? Their simple life wasn't so simple.  They have a voice.  Their stories and experiences can teach us a lesson.  I believe our senior citizens are the answer to many of our problems today.  

Be grateful if you have your Grandparents.  Be willing to listen to them share their secrets.  Adopt a Senior this Christmas! I believe you will get a lesson out of it more than they will.