Introduction
It is a universal truth that people tend to grow older and their hair turns grey. When they reach the fag end of their lives, they feel as if they are left out by the generation that came after them. The immediate thing that comes to their mind is the posing of problem due to the fading health in their daily lives. This awareness generates the sense of insecurity in their minds, forcing them to react illogically and spontaneously to different situations. With the small scolding from the near and dear ones, they get hurt and tend to go into a shell, making them non-responsive and insensitive to the situations of people around them. People who are not known to the elders consider this as a prick to their ego and react in kind.
It is a universal truth that people tend to grow older and their hair turns grey. When they reach the fag end of their lives, they feel as if they are left out by the generation that came after them. The immediate thing that comes to their mind is the posing of problem due to the fading health in their daily lives. This awareness generates the sense of insecurity in their minds, forcing them to react illogically and spontaneously to different situations. With the small scolding from the near and dear ones, they get hurt and tend to go into a shell, making them non-responsive and insensitive to the situations of people around them. People who are not known to the elders consider this as a prick to their ego and react in kind.
Why Insecurity Feeling Comes?
When the elderly people were young, they used to do things
on their own, without seeking help from others. They used to earn money and
support their family like any other person in the society. This routine gave
them satisfaction and authority on the matters pertaining to their family
members and friends. The feeling of independence and self-reliance drove their life
forward. Moreover, their main driving forces were their children for whom they
invest whatever money they had earned in their professional lives. The moment
they get into health problems they fear that the kind of autonomy and the
respect they used to enjoy with friends and relatives may fade away, forcing
them to live the way their siblings live. In younger days, they had the upper
hand and they used to set the terms in the house. The children were forced to
adjust to their ways. When the children become young adults, they began to
think independently and took their own course of action, which at times were at
variance with what their parents thought fit. This change of perception and the
outlook forced the elders to register protest when their children did
differently. At times, it would have had minimum impact in the family. At other
times, it would precipitate into crisis in the family. This growing difference in perception alienates
the elders from younger ones. Slowly, they lose their prominence in the house, leading
them to feel that they are not wanted in the family anymore. The elders also
have become accustomed to their way of thinking, which is intransigent in
nature. Hence, they cannot be made to change to a large extent.
Dealing with Elders
The elders should not be allowed to get the feeling that
they are no longer required in the family. They should be given the breathing
space so that they get the feeling of being part of the family. They should be
allowed to take part in discussions and give suggestions banking on their
immense experience. When they persist with something, they should be dealt with
in such a manner that their egos are not hurt. In short, they should be handled
diplomatically so that they remain unhurt.
They should be given the feeling that they are not alone in their
twilight years. This would provide much needed moral and emotional support for
them to sustain longer.
