Today we have different days dedicated to each and everything in our lives! We have Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Elderly Day and even a day of cheesecakes! Strange! On the surface, it’s a bit strange to celebrate these days in a year, but take a closer look. These days can be good reasons to smile, share and enjoy. But is that all? Or do these days convey a deeper meaning? I think. Let’s see an example.

World Aging Day is celebrated in India on October 1 of every year. Traditionally, this day is celebrated to honor the elderly, give gifts, talk and spend quality time with them. In short, do everything you can to make them happy! But hey! Think again! Shouldn’t we be doing this to our elders their entire lives? Well, that’s the point! It’s like eating and making money! The only requirement is our will.

Why World Day of the Elderly?

Let’s put into perspective the need for a separate day like World Day of the Elderly. There’s a simple reason: if you’re one of the few who already take good care of your elders at home, then this day could be spent recommitting to continuing to do your best, or perhaps looking back to see if you’ve done the right thing. enough. or make modifications. And if you are one of those looking for a reason to start, then this day could be the day!

To begin with, do we celebrate World Senior Day in our homes?

World Day of the Aging has a dubious distinction! Today, it is nothing more than pure pain to see that this Day that should have been celebrated inside our homes with our elders, is celebrated more outside in the homes of the elderly and homeless. The reason: today there is growing impatience among young men and women and this has forced many elderly people, voluntarily or not, to move to nursing homes. Frankly speaking, we are committing the heinous crime of expelling someone who spent his entire life for us. It may sound cliché but it is a fact.

Where did we go wrong?

We all know that one day we will be old and join the growing percentage of senior citizens in the world’s population! And yet some of us continue to show great indifference and disrespect to our elders in our own families and in society! Each of us may have countless reasons, logics, and excuses for this transgression, but I suppose this could be due to a combination of many issues. Let’s try to put in the right perspective these various problems and what we can do to keep our elders happy.

Psychiatrists believe that meeting the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of the elderly is the key to keeping them healthy and happy. Intentional or unintentional neglect, cheekiness and mistreatment within families and in society often lead to high levels of stress among the elderly. This in turn could lead to various physical ailments, psychological and emotional disorders and even cause death in some cases.

Experts say that the elderly are like children. Like young babies, the mood of the elderly changes, sometimes too quickly and does not allow us enough time to understand. But with a little effort and time we can make a difference! Again, Will has the key. The elderly need care at home and if we don’t give it to them, they begin to demand it. When the elderly begin to feel neglected, they adopt ways of getting our attention that can be wholly or partially crude and sometimes irritating. Mental agitation, restlessness, frequent sickness, nausea, vomiting, and even suicide attempts may just be reactions to this neglect by family members. Immediate medical, physical and psychological attention alone may not be enough. It is better to pause and ask ourselves this question: What did I do to be here? Most of the time the answer will be neglect, intentional or unintentional. Remember, the elderly need care.

What is ‘warning’?

Caring for our elderly does not mean providing them with only basic services like a place to stay, food to eat, some money and new clothes on occasion. Most of us congratulate ourselves on providing these to our elders at home and hope they appreciate it and if not at least stop complaining and save us the embarrassment! Unfortunately, we do not meet their most logical and human expectation of spending quality time with them. It does not mean that we spend hours with them; it just means that we find a few minutes of quality time to talk with them heart to heart. In some cases, as psychiatrists point out, even certain things that are done inadvertently can strain relationships.

As suggested, spend a few minutes each day talking to them. Don’t take them for granted. Find out their interests, their requirements and their concerns. Show respect for their feelings and consult them on important issues. Make them feel important. It is the only viable solution. It is an unquestionable fact that we will also face aging! One day we too will be old. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes and ask ourselves this: Will I be really happy if my son or daughter only offers me comfort but avoids talking to me?

Remember, by helping our elders stay physically fit and mentally happy, we are only helping ourselves and our future. Psychiatrists say that our children, who are constant witnesses of how we treat our parents, tend to repeat it when we get older. If we don’t give proper care and respect to our elders at home now, we will receive the same nasty treatment from our children later in our lives!

The government also has a role to play in keeping the elderly happy.

During the celebrations of the World Day of the Elderly, the elderly take to the roads to highlight their problems and present petitions to the corresponding authorities for the relief of their difficulties. The Government also has a duty to meet the logical demands of the elders of society.

Take, for example, health care and health insurance for the elderly in India. There is a huge gap that needs to be filled quickly when it comes to health care standards and the rising costs of health insurance for the elderly. Elder abuse is another problem that the government must take care of. Elder abuse can take many forms and could even prove fatal. It is high time that the Government of India accelerated the effective implementation of the comprehensive policy for the elderly which it announced in 1999 to help and support the elderly in India.

As has always been said, everyone has to deal with aging. Someday you too will be an old man and you don’t want your son or daughter to ignore you! would you do it? Let’s pledge to make a difference on World Aging Day on October 1. Let’s work towards much-needed change, right in your home, right now.