Reach out to the golden agers

“I better come to see my sister before she forget meh…”

The elderly in our community are treasured golden agers. They’ve lived their life and now they’re just cruising. As they age, we see them slow down. Sometimes, they become gentler and more patient, other times angrier and more stubborn. But it’s our responsibility to reach out to them and make sure they feel the love. No man is an island, and these persons are still part of our community.

Some of us are still privileged enough to still have our grandparents around but when was the last time we called or visited? When was the last time we made them smile or laugh?

Looking beyond our own families, when was the last time, we’ve visited a home for the elderly? Cheered them up, spoke with them?

I say ‘them’ not as an us vs them but as another group in society that should be part of the one group we’re in—the body of Christ. They’ve played their role and we mustn’t forget them.

“I better come to see my sister before she forget meh…” was from a true story shared with me at a church meeting. The older sister had memory problems and the younger sister, who hadn’t visited in a while, commented this as she had an online conversation. Her elder sister repeated the same thing a few times as she forgot she said it. It was a funny statement but sometimes the unfortunate reality. Some of our beloved have become forgetful and suffer from (or be blessed with depending on your perspective) dementia or Alzheimer’s and it may be hard to even converse with them, but we need to remember that we make them happy when we spend time with them, even if they forget.

My mom always says “All they want is for you to call them. Not a long conversation but just a hello”. I’ve started trying to call my grandparents more often and I realise that they do look forward to my calls. They do appreciate me calling just to say hello and ask how their day was.

Even when life sweeps us off our feet, we have to remember to call our golden agers. The consistent “hello, how are you?” is something we must strive for. This builds community and is one sure way we can share God’s love and joy. Go call your elderly!