Senior Networking.

Media Influence

Nightingales Elder Day Care Centre is located in Malleswaram, Bangalore. On 26th July 2011 we took part in a meeting about media. Although the subject of conversation was not directly related to our project we still learnt a lot in the few hours we spent there.

Firstly, the seniors seemed well prepared with their speeches beforehand and intent on speaking for its own sake. Funnily, the discussion lacked a single path of logic and the speakers appeared to attend to be heard rather than to listen, respond and discuss (opinion).

Secondly, the elders we spoke to were vehemently opposed to being referred to as "old", and protested with such cries as "we are young at heart!" This begs the question, what is wrong with being old? This rejection of self-image probably stems from the abundance of negative stereotypes associated with aging. Moreover the natural deterioration of mind and body is nothing to be ashamed of, yet the consequent dependency chagrins or burdens.

Media influence is likely the culprit. It, particularly advertisements, are designed to make us feel inadequate and insecure about balding, wrinkles, age spots and grey hairs, all of which were symbolic of wisdom in days not long gone by.

Although most stereotypes regarding senior citizens are harmless and fact-based, some
misconceptions perpetuated by the media can be offensive and misleading. Furthermore, many
advertisements and television programmes are designed to make the audience feel insecure about
wrinkles, age lines and spots, balding, grey hairs: the physical manifestation of a natural process.
Incidentally in most countries senior citizens watch more television than any other age group.

However a disproportional number of leading characters are of the same. This is contrary to the
obvious train of logic that dictates that the majority of viewers should be able to relate to the
majority of protagonists. This discrepancy indicates an underlying assumption that there is an ideal
age that all – if not most – people desire to exist at, and more importantly that this age is well below
65.

Funds for old Age

Number of old age homes in different states of India

ref. http://www.voice4india.org/2008/03/29/grants-funds-for-old-age-homes-in-india/

Statistics

Present Indian population of old age people:- 87.5million

Division in rural and urban population in ratio - rural- urban = 4:1

Population below poverty line- 30%

Illiterate- 70%(approx.)

According to the survey done by the help age India in 8 mostly populated cities of the country on the basis of old age people living in their own houses.

Our Objective

I’d like to start off by saying that we’re all nineteen year olds and nowhere near the age to experience what we’re talking about in this blog. Nevertheless, since this project is an effort to create an improvement/assistance in the quality of perception and ability of the aged we are trying to deconstruct their behaviour and practices through observation research and personal experiences.
I came across this statement earlier this month, ‘The youth think the old are foolish but the old know the youth are foolish’, which is an idea many people share, especially in this country, as much as we revere our elders and their wisdom. We’re not here to argue that statement though we hope to disprove it by the outcome of our project.

Society and Seniors

Taking care of the old is increasingly becoming a threat to the younger generation. In
our present-day society, where money is the measure of everything, the elderly are
looked upon. This is happening because people have become too materialistic and they
are running most part of their life for money and have no time to spend with members
of the family. This becomes an issue in the elderly as they in their twilight years need
someone to talk to and share their experiences with. The prospect of not getting this
love from family members makes them feel lonely. The prospect of loneliness often
accompanies the process of aging as an economic liability and a social burden.

There is still a high percentage of old people in our country who are not financially
dependent and the fact that they have to depend on others for their well being makes
them weaker and lack self confidence. With time they become used to it and that
sometimes seem like a burden to their family members, which in turn leads to them
being ill treated.

Another aspect of the same situation is sometimes being ill treated by the society and
the people around you. Senior citizens are looked upon as the dependant class who
constantly need attention and someone to talk to. These days seeing the needs of the
hour, these senior citizens have found themselves a niche in their world by joining and
starting old age clubs and groups. This way they are constantly in touch with each other
and feel alive once again.

But is not that always treated in a bad way. There are quite a few families who still live
in harmony with the senior citizens of the house. So even when the twilight years is a
constant pain for some, its happiness in disguise for some who have their kith and kin to
take care of them.

Achieving Social Completeness

Over the four days, I had the opportunity to meet many senior citizens in Bangalore. Almost everyone was over 55 and it was a pleasure to sit down and talk with them. After speaking with them about the various aspects of old age it got me thinking about how blessed we are to have these friends and family who have come into this world before us.

