She was hospitalized with a stroke in 2002 that left her with difficulty speaking. But even after that she continued to make public appearances and in May attended an event at the LBJ Library and Museum featuring historian Robert Dallek.Age 94 and still active. Awesome! Lady Bird was not the longest-living first lady, that honor goes to Bess Truman, who was 97 when she died in 1982.
Despite Lady Bird’s stroke she did not give up, she did not lose hope. She continued to make public appearances. In March she listened from Texas through a conference call when President George W. Bush signed legislation naming the Education Department headquarters building in Washington, D.C., after her late husband. And in May she attended the LBJ Library and Museum event. She tried to stay active and involved.
While I was in the US in June I visited my aunt, age 100. Until this year she had never stayed overnight in a hospital. She has been diagnosed with a collapsed lumbar. She is bedridden. She can’t go shopping. She can’t go to visit her friends. She can’t go to church on Sundays. The hardest thing for her is she is not used to having others do things for her. She does not want to have to rely on others for her care and support.
Aging is unavoidable. An elderly male friend once said to me “aging is not for sissies.” The problems of aging are mainly chronic and degenerative illnesses. With aging we face new challenges: health problems and social problems. Loneliness and depression can be common.
In Turkey it is unusual for people to live to be this age. It is tradition and custom in Turkey for the children to look after their “elderly” parents. Age 50 seems to be the starting point to be considered old here. It was a shock for me when people switched from calling me “abla” (older sister) to “teyze” (auntie). In Turkey the majority of the elderly live with their children, however, those who live elsewhere, do live nearby. Turks are always surprised when foreigners live here and have elderly parents back home who are ill.
The aging process is the same for all of us. It does not matter where we are. If we live long enough we all will face the same challenges when we get older.
Yes, geriatric. It can’t be avoided. What are some of these challenges?
Intellectual failure
Immobility
Instability
Incontinence
Insomnia
Injury or trauma
Family involvement or lack of involvement
Turkey, compared with other countries, has a youthful population. The medical field expects the elderly population to increase here due to better health care and diet. According to the calculations the elderly population will increase between two or threefold in 30 years. It seems that “aging” of the population is beginning to be a new demographic problem for Turkey. Whereas in 1990, those aged 65 and above were equal to 4.5 percent of the total population; in 2025 the proportion of elderly in the population will have increased to 9 percent.
The world struggles with geriatric medical care and ethic issues, there are no easy solutions. Turkey is just beginning to be challenged as its people’s lifespan lengthens.
There is a Turkish saying; “Two days in the bed, third day in the earth” that summarizes the lack of confidence of the elderly in the health services, family members and government, and the hopelessness they have lived.
When we reach old age we should not have to have any worries.
I hope the field of geriatrics and politicians together can discover some solutions and implement these -- sooner rather than later.
Then we can offer more hope. Let the elderly stay active and full of hope as long as they can.
Note: Keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
