Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes as she stepped out of the car, bowing her head in gratitude. I felt deeply saddened that in such a developed country, we struggle to care for our elderly.
Three weeks ago, I was driving my son to school. We decided to pull over for a few minutes near a bus stop to check if his PE kit was in his backpack. From a distance, I noticed an elderly woman approaching us; she looked frail and unwell at first glance.
She tapped lightly on the window. I rolled it down, and with hope in her voice, she asked me:
“Good morning, are you a taxi driver?”
I shook my head, and she walked away despondently. I asked my son to look for his kit on his own, and I got out to learn more about her situation.
“I thought you were a taxi driver; they sometimes stop here. I need to get to the hospital.”
“It’s not far for me, about two miles. Please get in,” I offered.
As we drove off, I could tell she was struggling to breathe and even to hold a conversation. She told me she usually takes the bus to the hospital every day, but there had been heavy snow that morning, and she missed it. The next bus wouldn’t be for another hour. With each word, I felt a growing sense of injustice.
When we arrived, she reached into her bag for her purse…
“I won’t accept a single penny,” I insisted firmly. “You’ve endured enough in your life, and you’ve already paid for so much.”
With tears in her eyes, she got out of the car and thanked me with a bow.
And there I was, a healthy thirty-year-old, with a lump in my throat, watching her walk away. I’m deeply sorry that in a country so advanced, we can’t take better care of our elderly. It shames me that older folks have to worry about things like getting to the doctor.
Dear Readers, if you know someone who needs help with such simple tasks, please lend a hand. Drive them to appointments, help them cross the street, do the shopping… Let’s look out for one another!