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Don't assume I feel this way about all old people.
When I was in my 20's I couldn't get enough of CONVERSATION with my 66 year old co-worker. He was a French Canadian who served in the US Army, landed at Normandy, awarded a bronze star, taught himself master carpentry, built his own television, learned to speak German etc.
Totally different from the type of person I have been describing.
You're wrong. I'm interested. I work as an ophthalmic technician, and I have a lot of elderly patients. I have found that they have a lot of wisdom to impart, and their stories are fascinating to me. I can only hope that when you're old, your caregivers will not feel the same way about you as you feel about old people now.
Your message reminds me of a dear dear friend I met at the UU church when she was sharing a part of her life...I went up to her and talked and we became such good friends. She was in her 80's and me in my 60's when I met her. She was so wise and full of history that I learned from her. She passed at 93 and I think of her very often. Have pictures of us on my refrig.
Disclaimer, I have no idea if any of this is true or not.
Interesting there is SO MUCH we don't know about the rest of the world. I had a good friend years ago and he said the old sick American indians went to tops of the hills to die.
I've been sitting with a friend in the hospital and there are a number of elderly patients in and out. OMG! They feel the need to give complete life stories along with a list of medical procedures to everyone who makes eye contact.
At what point do we not realize that no one is interested?
I see these poor nurses, aides, cleaners etc politely listening while looking for a way out
I can only hope I don't do that, maybe it's unavoidable.
Well, I can say from my experience here that this is the best hospital I've ever been in. Haven't come across a single nasty person. Everyone I've encountered has been caring and professional. They listen and interact with compassion.
I just think at some point you have to be honest with yourself, stop living in the past and ask a question once in a while. Listing every ailment isn't a conversation, it's a lecture.
you might find this a bit hard to believe but many young people actually enjoy hearing about our lives. Of course now you are off topic or maybe spinning is a better word: first you talk about older people complaining and talking to others about their ailments and now you are onto living in the past. Well our ailments are not living in the past, they are here, now and very real.
yes, you are completely right about asking questions. I too know many people, of all ages, I may add that live in a Me only world. Asking questions is a wonderful way of learning about life, maybe this is something more people should do. Have you taken time to ask the little old man sitting next to you on a plane where he is going or when he is from? Or you neighbor how they feel today?
This is hard for younger people to understand but for those over say 70, we live for today and yesterday because we know there are not that maany tomorrows.
Not just caregivers, either; I was at a party recently, and one woman was droning on and on about her medical stuff. Her friends all walked off, so she turned to me (a stranger) and started all over again. I could have topped every one of her stories with medical horrors of my own, but I followed her friends.
The point here is or as many of us have taken it: was she elderly, say 75 or older? yes, we all have known those people and the older we get the more we know them, but OP is referring to, this being a trait only in older people. He is also showing a side of him that doesn't seem like a very understanding or giving person. This may not be the way he is in real life, we will never know.
What?
Try to.read.what I wrote and don't put your own spin on it
The healthcare workers have been VERY kind.
I feel.bad for them when a patient has a me, me, me attitude and assumes everyone in earshot wants to hear their complete med history.
These are NOT conversations, they are not interesting, they are self centered lectures of laundry lists that make people look at their watch.
Try to keep up buttercup
Let it go, OP. Just accept people for who they are.
Healthcare workers have training and in-services on how to deal with many levels of physical and mental issues in the hospitals or long term care centers. They need to have compassion and willing to lend an ear for people to talk to or to have conversations with them. If someone does not have that ability or cannot tolerate people who like to talk can find a different job that suits with their ability and personality.
You cannot stop people who like to talk. Or if you express your opinions about them, you will be in troubles.
It's a healthcare workers job to listen to their patients, and it takes a special person to listen. Lots of times the healthcare workers find the true root of the problem just having a conversation with a patient. It's been proven more affective then listing questions and herding one patient to the next like cattle.
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