I am important

Yesterday, as I scrolled through posts in Facebook, a friend of mine from my hometown in south-eastern Alberta posted a short article.

She’s been a healthcare aid for nearly 30 years and many of the topics she finds interesting have an elder theme to them. This time was no different. In this article, there were a series of photos of folks who had aged that were looking at themselves in a mirror. In their reflections they saw themselves in their work apparel. The statement read, “Respect the elderly, we have no idea who they were before we knew them.” This statement hit me hard. Where most people would feel all warm and fuzzy, I felt saddened.

I was saddened because it said “WHO they WERE…” as if what they did for money determined the importance they hold in life.

Although what we do is important, and in some ways shape who we become, it will never fully encompass who we are. In our working years, this belief served us as there were days when we wanted to give up and this kept us going. But when we are older and wiser, and falsely believe that what we do determines who we are, then when the day comes that we can no longer do what we did, we lose ourselves and deep sadness sets in.

An in-depth study conducted in Europe on individuals more than 70 years of age (posted in Science Direct under Social Science & Medicine) reveals findings that indicate many of us – although healthy, experi- encing strong relationships, living independently and coming from formerly perceived important occupations – struggle with aging and feel “life is completed and no longer worth living.” . . . contd.