We thrive on relationships, with our friends, co-workers, acquaintances and family members. Those in the retirement age are many times dependent on others for their basic needs and most times, it falls to their children. Listening to the great lessons and rich experiences they have to share, those over 60 are of great value and they need to know we care for them and appreciate what they know. Youth groups should remember the importance of visiting these special people because after all, we will eventually find ourselves in the same position someday.

The major factor for the development of the nation depends not only on educational levels but also on the wide experiences, vast knowledge, practical foresight and correct aptitude. Education is the most important root for development. Similarly, knowledge and experiences are also crucial for work. In human society the roles of youth are vital, and the involvement of experienced senior citizens cannot be neglected. Between the age of 50 to 65, the senior citizens have attained vast experiences of life and their intellect becomes even more mature. Many authors start their writing career only in their 60s which proves their active enthusiasm in their work.

The senior citizens have a pivotal role to play in the progress of our nation. Some university professors, lawyers have been given extension in their career. Their contributions in their career even for one or two years are valuable. Some business firms recognize the intellectual old people and their capabilities. If the experienced people are eager to strive for the country, they are of great value to the country.

Apart from that they can actively participate in the administration. Though indirectly they can comment or criticize the government policies and suggested amendatory measures. Though weak in body, they have minds that can ably suggest amendments for government policies and measures. Having suffered through the ups and downs in employment, they can understand the employment conditions of the nation and check against the unwise decisions of the government. The others that are spiritually determined can make the youth understand the cultural values and help them live up to their respective traditions. Thus they can encourage them to be the caretakers of the neglected and the disowned and practice the essence of spirituality.
So let us remember those who came before us in our life and show them the respect they deserve in our day-to-day living. We will not regret it.

Importance of routines for the elderly

Old age is referred to as the ‘second birth’ for human beings because this is when the period of dependency peaks. There is a general decline in self-esteem and a ‘zest for life’ once the person enters old age. The feeling of worthlessness arises as there is a lack of daily routines and one doesn’t know how to keep one self-occupied. The everyday chores of going to work, picking up their kids from school, extracurricular activities, social events etc. come to halt. As a result of which their motor coordination and muscle contraction deteriorate at a much faster rate than it would normally if they had still been working.

It can be observed in those who continue their work routine into their 80’s have their mental and physical capabilities in a much better state than in those who would have retired after 60

The aged are more prone to worry and anxiety, hence an idle mind has much more time to wallow in anxiety which might lead to a deterioration of health.

To keep their interest in life is essential; else they would withdraw into themselves and not be able to keep up with the advancement in lifestyle changes.

