Happy Sunday Everyone! This week I want to talk about aging. As I am now considered to be a “senior citizen” which is just weird to me, but here we are, I am noticing more and more just how we American's treat our senior citizens.

 

I am seeing more people literally dump their aging parents in nursing homes when that parent isn't really in physical or mental need of one, the family just doesn't want to deal with them so they dump them and forget them. And part of me gets it, it's not easy to deal with aging parents has they become slower physically and mentally.

 

But I have been really thinking about this a lot lately mostly because of my own limitations as I get older and deal with more and more health and mobility issues. I am seeing the faces of our seniors and their loneliness, confusion, sadness and in some anger. We dispose of our seniors as if they serve no purpose. We treat them as burdens. We forget that each generation benefits from these people and their contributions to life. And how do we reward them?

 

In the North Country we have a great Senior Center in Littleton, but I wonder about the areas that do not have access to that. What happens to these seniors? This is making me wonder what I could do, even for one senior who may be feeling isolated, alone and afraid.

 

I can tell you from personal experience as I deal with my body degrading and I am losing more and more independency that it is scary and frustrating and at times lonely. Now I am only 61 and if I am already feeling the isolation because my body doesn't move the way it use to or my mind may have occasional brain fog, I am finding that at 61 I too can feel forgotten sometimes.

 

So, I keep asking myself what can we do? Could we form some kind of network for seniors who are not able to drive or get around well? What programs exist already and do they collaborate with each other? 

 

Do seniors in nursing homes who are physically and mentally able to ever get picked up to join events for seniors? Or are they always stuck in the home waiting for loved ones to visit? I am realizing that I know very little about what my area offers senior citizens and I want to find out more and maybe get more involved.

 

Do you know what programs are offered in your area? Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? If so, do you make a point to visit and/or take them out? Or do you find yourself being dismissive the way I was because if I am being completely honest I never gave it much thought.

 

How can we give our seniors their worth back? How can we make them feel like they still have purpose? What are your thoughts in all of this? Have you given it some thought? I never had to make the decision to put my parents in a home for they passed away young, but I do know if it had been necessary I would have made it a priority to visit and take them out.

 

Let's bring value back to our seniors. Listen to their stories for they are living history books literally. If you are lucky enough to have an older parent or grandparent still alive ask them about their lives and write it down or record them  - I promise you will value it after they are gone. I wish I had done that with my grandparents.

 

How do you value the seniors in your life? How are you managing if you are a senior? What needs could you fulfill in your area? How could we make life a little easier for our local seniors? This is my challenge to you and myself this week.

 

If you would like to share information or ideas please feel free to email me at spiritualpathwaysnh@gmail.com.  I would love to hear from you or if you would like to brainstorm on connecting local seniors let me know.

 

Everyone has value!

 

 

 

If you have additional questions about Spiritual Counseling/Guidance and if it is for you, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at spiritualpathwaysnh@gmail.com.

 

Namaste,

 

Pat Laurino

Intuitive Energy Healer/Spiritual Psychic/Medium

 

 

The above list is only a portion of the providers we are blessed to have. So, if you feel frustrated with traditional medicine maybe try one of the above practitioners, who knows it may just change your life and aren't you worth that?