Elder people should be treated with patience and understanding. In a world that is fundamentally designed for the younger ones, sometimes more space is needed for those of greater age. The point is that sometimes our behavior towards them is not the expected. And they deserve a better one. A smile, a nice word, a bit of chat -even if the subject is not interesting- or a small gift, may be of a great deal.

You'll see how their mood changes, in a few seconds. It isn't about feeling pity of them, not at all? It's about respecting our own selves.

Have you ever assisted older people? (grandparents of yours eg.)
Any regrets from something that has occured and you wish that it hadn't happened?

I know there are many types of characters, but don't you think that some of them deserve more?

Yeah I definitely agree, treptolemus!
What does it cost to take a few minutes from time to time to speak with them? Have a nice word, a bit of chat on the weather, listen to a story they have probably told a thousand times, whatever, just to prove that they still exist.
The fact is many of them are so lonely that it's probably the only chat they'll have during the whole day.

I've past most part of my last summer assisting my grandmother who has Alzheimer's disease. That's not why I'm sensible to this issue, but that made me realize that it can be a great joy for them to have just a little attention.
Furthermore it could help to fill the "generation gap" that makes the youth see elder people as blimps and the later see the former as coarse idlers.

My grandma is consistently annoying and forgets about stuff around the house quite often. on two occasions i found the house was pretty much smoked(it took 3 days for the smell to subside, horrible horrible smell) because she forgot coffee on the stove and the water evaporated, once she forgot two eggs which EXPLODED(i kid you not) and i had to scrape some bits of eggs off the CEILING. also on 2-3 times i walked into the kitchen and the gas was running at full power, but no flame.

she constantly nags me about not eating at certain times(even though compared to other people my age i'm an extremely organized eater) and about sitting at the computer too close to the screen(i have the misfortune of having the computer right in the middle of the hallway), and consistently gets my mom pissed off for whatever reasons. that's not to say she doesn't have good intentions and she has a good heart inside, but the things i put up with are beyond absurd(but i guess that's generally the state of affairs in my home).

call me heartless or something but that's pretty much why i'm apathetic towards older people. they might be nice inside, but the crusty exterior(as in, the things my grandma does) is too much for me.

Written by Urs Blank on 01.04.2010 at 01:08

........ just a little attention.
Furthermore it could help to fill the "generation gap" that makes the youth see elder people as blimps and the later see the former as coarse idlers.

Aeh, the attention! Sometimes it's exactly just like little kids. I really admire all these people that help -in any possible way- (i had a similar case, and i know how difficult things are, believe me).

I cannot comprehend the opposite behavior (not caring at all, due to obligations-work). Well it depends on the situation. Anyway the "generation gap" i think is a huge subject...

I felt quite strange lately, when i observed that most of the older people are not able to understand what they are watching on tv. And i mean the commercials... Almost 80% of them! The way they make 'em (trying to "innovate" yeah-right). Ofcourse they target certain groups but...
And my grandma asked me about the internet, when i tried to explain how could she possibly understand?!
I know education is important and varies, but honestly i find it so difficult to cope with people sometimes!

..
@Valentin B: Hard stuff, be extra carefull! For me the best situation is when they are at different homes. If they are at the same home chaos just chaos! Fortunately that's not my case. Anyway the fire extinguisher is a great gadget not to be missed from any home with elders around. (seriously)

There are a lot of elderly people where I live...this whole area is catered towards older people and I live amongst it...they're nice people...there are only two major things I don't like about the older generation here: the fact that they still drive on the roads after a certain age and drive really slow and also the fact that they won't let anything change around here and get all cranky and strengthen themselves in numbers against pretty much anything...other than that I have no problem with them...

I don't have special opinion about them, but some can be very rude. I use public transport every day on my way to school (tram), and you wouldn't believe what some would do to get a sitting spot...

I did help some granny to cross the road while it was winter though...

I'll definitely speak to them if they try to start up a conversation -- I'm never one to turn someone down like that. I work at a dep (corner store), and have to deal with a lot of old people buying scratch and loto tickets, and they often divulge their life stories to me while I'm serving them and also while I'm dealing with other customers. I don't mind so much, as I figure they have no one else to speak to, so I indulge them and continue the convo until they leave. I try to be as courteous and as patient as possible, as I know they have a hard time understanding and hearing, and often confuse things (despite the fact that I'm pretty impatient with just about everyone else!)

However, I will not respect an elderly person automatically simply because they are older than me. If they disrespect me and are evidently crude, then fuck them, they don't deserve respect back!

I've been taught to respect older people. I love all my grandparents and I have some really great memories about them. Nowadays only one of them is still alive and lives quite far away, but we have a special bond and I just visited her in December, when I had a few extra free days. I know it means a lot to her that there's someone she can talk to. I've learnt a lot from all my grandparents and I wish I could still have them here with me. There are so many questions I never got to ask.

My grandma's sister was also a very important person to me. She died in January and the only thing I've ever regretted is that I didn't visit her more often in her last years. She had Alzheimer's disease, so it was really hard for me to go and see her, because to me she wasn't the same person anymore - the one I loved had already left. She used to tell the same things 7 times in a row, but most of the time it was about me or my siblings, so I guess we were important to her.

So, after all this, I just couldn't treat old people badly. I always let them go first at the grocery store, if the line is long. I listen to their stories if I'm not in a hurry and I help them if I see that they're struggling with something. All this because it could very well be my own grandma in that same situation and I'd like someone to be nice to her too.

However, not all old people behave nicely. They seem to think that it's their right to go first in every line without asking, because they're old. If you dare to tell them that there's a line and you're supposed to wait for your turn, because there's like 100 people here who have been waiting for hours, they start calling you with names. I don't have respect for that kind of people.

I smile at old people. I talk to them if circumstances allow. Stand up for them on the bus, when there aren't any seats left. Yea.

One night on the drunk bus back from town, these two older guys (60-70) were sitting up near the back. They were complete wankers. They were happy to yell at anyone who looked at them the wrong way, and talked in loud voices about girls (as though they were 18 again) and I found it rude and offensive. The attitude amongst the elderly that they deserve more respect and better treatment than younger people does exist and I can't stand it.

I think this is a mixed bag, and generally treat them like ordinary people - if they're courteous to me, I'll respond nicely, if not, I'm more than happy to completely ignore them.

It can be a mixed bag indeed, some of the people don't want to have anything to do with you and be pissed off at you and some of them can be really friendly. I knew this one old man who lived near me who was always greeting me, and offering some tips about fishing and some times he would offer me some salmon he had caught from a lake. He often used to say that he is kind of crazy but I think he was probably the most normal person around here and the most sociable one. It appears that some people enlighten with age, stay in good health and enjoy life even in their old age, and some will decline rather early and suffer with many kinds of ailments and become bitter.