The Eternal Age

The suffering of aging is one of the most cardinal sufferings stated in Buddhism. Aging and growing old are not necessarily the same thing..As people age, become increasingly vigorous and energetic, more broad-minded and tolerant, living with a greater sense of freedom and assurance.
Developing and holding onto hope, enthusiasm, optimism and forward motion, can help us to remain in a youthful spirit at any age. Hence sadly, there are also younger people who have already lost hope and seem prematurely old.
Perhaps, in order to acquire true youthfulness, we must repeatedly make fresh determinations right up until the last moment of our lives.Sufferings in every age exist due to lack of determination and courage as well as our own wisdom to face it. Otherwise, the game of life would have been much easier, without any struggle. Everyone, from inside, wants to be happy all the time, the key to achieve that is to remain determined to work for our own happiness and for others. Only then can we be eternally happy and always be in a youthful spirit.
When we are young, we think that we have nothing to do with elderely. I think most young people find it hard to believe that they themselves will grow old. The reality is however, we do. Hence we may come in the category of the “elderly,” someday, and we can't move with the same pace as we do in our own youth.
The last years of our life are the most important. If those last few years are happy ones, we have had a happy life. Death is like a sleep after a long day, if we work hard during day, we will have a peaceful sleep during the night. In the same, way, if our life is dedicated towards happiness of others, we will encounter a peaceful death.
I interviewed a retired old man. I asked him that on what aspect would he like to dedicate his life, he said that it is my time to work for the people and the society. Clearly,old age is the time of dedication to the society. When people are no longer pursuing position or status, money or material possessions, they can look closely at themselves and at the reality of life and death without the distractions of superficial concerns.It can be the most valuable time in human life, when we have rich experience, deeply polished charachter, and a pure and gentle heart. Various infirmities of age should even be seen as badges of honor and worn with pride.
When we reach old age, we know by heart that we have lived a satisfying life or not. No one else can know this or decide it for you.
"If we know how to die, we know how to live", these were wank beautiful lines that I heard in a movie, Tuesdays With Morrie. Many old people fear death. Clearly, it is the time of celebration of life, instead of being upset, just waiting for death to come. Though there is less to achieve, but there is an experience that we gather during time and age and help and work for the society.
Adversity does not build charachter, but it reveals it. Similarly, old age is the time of our second birth, where we are actually born as a person, we take our new turn in life and face new challanges. Of course, physically, we have been born, but at the time of old age, we see the real problems coming up in our life.
Hence there is a saying that goes, “To a fool, old age is a bitter winter; to a wise man it is a golden summer.” Everything depends on your own attitude, how you approach life, not how you leave it, which is what happens in old age. Do you view least old age as a period of decline ending in death, or as a time in which one has the opportunity to attain one’s goals and bring one’s life to a rewarding and satisfying completion?
People need to banish any expression of defeat from our minds–statements or thoughts such as ‘I can’t do it,’ ‘I’m too old,’ ‘There’s no point in my trying,’ ‘I’m past it,’ or ‘It’s too hard.’ [TWSS] Instead we should be telling ourselves: ‘I won’t give up yet,’ ‘I’m still young,’ ‘I can still do it,’ ‘I’ve still got plenty of energy.’ Just by changing the way we speak to ourselves and others we can change our pattern of behavior in a positive direction.
Research shows that when people make continuous use crawl of their powers, these abilities need not fade. An active interest in others, finding new pastimes and making new friends–such positive altitudes have been shown to slow physical and mental declage.
Even though our bodies may age or decay, our spirit always remains alive. Unless you are an atheist.
To quote the poet Samuel Ullman, “Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a break quality of imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.”
It is vital to always look from the future, to have plans and aspirations-such an outlook is crucial to making the last years of one’s life rewarding and fulfilling.
There is a great difference between simply living a long life and living a full and rewarding life. Quality is the true value, not quantity.Quality regarding all concerns of age are to be fulfilled, that is: nutritional needs, independence, comfort, security, social support, well being, happy and stress free existance as well as recreation.

The Growing Society With Age
The problems of aging present lead to future after becoming the past. Hence, I am an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual.
All people have a natural desire to be needed, to have ­their importance to others tangibly confirmed. Our challenge is to build a society in which people feel truly valued and fulfilled throughout the course of their lives.People may encounter emotional, metaphysical, psychological, physiological or mental discomfort during old age, the responsibility is ours to change the perspective towards old age right from the youth. To change the existing stereotypes so that when people age, they can live a happy life.
The wisdom and experience of older people is a resource of inestimable worth. Recognizing and treasuring the contributions of older people is essential to the long-term flourishing of any society. This is one of the most advantages of eldage.Old age concerns with not only psychological aspects, but also with social aspects as well as cultural aspects.In those aspects, old people, due to their wisdom can be a great asset to the society. Hence, we should create a general acceptance towards old age in the society.
Hence, along with emotional, psychological, as well as cultural and social as wellas financial and economic concerns with old age, we also have economic insecurity of the future in our minds.In addition to economic issues such as the adequacy of pensions and the cost of living, they voiced concern about their own health, their ability to care for parents, etc. Indeed, many caregivers face truly heartrending daily struggles. There is a clear and weighty responsibility to respond to these voices with sensitive and effective public-policy measures.
The same survey, however, also points to positive attitudes. Although only 15 percent of the members of the baby-boom generation are now engaged in volunteer activities, six in 10 said they hoped to do so in the future. And almost eight in 10 looked forward to developing deeper relations (TWSS) with their neighbors and community.No one, not even those with seemingly limitless amounts of wealth, power and metacontrol can avoid death. It is only when we become clearly conscious of our finitude--the limited amount of time any of us possessesses--that we earnestly consider the question of how best to livet, how to make something truly valuable of our lives.


