Have you ever felt like a foreigner in your own home? Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But that’s exactly how we treat elderly people in our society.

Not only are they made to feel obsolete, unproductive, unneeded and unloved, but they’re also made to feel like they’re not a part of the place they built their careers and families in.

As a community, we’re marginalizing the elderly by confining them physically and taking away their home.

If you really care about your senior loved ones and want to make the world a better place for them, begin with making them feel at home. There’s nothing one wants more in their later years than having a place and people to belong to. This can be in the form of a physical home, a family, work, friends, or social purpose.

Changing Perspectives

Change begins from the roots, and the root of the problem here is our mentality. We think of elderly people as a burden and a drain on our limited incomes. This is a faulty and inherently problematic view of a major segment of society. Instead of categorizing them as such, they should be valued and revered as an asset for society at large.

It’s an achievement on its own to successfully survive 65 years or more in this world. Just the wisdom they have to share is a privilege that we can benefit from. True, they require more care, but that’s a small price to pay for the favor they’re doing to the community by imparting their knowledge.

Being infatuated by the cult of youth will neither help us grow out of our misplaced arrogance or harness their expertise.

It’s 2019, and age is no longer a determinant of productivity or abilities. A 70-year-old can be equally (or more) contributing to the economy and community than a 20-year old. If the senior population can contribute £61bn worth of services in the UK, why can’t we allow them to do the same in our country?

Support, Not Censure

The aging population is expected to witness an 87% increase in the next few years. With a segment growing large at this pace, it’s wise to address their needs instead of condemning them. Stereotyping old people according will only serve to lengthen the intergenerational gap. With that generation-divide in place, there’s nothing that can change the living conditions of senior loved ones for the better.

In order to improve their living conditions, we need to provide for medical facilities and luxuries that make life more comfortable for them. They’re in a stage of life where the slightest inconvenience can vex them; hence it’s important to make it as easy for them to live through the day as possible.

At AvantGarde Senior Living and Memory Care, we provide for amenities such as a 24-hour management team which is just a call away to tend to all their needs. We’re an assisted living community for senior loved ones in Beverly Hills, CA and wish to open the doors of our home for all others seeking love.