AGING BOOMERS THIN THEIR HERD

It’s not always about living under a bridge for aging boomers. via DG Studio

Years pile on aging boomers and they get stuck under them.

Back in college days at University of Oregon, one class had a red ass teacher:

Community Service and Public Administration.

This was during the blossom of boomer-hood. Not an aging boomer in sight.

What the prof did on the first day was tell the class no one will get an A from him.

To the motivated student it was a challenge. No A grade? Stand back, jackass.

The big part of the class was organizing and presenting a community project.

I chose to do a talent show at a few retirement centers, old folks homes, and assisted living places.

Tell a few jokes, sing a few songs, play a slide show.

Was it good enough for an A? No, but the payback was better.

Old people all alone and living together seems like a good idea?

Some of them wouldn’t come to the show. Some of them came and left.

Apparently college kids in a talent show don’t compare to re-runs on TV.

The aging boomers of today will be better.

During the term I visited the homes and talked to groups of residents.

They didn’t get many visitors, either outliving friends, or out-attituding family.

Did they like being alone, even with strangers in every room, in every hallway?

Turns out they liked being alone fine, if you believe them.

Their friends weren’t reliable and their family was worse. That was the story.

The time I spent with this gang of malcontents proved one thing: age doesn’t soften hurt feelings. It’s supposed to, but some 100 year old people with good memories still held onto bitterness.

One of them said their sister robbed them of their childhood. The reason? She was born into the family last as the girl everyone wanted. The other girls got pushed back.

One of them said their sister borrowed a bike and left it out to be stolen, like it was a plan.

I explained how no one leaves things out on purpose for thieves. She said I didn’t know her sister.

The A work in Community Service and Public Administration came during in-class reporting.

The myth of the abandoned elderly as self imposed isolation went against the grain of socialization and human need.

The idea of no one wants to be alone? Look around and you’ll see more than you’d guess who think that’s a good plan.

B+.