The elderly. Put yourself in their shoes………….

Sometimes I wonder if elderly people feel out of place, or invisible in our society.

When I look at our Senior Citizens in this society, I wonder what it’s like for them to live day to day in our fast paced society that seems to move faster by the day.  I imagine what it would be like to take a walk and have people be rushing swiftly by me as I simply try to stay balanced in my shoes………

The other day, I ran into the grocery store to buy a few items quickly. As I entered,  I recognized an elderly lady standing at the front of the store with her walker. She lives in my apartment building and I’ve had conversations with her before, so I asked her how she was doing. She told me that she was having a bad day because she had an issue with her bank card and wasn’t able to pay for her groceries, had to go to the bank that’s far down the street, and that she had just came from physical therapy, and her leg was in pain and giving her trouble. I immediately walked up to the counter and told the cashier I would pay for her groceries, without drawing attention to her. The woman was surprised and thankful for what I did, which was a small gesture in my eyes, as she only had a few items anyway. I asked her if she’d be okay with travelling home, knowing that the area has difficult bus routing and her leg was in pain, she needed to get home fast.. I gave her one of my bus tickets and offered to walk her to the “easier” bus stop that I use to get home. While we were walking, she apologized for her “speed” and I reassured her not to worry, as I would have trouble walking if I was in her shoes.The woman even told me to go ahead of her, and flag down the bus in case it came because her “speed” may cause us to miss it. I reassured her once again not to worry and we’d be okay! So we managed to catch the bus, and I helped her all the way home. She commended me on my “understanding” of how to help her get over curbs with her walker and that others people do it “wrong,” which I found funny lol.

I was touched by the fact that the lady felt the need to apologize for not being able to walk perfectly. It made me think of the way society views senior citizens/elderly people, which may cause them to consider themselves a “burden” which they are not.

The next time you come across an elderly person who looks like they are in need of help, put yourself in their shoes, ask them if they need help, and if they refuse, then at least you cared enough to ask.

If you live a “long” life, then that elderly person one day will be you!

Love&Respect,

Feel free to tweet me feedback on this blog.

~Dawn Lovely Follow me @ : https://twitter.com/iamdawnlovely

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