Q: What is our collective responsibility to our elders?

(Topics: The Elderly, Q&A | Back to Home)

A: We owe our very existence to the people who came before us. To our ancestors, to our veterans, and to the people who are still with us. Our elders helped build the world in which we live. As they age, they need our help, and we should offer it. Aging should be met with dignity.

That means, in part, it is our responsibility as a country to keep the promises that have been made. Social security and Medicare. Pensions and bonds and other assurances.

Today, growing old too often leads to being forgotten or mistreated. We need more services for seniors, more centers of activity, more education and support against senior fraud, more empathy and counseling for elder mental health, more investigation and justice for elder abuse. And we need to connect young people to seniors especially, to learn from oneanother. This is what we all know we need more of.

We must serve our seniors.