That Age-Old Issue: Why We Should Help Our Elders More

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“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” This proverb is a very important one to take note of. While we are working harder at being better versions of ourselves this can mean that we focus so much on us that we neglect the people who need our help even more. Our elders are people that we should respect and honor. And while it's an age-old issue that we don't respect our elders when we start to enter into adulthood and have children of our own this is when we begin to realize that we may be too busy for them or start to dismiss their needs. What can we do to respect and honor our elders in the simplest of ways?

Listen To Them

Sure, they may not be able to hear us properly despite changing their hearing aid batteries but this doesn't mean that we have to grow frustrated by speaking louder. It's important that we note that seniors get lonely because they don't have the same structure as they used to. But we have to remember that they need a social circle so they can say happier. This is something that we can all learn from. Take time to visit them but also give them a purpose. We can do this by listening to what they have to say. Any relationship is crucial as we get older and when we are in the presence of someone who is older, and therefore wiser, listen to what they have to say because they got a lot of experience.

Ask For Their Advice

And as they've got a wealth of experience, much more than we do, we should ask them for what they have to say. Remember that they have so much to bequeath us, and sadly while ageism exists, we can do our best to overstep this and seek seniors out for advice. And we have to remember that by asking them for their advice they will feel appreciative of our intent to spend time with them.

Enquire About Their Past

An older relative is something that we should get as much information from them as we can. There are so many family stories that we don't know and while there are heirlooms that are passed down through the generations we may not necessarily know the tales behind them. It's one of the great things to bring families together and when we begin to ask our elders for stories about what life was like before our parents made an appearance on this earth, we are building bonds but we are also learning how resilient our elders were. We know that on a superficial level that they had it tough but when we really start to dig deep and find out about times during the Great Depression or after World War II that we can realize just how good we have it.

Understand The Differences Between Young And Old

There will be many differences between you and the older generation but the big problem we tend to have is to ignore what they have to say. Instead, by understanding the differences between us, we can build a bond before they shuffle off this mortal coil. We can learn about their heritage but also realize just what major cultural changes have done to their attitudes. If they lived through major historical events they are the best people to tell us just what it was like, right down to the sights, sounds, and smells.

Volunteer And Give Something Back

Even if your elders aren't here anymore, it's still important to help others in your community. Volunteering and spending time at senior living communities is a way for us to give something back. We can very easily forget what's important in life because we are distracted by unimportant accessories. When we give, we feel better as a result. And when we start to volunteer this gives us the real perspective of what life is like as a senior citizen. We can feel like we're too busy or there's just too much to do around the house but it doesn't have to be anything that takes up the entire day. The more you do it, the more you realize that you are helping other people's lives.

Helping our elders is something we all know we should do but we don't necessarily do it the way we should. The fact of the matter is that if we are able to engage with our elders we will learn so much from them about life, history, and everything in between.