Member-only story
As part of my Grassroots activities, I recently joined a group of seniors on a local excursion. Throughout the trip, the seniors repeatedly apologized to me for being troublesome and lamented that they had no value.
This saddened me.
Have we, as a society, lost our humanity and made those who are less able feel they are a burden to us?
To me, no one is useless. And while taking care of our seniors does take more effort, it is unfair to say they are troublesome. We all age and, in time to come, our bodies will also succumb to age and we too will need help walking, carrying things, and even going to the toilet.
Ageing (or needing assistance) does not diminish one’s worth. Every individual, regardless of age has value and deserves respect and care. As a society, we must combat the stigma of ageing by embracing empathy and compassion to foster a community where everyone feels valued regardless of their stage in life.
