Letter: Lack of affection harms many of our elderly
Both health and happiness of the elderly improve with displays of affection.
Under the heading of affection are loving touch, high regard and respect and communications of gratitude.
There are, of course, many other needs, particularly of those who are alone or have no family support systems.
To put it plainly — elders often lack people, or even pets, to love, and are not loved by anyone.
In my childhood, there was always one grandmother, my ally against other adults, who brightened when she saw me and then folded her soft wings around me.
She would whisper so that the other grandchildren would not hear: “You are the besta boy.”
What was that worth to a small child? And what was my joyful show of love worth to an elderly grandmother?
Many elderly people don’t even receive a traditional hug and kiss from the child or grandchild they never had.
I’ll never forget kissing my “grumpy grandpa” every Sunday morning. I can still recall to mind his sandpaper-like, unshaved cheek against my tiny lips.
It’s tough getting old in America, but to become isolated from the affective factors which make life enjoyable or tolerable, it also to dampen down the fiery nature of the heart, the great mechanism of protection and source of well-being.
Raphael O’Suna
Haiku