Elderly neighbours who live alone....

Oh, how sad is that situation. I am afraid to get old that way. Here in our place, only few old ones are living alone. Most of them are living with their loved ones and that their is always someone taking care of them. They live with their children or grandchildren and it's ok. Because for us here in the Philippines, it's like its the child responsibility to take care of their parents when they grow old. They can't afford to just leave their parents that way.

I have an elderly neighbor that is just as sweet as pie. I clean his house for him twice a month and check in on him every day. His son lives here i the same town and rarely does he come se him. Last year my neighbor had gotten an Easter basket for his grandson, his son didn't come over until Nov. to get it! I was so mad, but I kept my mouth shut because it is not my place to say anything. My neighbor has given me a key to his house, just in case he says. We have a system set up, if his porch light is still on after 8am then I am to go over there and check on him. He had gotten into a car accident a few months back and instead of his own child taking him places and helping him find a new car, he had asked me to. It is so sad that people just seem to forget about our elders. They aren't a bother, they are human and still need love!

Yes I totally agree with you there but in these Days now Dana nobody cares anymore I know it is very sad but it is a fact I am afraid I wish it was different and back to how it used to be

People today don't have time or the patience it seems to sit and listen to a elderly person talk. My grandmother is 80 something and still stays home, my uncle makes sure she's taken care of. She has lost a husband, a daughter and a grandson, but that doesn't stop her. Now my grandfather (my moms dad, he's in a home, because he has old timers. It's a lot safer for him to be there. He doesn't remember me anymore. The stories they have to share is so amazing.

i love to make friends with ld people. N since I work in a call center, I give speical attention to callers who r old.I also have a motto, to work in an old age home for charity. I really feel sad to hear stories of old people being lonely, n sad. i always make sure that whenever i m out of my house, n I see any old neighbour, I always Helo them, n ask them about their life, cause they dont have anyone to speak to. But, everyone wants to help, n does not have the time to do so. I also was in a youth group formed by our church. N the co ordinator had told us to visit the old people of our neighbourhood, mostly those who were living alone. We were not successful in doing that, but I know that I wont let me parents on an old age home, once they r old. It is very sad that people do this. I hate those people. They should think that they will also become old one day, n possibly their children maydo the same thimg to them. I will always respect old age.

It is quite normal in the modern society now. People are living in the high bulidings. They never visit their neighbours, they even don't know their neighbours are femal or male. It seems people have no time to care their neighbours after one days's work. So tired, they just wanna go home earlier ,then have a good rest. So the elderly neighbours are relly pitiful. We should give them more concers, because I couldn't imagine that I will be treated like this when I am old one day. It is too terrible. In fact, mabye these elderly neighbours have different habits in life compared with our young men, even we couldn't accept those habits, but they have more experience, we could learn more from them. We need to think over their advantages. Don't give up them. Because you will be old one day.

i think it is very sad to die alone with noone to look out for you or care about you, and even after you die nobody cares until the police find your body in a bad state. i think there should be some kind of law that prevents too high an 'elderly density' in any single neighbourhood. this would ensure that the younger generation can help lookout for the old, and the elderly can share their experiences with the young.

I know what you mean. We had a 90 year old lady living next to us. It wasn't unusual to see her only 1 time a month. She fell in her house and was there for 2 days before anyone found her. She could not get to a phone. I felt terrible for not checking on her but her kids would usually be in and out about every day, but this time they weren't.

It is terrible, but I think that sometimes people just get caught up in their own lives and forget about their neighbors. I think that more of us should make a conscious effort to visit them more often, if only for a minute or two. Then we would at least know that they were ok.

I would feel very sad for these people. I too heard of such in my country. Not sure if it is lucky that these people are somehow "centralised" in one area, and there are social workers moving around. Of course, there are some isolated cases. Such can only rely on neighbours, but again, it would depend on how the old interact with their neighbours. Perhaps it is better to educate the elders to have a habit of coming out of their house daily to interact with neighbours, if any, or report to some neighbourhood groups. Someone would then find something amiss if the elderly does not "report".

I find it so sad when elderly people are left alone and isolated! I personally try to keep an eye on my neighbour to make sure he is ok- and I would do the same for anyone locally if they were alone! My grandma is 83 on Sunday and is wonderful! I see my gran and and talk to her at least 3 times a day! If my siblings cannot get hold of her they always contact me to find out where she is! Just calling in on or phoning an elderly neighbour could make a huge difference to their lives and it doesn't take much effort! xx

you know, it seems like i really have a merciful heart towards the elderly, especially old men. i think its because i grew upwithout any grandfathers and im kinda longing for a grandfather figure so everytime i see old people being alone and abandoned, i come to the point of being so sad that i could cry. im glad someone like you is concerned about old people.

Hi,dana234! I think your discussion is good.There are so many elder people now live alone.Though few of them are rich and can make a better life,but most of the old people have a poor life.They need our help and concentration,not only for satisfy their material need,but also satisfy their spiritual need. Though there are some voluteeners will to help the lonely old people,but the members of voluteeners isn't still enough.

It's sad. Both the neighbours and their children should take the responsibility to take care the elderly neighbours who live alone. Everyone would grow old one day so if we do a favor to them, God will bless us to have a happy old age.

This does not happen too often, to my knowledge, but even occasionally is too often. In my community we do have some programs in place that help, like "Meals on Wheels" and Friendship Meals". In these programs someone calls on the elderly and disabled daily most days of the week and brings them a nutritional meal. It also provides direct human contact. There are also some phoning programs that have people checking up on the elderly and disabled.

How does one care anyway? Pool resources and send them packing to old folks' homes? :P