Jun 30 2009
The elderly do count…now
I think that the so-called Influenza A (H1N1) should be a good vehicle for revising the age groups to which we connect. I have long heard the chant claiming that nobody cares about the elderly and they do not deserve such poor treatment, having done all they have for us, younger folks.
Well, my dear readers, let me break the news. You now have a golden opportunity to change the course of ungratefulness toward senior citizens. How? Follow me as I go through my reasoning.
There is not a lot of information on the H1N1 virus that is causing uncertainty and wreaking havoc with Argentine health authorities (well, it does not take much to wreak havoc with them anyway, but a virus is always a good excuse). However, a little bit of online research will reassure you about the most common prevention measures. These include boring stuff such as washing your hands a hundred times a day, staying away from potentially sick people, keeping your house clean, etc. Now, if you start reading about the way the disease is developing, you will learn that the tranche of the population above 65 years old or so have shown considerable resistance to the virus. Here is where the prevention guidelines could be expanded.
We live in a society that goes all soft on children and gives a little less than a damn about the elderly, even if some look good in pension funds commercials. The H1N1 pandemic now calls this preference into question. What are you thinking of staying anywhere near noisy infants with snots running down their noses and coughing on you every thirty seconds? No matter how charming those short versions of an adult may seem to you, my friend, you have to stay away from them. I know the temptation to play with the devilish creatures will be strong, but consider what sort of hands will soon be touching yours as you help them across the street, how dirty and full of viruses and bacteria they will be. You are in danger, and you have to face the fact.
Instead, reconsider your views on older people. I know some may bore you by telling you the same story over and over again, or even by speaking about recipes for hours on end. Their life seems uneventful to you? Dispel those thoughts…think how safe they are to be around. Who knows? There may be even some way of developing immunity by proximity…science evolves by the hour. Moreover, how many times have you been told you should slow down and calm your stress? Now you can do it by crossing the street in fifteen minutes instead of two, discussing the good old times as if they were still around, and a myriad other things that flailing memories allow. Think again, the elderly are not contagious.
My dear reader, you can do it. There is still time before H1N1 condemns you to a probable death in Argentina and a very difficult flu almost elsewhere. Go find an elderly person and make a new friend. You will not regret it.
