Personal and social Adjustment - Essay Example

Importance and Appreciation of the Elderly/Senior Citizens Introduction Elderly people are an important part of our daily life. The importance of the elderly goes beyond the borders of the family. The social setting of our society, its institutions and culture is hugely influenced by the elderly. The Elderly or the senior citizens have to be appreciated and given credit for what they have done. It is important to understand the roles played by the elderly people in our modern society while at the same time we should understand the roles that we need to play in order to appreciate their contribution.

Importance of the elderly to our families, our culture and institutions The elderly of the citizens are an important parcel of our social structure. The elderly are important to our families as they hold experience and knowledge about the family’s origin and its roots. Through the elderly, the family manages to understand the values and events that have shaped and ensured that the family becomes what it is. The family benefits from this senior members of the family as they will be able to forge a better and more successful life for the future generations of the family members (Brady, 2009).

Culture is another area that benefits from the elderly. Through the elderly, we learn about our culture and the circumstances that have shaped it. Some aspects of culture are better understood through the words from the elderly. The elderly are living historical encyclopedia of the events that they have experienced. When they share this with us, we understand our culture better. Various institutions in our society owe their founding to the elderly. Others have undergone through this institutions and they thus offer a rich testament to the future of the institutions.

A good example are Army veterans. Some of this veterans understand the cost of war and the suffering it brings. They might be able to help ensure that there are no wars fought in future. Institutions such as Education systems, government organizations and even non-governmental organizations may require the elderly to come and induct youngsters in order to maintain the values that the institutions are based on (Brady, 2009). The role of family, institutions, culture and individuals in appreciating the elderly The family has an important role in appreciating the elderly.

Key to this is the ability to offer medical and family support to those who are old, senile and sick. Home based care is one of the based ways in which elderly people feel appreciated and at the same time wanted. Through offering this type of help, then the elderly will feel respected and appreciated while at the same time, they will live longer (Ayranci and Ozdag, 2006). Institutions that the elderly served should also play a major role by honoring them. Whenever events are held in this institutions, the elderly should be invited so as to offer their good counsel.

They should be recognized for the role they played in this institutions. Furthermore, institutions such as the military should give special recognition with benefits to those who served in them. This is one way in which the elderly feel wanted. Our modern culture is shaped by the experiences of the elderly. It will be wise for the culture to recognize the role played by the elderly. Our modern culture should also give an open ear to the senior citizens counsel because this shows that we respect their role.

By so doing, the elderly will feel important and they will have a healthy life. ReferencesAyranci, U. and Ozdag, N. (2006). Health of Elderly: Importance of Nursing and Family Medicine Care. The Internet Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology. 2006 Volume 3 Number 1. DOI: 10.5580/27a2 – Retrieved 10th, April 2013 from http://archive.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-geriatrics-and- gerontology/volume-3-number-1/health-of-elderly-importance-of-nursing-and-family- medicine-care.html#sthash.rmrM0Teh.dpufBrady, A. (2009). Elderly people in modern society. Helium. Retrieved 10th, April 2013 from http://www.helium.com/items/1639950-ageing-population-advances-in-medical-science- the-extended-family-world-wars-1-2