(1)(cited from:http://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/resources/works/essays/op-eds/jt-oped11.html,Realizing the Potential of an Aging Society (The Japan Times, Mar. 8, 2007)), Daisaku Ikeda
(2)(http://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/philos/essays-on-buddhism/buddh-lifedeath.html,Life and Death, Daisaku Ikeda)

The senior cult

People living in various environments would live in different types of cultures. The culture they lived in defines how the people formulated and dealt with problems of basic human existence. Humans have also been migrating and have been restless which shows that they were not always satisfied with the way problems were dealt with. These constant migrations and other ways of communication exposed people more and more cultures from various regions. The world slowly got divided into two categories. First were the developed countries and the other were the developing countries. The developing countries tried hard to catch up with the developed countries and tried to meet the basic necessities of all its citizens. Some of them still are striving towards the fulfilling the needs of their citizens. The scenario is much better now as compared to 50 years ago. This development brought about many questions within the developing countries. One of these questions concerned the ‘non-productive’ citizens or the senior citizens or a country. Such questions also raised economic and social problems. Besides food, clothing, shelter and other materialistic needs, senior citizens also crave love and tender care. They would like to have their own space and have a constructive and creative role to play towards the society. The western response to this problem has liberated them from certain responsibilities, making them as economically independent as possible and handing over their health issues to various specialised institutions. These institutions could successfully meet the materialistic needs of the senior citizens, but they couldn’t do much when it came to love, warmth, and the desire to be heard and to be visible. In the Western setting, senior citizens were never given the love and warmth which they craved for and hence over time, they became independent and have now got used to living without any support from their family. In the Eastern setting, elders were always given respect and were always looked up to and hence the elders got dependent on their children and other family members. But in the recent times, with the ‘western culture’ and the concept of ‘nuclear families’ setting into the east, the current generation has been neglecting their elders.

Old Age and Medicine.

Along with the responsibilities of old age, comes a series of ailments, and an even bigger list of medicines, to ease, control and cure them. A survey reads that in today’s day and age, four out of five people aged over 75 years take one medicine, and 36% of this population take four or more medicines, and that brings to light the impending role of medicines in their lives. However, the aging body can be more susceptible to the side effects of medicines than any other age group. Elderly people with multiple diseases can often end up taking multiple medicines at the same time. With multiple medicines, there is an increased chance of side effects, interactions between different medicines and problems taking them correctly. The physical effects of aging, such as arthritis and failing eyesight and memory, can also cause issues in taking medicines the way the doctor intends to.

One is bombarded, with n number options available in the sector of health insurance; however, as soon as 50 kicks in, the options gets limited and an individual finds himself compromising with his requirements, where most insurers are not ready to cover them against the sky rocketing frequent medical requirements. Senior citizen policies are expensive as their premium is higher and therefore are little unattractive. Also, the sum assured seems to be inadequate to cover medical costs that could prove to be more expensive. Though the waiting period in these policies is smaller but it is still long for senior citizens as they are prone to diseases. With the estimates of elderly population expected to increase to 12% of the total population by 2025, 10% of which would be bedridden, requiring utmost care, the dependency on medicine is increasing day by day.

Libido and Age

With theirs bodies slowing down with time and age, sexual libido, among seniors, continues to be as racy a topic as ever. Numerous studies have shown that though the body goes through momentous changes through the ages 50-60, the human body is still capable of yearning for companionship. The changes include menopause in women, which in certain cases can occur over a few years, leading to low levels of testosterone, a hormone that is key to healthy sexual libido, which women produce in their ovaries and adrenal glands. As other ovarian hormone levels drop after menopause or surgical removal of the ovaries, so does the amount of desire-boosting testosterone. Andropause also leads to a drop in testosterone which in turn leads to a loss of energy and concentration, depression, and mood swings. These symptoms often lead\add to stress, which may culminate in impotence. Psychological factors such as a lack of privacy and/or intimacy, stress or fatigue, distraction or depression can very well contribute to a huge drop in libido among both the sexes. This drop in libido is both, natural and expected and does not necessarily need to hamper one’s sexual lifestyle. With the advent of Viagra and hormone supplements anyone can lead an active, satisfied sex life regardless of age.

On The Other Hand...

