Old age is the range of ages for persons nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, seniors, senior citizens, or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological stage: the chronological age denoted as “old age” varies culturally and historically.
Some disciplines and domains focus on the aging and the aged, such as the organic processes of aging (senescence),as medical studies of the aging process (gerontology),as diseases that afflict older adults (geriatrics), as technology to support the aging society (gerontechnology), and as leisure and sport activities adapted to older people (such as senior sport).
To be aged or old is often viewed as a curse by some people because of the poor attitude of care and attention given to these class of human population by the society the belong. A very sympathetic cases is where the aged has no good shelter to live in, has to depend on the good will of people around him or her or has to labour intensively to make ends meet, suffers health challenges without any support. In such situation they cry to God to take their life. Most of them were abandoned and poorly cared for by children, relations and friends.
.To a civilized world, aging gracifully is a blessings as they daily enrich their world with wisdom and promote the sustainability of their cultural and historical values.There is joy in their faces, and willing to serve their God every day as they are surrounded with support and good wills from children, neighbours, friends and relations. They are happy to live and enjoy the good gestures of life Many retirees are within these two extremes Those of them who worked all their life careers retired and have never been paid their gratuity or enjoy pension in some states live a very painful life. In some states the state governor’s paid off the pension and gratuity of these class of retired pensioners, other states are foot dragging in providing such succour to their citizens.
The government and society they served abandoned them as if they never existed. That is not good for any generation. We must learn to take care of our aged people. Give them the needed care and attention. In Africa particularly developing nations 65 years is the bench mark for retirement from active service but they can still hold political positions in governance An aged person is a blessing in most countries of the world. Their attitudes are expected to be the standard to regulate the cultural and political norms of the society. The society are regulated by their leadership output. They are source of effective transmission of cultural values from one generation to another generation. Ethical standard are managed by them to ensure sustainability of cultures,norms and social mechanisms that bound the society as one. In government cycle these are people we referred to as retirees who depend on pensions as source of income. Many of them have retired and are yet to be paid their gratuities. Some still live in rented apartment, some still marry young women as wives and produce children they cannot cater for . They end up accumulating worries which lead to their untimely death. We need to think outside the box for this class of human population.
Aged retirees who have successfully disengaged from service should be paid his gratuity in bulk and paid monthly pension each month.
Government should provide occasional succour in the form of food supply free to these class of people as palliative measures
They should avail them with free medical facilities and been couraged to go for check up often to address any health challenge.
Those who could not build houses should be supported with free housing facilities to accommodate them and their families
Government and faith based organisations should encourage the establishment of old people’s homes in local government headquarters and state capitals . The two holy books admonished us to care for them as very soon it will be our turn. The book of Ecclesiastes, chapter three emphatically high light this especially in the verse 17 to 22 . The 22 verse of that same chapter concluded this way “So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Samuel Atumiye Shiaka
Samlanz computer center
Felele Lokoja
Kogi state Nigeria