|
Always think about the senior citizen
you want to be
BY ASTRID BARNET
—Special for Granma International—
IN
recent years many specialists have occupied
themselves in searching for an adequate and credible
definition of the aging process and the concept of
old age.
So
far all proposed definitions have focused on
negative aspects or been related to illness,
creating the illusion that the only life option for
senior citizens is to resign themselves to their
memories of youth.
"In
my day..." or “When I was young, I was able to do
anything...,” or likewise, “I am too old to fall in
love...,” some say. What was their youth like? When
were they young? When did they first fall in love?
When did they begin working? When did they
(erroneously) abandon their active, participatory,
social life?
These persons whom we euphemistically call mature,
older adults, the elderly, aged —who do not know
when they reach that stage and whether there are
others after it—are described as inefficient, slow,
or physically and mentally spent in capitalist or
highly industrialized countries.
Thus, infinite myths abound. Among them is the idea
that old people are ill, or put in mathematic
terms: old age=illness. But on the contrary, in
today’s world many young people are faced with
curable illnesses due to bad habits such as smoking,
excessive drinking, inadequate nutrition, physical
inactivity, stress and excessive accumulation of
toxic substances in the body.
Another well-known myth is that old people are
wise. Some are, others are not... among the
latter are those who never had (nor will have) an
opportunity to attend school. The profound diversity
among older adults distributed around an globalized
world increases almost daily in terms of their
economic, political, social and even religious
status, in addition to educational and occupational
levels. Thus, in the expression old people are
wise, exceptions are excluded.
“Old
people are all alike." False. An old person is
only one who aspires to be so. People grow old in
only one sense, depending on a variety of factors,
including gender, cultural background, environment¼
It
is important to take into account that education
also increases diversity in the aging process. It is
well known that the health of a child is directly
liked to the education of his or her parents and
family, given that people with better instruction
tend to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles and
have better access to care and information about
health in general.
Poor
nutrition in infancy heightens the risk of illnesses
and ailments in adult life, as do lifestyle and bad
habits developed during adolescence and adulthood
such as smoking, excessive drinking and lack of
exercise.
At
the same time social isolation —due, for example, to
loss of a partner through divorce or death— can
cause adverse health affects, making family and
community life essential to good health and
self-esteem and promotion in older adults of the
need to participate in social activities and
solidarity among neighbors.
Aging is, perhaps, the most multi-factorial and
diverse process that exists, in which every cell
ages in a different manner. According to experts, we
are programmed to live between 100 and 120 years,
but the age at which old age begins is still
uncertain.
One has to learn to age, to confront limitations,
losses and physical and psychological pain. In this
context and unlike in other countries where old age
is synonymous with survival, the Cuban state has
broadened and developed for more than four decades a
healthcare system—absolutely free— via its various
medical and scientific institutions and its highly
qualified personnel. Therefore, old age in Cuba can
start at any age, given that it leads to a healthy
and happy existence...Or as Plato said: One must
climb the mountain as an old person to arrive as a
youth.”
|