Physical and mental deterioration – among other things – make aging a daunting process but it is not all downhill. There are, of course, the provisions made by the government and other organizations such as seating privileges in public transport systems and the right to seek allowance from one’s children and increased welfare benefits.
More importantly there are the social benefits that accompany elders. In India (and many other Eastern countries) it is a social practice to respect our elders regardless of their intellect or physical prowess. Moreover one finds that there is a leniency towards senior citizens in matters of the law (I do not mean to slight anyone; in fact, this might teach us something about our own perception).
In my opinion, the best part of being old is that having lived for as many years one invariably accumulates a wealth of experience and knowledge. Therefore one can hardly avoid gaining a modicum of wisdom.

The Lotus Of Wisdom

How we view life- the perspective we have on life, on death and on human condition regarding birth, aging, sickness and death is the basis of everything.

The society today is in deep darkness, the root cause of is this is lack of understanding on the aspects of aging and death. the society's leaders have ignored the aspect of the cardinal sufferings of human being that is aging and death. Under the pursuit of immediate short term benefits. As a result, we are ignoring the fact that we are aging day by day. The bottom line is that we do not bring our attention back to the aspects of birth, aging and death, no matter what superficial measures we take, nothing will permanently change.

The phenomena of aging and death are like to deal a sickness with painkillers without knowing the root cause of illness. Though our symptoms may be eased temporarily, we are only deceiving our bodies, we will not get better.

What is life? What happens when we die? Why are we born? These are the most unanswerable as well as most important questions of life, but we, in today's times don't realize the importance of it and escape from the real facts.

The emergence of philosophies like Buddhism and Jainism, as well as Greek philosophies lie in understanding the aspect of aging and death. The story of Gautama Buddha itself says that by seeing four kinds of people as he steps out of his palace: a saint, a sick man, an old age man and a dead body. From this he drew out a conclusion about life that nothing is permanent in our life. Death is completely inevitable and old age is also inescapable.

In fact, the aspects of death and old age made him to find the real truth in his life.

Hence, like Buddhism, all other philosophies arise from the simple as well as complex phenomena of old age and death.

Old age is the time when we start witnessing physical shortcomings in our body. Our health starts deteriorating, and as we are in a stage of life, where we cannot actively contribute to the society by doing jobs or earning money. Also, it is the time when we find ourselves in solace. Most cultures and societies see old age and old people as a burden on the economy as well as for the society. At the same time, these old people also see themselves into rejection and doubt, hence live rest of their lives in depression.

There are distorted views about old age and death. Some people regard it as very burdensome and tiring as well as take it as a suffering of life.

People who regard old age as a suffering actually lack wisdom and confidence to face it. Hence the idea of old age is still vague in front of us there are negative (as we have already seen before) as well as positive aspects of old age.

"Why have we born?"-The old age is the time of our second birth. The first birth, which is our physical birth, the second birth, where we realize that we are truly born as a person. That is why we have to face so much in life as it is a struggle at each point of time.

THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF OLD AGE

As we see changes in our health, we see changes in our mental behaviour. The rigid part of brain starts coming up and the imaginary part starts fading. For example, while we play chess, we can imagine the movement of counters while we play; this is called imaginary part of our brain. Hence, when we grow older and older, our imagination power decreases and our rigid brain power increases and from this we can draw out wisdom and take actions from every experience in life.

Wisdom is an aspect which can be attained at any age it depends on individual to individual. Hence there is a need of determination at old age and not even at the old age but for the youth too.

The phenomenon of wisdom is like a lotus. While all of its petals are our capabilities and achievements or what we can do in our life. And they are tied intact by sepals of it which are like wisdom. Hence in every age, the wisdom is the most important asset.

To Those Who Came Before Us

Every senior citizen I have spoken to (and forgive me if I seem presumptuous) has seemed intent on giving me advice in varying strengths and fields. This is what I have to say in return, from one generation to another:

To Those Who Came Before Us

We value your experience and its offspring wisdom,
As you must yourself.
But recognize the value in repeated learning;
learning again for oneself.

To instruct us is to incite rebellion,
To inform us is to provide guidance.
The difference is simple;
You see it in our stance.

And do not expect to pass opinion
Without recieving in turn
We are here to express,
Discuss and mutually learn.

Force not upon me
your rules and demands
try instead to see who I am
One cannot hate what one understands