Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes as she stepped out of the car and thanked me with a bow. It saddens me deeply 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 stop for a few minutes near a bus stop to check his gym kit in the backpack. From a distance, I noticed an elderly woman, who looked frail and unwell, heading towards us.
She approached the window and gently tapped on it. I rolled it down, and she asked hopefully:
“Good morning, are you a taxi driver?”
I shook my head, and with a resigned look, she moved away a little. I asked my son to sort his kit himself and stepped out to learn more about her.
“I thought you were a taxi driver; they sometimes stop here. I need to get to the hospital.”
“It’s not far for me at all, just about two miles. Please, get in.”
We drove off. She was breathing heavily, and even speaking seemed a struggle. She shared that she travels to the hospital by bus every day, but this morning, heavy snowfall meant she missed it, and the next bus wasn’t due for an hour. Listening to her story filled me with a growing sense of injustice.
When we reached the hospital, she reached for her purse…
“There’s no way I’m taking a penny from you,” I protested firmly. “You’ve endured so much in your life; you’ve already paid your dues.”
Tears formed in her eyes as she exited the car, bowing in gratitude.
And there I sat, a healthy thirty-year-old man, with a lump in my throat, watching her walk away. It grieves me that in such an advanced country, we fail to adequately care for older adults. I’m ashamed that the elderly have to worry about basic needs like getting to see a doctor.
Dear Readers, if you know someone who needs assistance with everyday tasks, please lend a hand. Take them to the doctor, help them cross the street, do their shopping… Let’s look after one another!
