December 23, 2024

I’m a senior citizen residing alone on the planet’s largest senior neighborhood. However I’m not alone or lonely, as a result of there are 75,000 different seniors residing right here.

We’re grateful for the chance to reside independently, have our personal mates and take part in all of the actions that maintain us mentally and bodily energetic. Nonetheless, the common concern of all of us is “what if I fall or turn out to be sick and nobody is aware of?”

 

Generally, our senior minds inform us we will do issues our senior our bodies can not. I lately escaped unscathed in a house accident however I used to be reminded that my neighbors had been much less lucky

 

This winter, a person in my neighborhood gave his next-door neighbor a key to his home and mentioned “if my newspaper continues to be within the driveway at 8:00 within the morning, test on me.” The neighbor watched for the newspaper on daily basis. However one early wet morning, one other ‘good’ neighbor threw the moist newspaper nearer to his door.

 

Sadly, the person had fallen and damaged his hip that evening. He was acutely aware however motionless on the toilet flooring. Nobody knew. Solely when the following day’s newspaper remained within the driveway did his next-door neighbor knock on the door and discover him, alive however in super ache.

 

One other neighbor, a wholesome 80-year girl, was pulling weeds in her fenced backyard when she tripped on a backyard hose and broke her leg. She cried out “assist me” repeatedly however the temperature was within the excessive 80’s and neighbors of their air-conditioned properties heard nothing, noticed nothing. The subsequent day, slightly canine, out for a stroll, pulled his proprietor to the fence and refused to depart. The proprietor heard the virtually inaudible cries of the lady … who by then had suffered sunstroke as nicely.

 

Each the person and the lady had kids in one other state who tried to ‘keep in contact’. However the kids have jobs and kids of their very own. Their day is crammed with cooking meals, housecleaning, getting the youngsters off to high school and extra-curricular actions, supervising homework, spending slightly time with their husbands… in addition to working 8 hours a day.

 

A name to their mum or dad a few times per week was routine however it wasn’t sufficient. Think about the guilt of understanding your mom or father suffered alone for therefore lengthy.

 

I do not need my kids to really feel responsible.