DISCUSSIONS ON ELDERS

Date: Wed, 16 Aug
Emily wrote:

I don't believe that on an individual level we (Canadians/Americans) disrespect our elders.  My grandparents taught me a great deal.  One was particularily good at recognizing local wildlife, trees, and flowers-she facinated me.  I learned many other lessons. One of my grandparents was a carpenter who taught me to use a saw. Another had taught greek and latin in an all boys school and insisted that grace be said in one of the two every Christmas Dinner .  I believe that in Canada the resources that we had fifty years ago allowed us more time to care for family than we do now.  We had larger families that gave us security-the chances of having nobody with the resources to take you in was less of an issue.  The elderly were at one point an asset to our means of production rural communities. Not only did this mean that the chances of someone able to help take in thier aging mother-it was in turn a benefit to the family in daycare, cleaning, cooking, and other chores.  In urban communities our elders suddenly became physically unable to help in production and therefore became a cost.  With the already mounting cost of raising a family, and time consuming careers parents are more often out of the home. This leaves them less quality time to spend with their aging relatives and their children. With a lack of available resources in the home and limited time, we feel pressure to hire others outside of the family to care for our aging family members or put them into old age homes.  We do this not out of disrespect-rather we hope they will be better taken care of there where the professionals can watch over them. I believe that there is not a shift in how much we care for our kin, rather I see a huge shift in our economy and environment.  Knowledge can come in the form of experience, and that is what we need our elders to teach us- no matter what culture we are in.