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 SENIOR LIVING - Pay attention to our seniors in times of uncertainty
- The Catholic Sun (February 2009)
by Guy Mikkelsen
Most of us today are feeling worried about our nation’s economic future, our financial security and our personal well-being. Last year was certainly a year for the record books.
Across the nation, the housing industry collapsed, financial markets almost stopped functioning and the stock market plummeted. Major industries, including banking, automotive and housing, are in crisis and are receiving hundreds of billions of dollars of government aid in order to survive.
Even if we are disciplined enough to turn away from the daily news updates, signs of distress are all around us and worsening every day. We see fewer people in shopping centers, retail stores are closing, and the cost of groceries and other staples have risen. State and local governments are all experiencing revenue shortfalls and anticipating major reductions in everyday services for 2009 and beyond.
Most of us know someone who has lost a job and maybe even their home. And equally disturbing, many of the rest of us actively fear for our own circumstances. Just today I read that psychologists and counselors are reporting a significant increase in patients suffering from anxiety related to our economic conditions.
Our country, of course, has seen even worse crises before. As a people, we have survived an unimaginable Civil War, we have weathered the lengthy period of the Great Depression and we have sacrificed American lives and treasure in two World Wars and other more recent conflicts. Stress is no new experience for Americans, and yet, of course, each crisis has its own characteristics and immediacy. Nothing is more riveting than today’s crisis!
As I spend so much of my time working with and thinking about seniors, I am very aware of how our older population reacts to the extreme conditions we are all facing. Active seniors who have recently retired are particularly stressed by financial losses they have no real chance of reversing by future income and savings. Many will simply have to reconcile themselves to a less comfortable retirement than they may have planned.
Older seniors who are already disadvantaged by age-related illnesses and restrictions are even more susceptible to economic reversals. Far too many already manage with meager incomes and are significantly dependent on government and community resources that provide supplemental nutrition, housing and medical services. For these individual, potential reductions in services mean more than just a lifestyle adjustment; they can mean loss of resources necessary for normal functioning and can threaten health, life and human dignity.
My conversations with seniors also remind me that, no matter how vulnerable and worried they may be, our elderly citizens possess a wisdom and perspective that come only with experience. They have already lived through many of the national events that younger Americans have only heard about and have deeply internalized life lessons such as hope, persistence, flexibility and community. Many of our seniors possess a special ability to see each new trial as not so different from others they have weathered and as an opportunity to discover yet again what is most important in their lives.
As we all encounter the special challenges of our time and inevitably feel the associated uncertainties and fears, I encourage us to reach out to our seniors. For those who require our assistance in times of unusual need, let us provide help and encouragement. But may we also listen carefully to those seniors whose history, insights and inner strengths can help guide us to a more balanced view of our own doubts and anxieties.
Our history as a nation suggests that we will reinvent ourselves. We will retool our workplaces and create new industries and jobs just as our seniors and predecessors have done in the past. The teachings of the Church on social justice will guide us to work together in solidarity as we act as a community of believers who help and teach and learn from each other.
Our democracy will prevail, but it will take the effort of everyone working in concert over an extended period of time. Welcome to an exciting era of creativity, ingenuity, leadership, and great opportunity!
Guy Mikkelsen is president and CEO
of the Foundation for Senior Living.
For more information, visit www.fsl.org.
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