Better Treatment of the Elderly

Hello, my name is Micah Isaiah Carrera. I am a Freshmen at Science Leadership Academy We have been assigned a You and the World Project(YATW) The project allows us to choose a problem in the world that we think should get more

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attention and be acknowledged. The issue that I was interested in is Better Treatment of the Elderly. There are many problems that are invisible to us. Many problems that we need to acknowledge and solve. We have lost the courtesy and respect that the Elders deserve. A blog about this statement can be found Here. These problems occur in the streets and in nursing homes. I chose this because I have many Elders in my family who I love to death. I believe that the respect that I have for my elders is the respect we all should have.

The first issue that needs to be acknowledged is nursing home abuse. This is a subject that truly breaks my heart because one day I know that my Grandparents that I love so much, might have to be taken to a nursing home.  Many Elderly have suffered from these different types of abuses. Poor hygiene is something that can really affect an elder in a negative way.  Something simple as giving them unclean clothes and not giving enough baths can lead to terrible diseases, or even death. Elderly are also physically

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abused. Physical abuse is an occurring problem that has been seen across many nursing homes. I couldn’t believe that people would actually physically abuse Elderly in some nursing homes. There are some organizations that specialize in shutting down nursing homes that do abuse their Elderly. The link to one of these organizations is Here. Elderly cannot do anything about these issues because they are usually blackmailed to not tell anyone. Since they are so vulnerable, it is very tough.

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Another issue that we needs to be acknowledged is Elderly drug abuse rehabilitation. This is an issue that is a little odd because most of us would think of younger people when you say drug rehab. You may see many homeless Elders on the streets when you go into the city. These Elders are mostly in that position because of drugs. There are some organizations that specialize in bringing these elderly into rehabilitation. They specialize in turning these Elderly people's lives around and giving them the attention they deserve. The link to one of these organizations is Here.

Lastly, an issue that I have witnessed is that American elders are treated worse that 3rd world countries elders. In my 15 years of life, I have been on many trips around the world. For example, in my missions trip to Honduras, we arrived at their airport. The airport had an entire separate way for elders to be escorted in wheelchairs. They had their own line and own way to get to the plane. I asked my Father why they did this. He simply answered that these foreign countries have way more respect for their Elders than America does and that the elders in America don’t receive the respect they deserve. This is one of the main reasons I chose this topic. The link to this issue is Here.

In conclusion, we have lost the courtesy and respect that our elders deserve. The three main issues that stand out to me is nursing home abuse, elderly drug rehabilitation, and respecting our Elders like we should be.

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