George Athanasopoulos, 4/7/22, PD 1

Socio-Political Consciousness

There are many forms of inequality in the spotlight right now, but the issue of caring for the elderly is one that is looming in the shadows. Simply put, in our modern society we do not provide enough for the elderly community. As of 2019, nearly 16% of the US population is made up of people over the age of 65. That is 54 million people. Thanks to modern medicine, the average life is expected to continue increasing and if we do not change anything with our system, the older generations will stay mistreated and set aside. Tucked away, they are institutionalized and removed from a lot of the joys of their previous life. While this might seem like an unfortunate natural order in the grand order of things, it undermines the hard work, experience, and insight they have. It doesn’t have to be like this.

One of the biggest problems that come with aging is vulnerability. We become prone to increasingly more handicaps whether they be physical or mental- both of which are very costly. Our society, however, does not provide many accessible methods to combat such problems. When there are solutions available, such as nursing homes, they often contain major problems such as lack of social interaction, staffing shortages, and lack of resources. Additionally, treatment options get increasingly more expensive every year making it harder for people to cover them with their saved-up retirement funds. Worst of all, family members cannot always provide their full attention in providing help to elderly members, due to the everyday pressures they have to face themselves. 

I have noticed these issues occur in my own family. My grandmother is currently living in Greece and while lucky to have found a caretaker, many do not have the same opportunity. I hope to work for a future where a larger funded system is put in place to take care of our older generation so that they can continue living a proud life. We have to create a larger incentive for people to work in positions that can aid older generations because just as we can help them, they can help us. We can use them as mentors in different professions and learn from their successes as well as mistakes. Most importantly, I hope we can lie in a future where everyone has access to this care. A future where they can be treated as functioning members of society instead of being ostracized. My hope is that we can take steps forward in creating a more dignified way of life for our elderly.