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Post by clyde on Dec 31, 2013 10:59:45 GMT -5
JeriJet
I think young people think they will be young forever, but we know they're wrong, eh? To paraphrase an author they may never have heard of, gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still a flying . . . .
Remember, today you are as old as you have ever been, and as young as you will ever be. Respect your elders!
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Post by Ponycart on Dec 31, 2013 17:57:28 GMT -5
“The repositories of knowledge are the memories of old people,” Diamond said. “If you don’t have old people to remember what happened 50 years ago, you’ve lost a lot of experience for that society,” from communal history to advice on how to survive a cyclone or other natural disaster." Boy, this is so true. I know that the "Honor Flights" that we have here to take the WWII veterans to Washington to see the memorial are the biggest deal and get lots of coverage and support. It is often a treasure to talk to elderly and hear their stories. And I actually think that it is a benefit to children to have their grandparents live nearby and spend lots of time with them. That is what is so wonderful with the Waltons, isn't it? I don't have grands, yet, but if we are blessed with them I would love to be a part of their lives. Jeri, are you a teacher or librarian? I like to do research, too, and aren't be blessed to have the internet? I hope sometime to go to our local library and spend some time researching Ancestry.com. As far as caring for the elderly, I will say that it does have to work both ways, i.e. the elderly relative has to "let" you care for him or her, and be ready to give and take to make it convenient for all parties, involved, you know what I mean? We have tried to encourage an elderly relative to let us move her closer to us, but she refuses, so we do the best we can within those limitations. Good discourse! ~Robin
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Post by JeriJet on Jan 1, 2014 8:46:49 GMT -5
Hi, Robin -- I'm thrilled that someone actually read some of the stuff I attached!! And, I know I'm not explaining myself very well....
When it comes to families taking care of their elderly relatives, it interests me because of my dad (as I mentioned above) -- In addition to his life-long attention, his mother lived with my folks after his father died, for quite a few years. Eventually, she did have to go into a nursing home because by that point my folks were too old themselves to care for her (she lived to be 93) -- could no longer lift her, for example.... HOWEVER, dad visited his mother every single day for almost three years, with mom joining him twice a week!! A half-hour drive, and I doubt they missed even once a quarter.... Can you believe it?! Still amazes me.... and I bet it kept the nursing home staff on their toes! Elder abuse is something I can't even "process"....
But I am also thinking of society as a "village" ... many towns are very proud of the senior centers they have set up, and that kills me! Do they really believe seniors think those are a good idea, a welcome solution?? To be "hidden away" in boring facilities which smell of cleaning products and bug spray.... along with art classes, sitting exercises -- everything to remind them that they are OLD!! -- and, accompanied only by other participating seniors.... feeling like they have been placed "out of sight" and probably out of the minds of their neighbors.... Talk about depressing!!
I am only coming to realize all of this now.... my dad lived on for 12 years after my mom died... and I kept trying to convince him to join senior groups, etc., but he steadfastly refused.... I couldn't understand it then, but now I do.... He was actually pretty good at keeping himself busy, active -- and, at least he had my husband and me fairly close by, as well as lots of friends in touch via phone and letters. Many old folks aren't as lucky.
But it's really mostly about how the elderly are made to feel they are no longer of any "use" to society.... many strive hard to continue be "part of things" ... but are mostly treated like they have no validity at all any more....
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Post by JeriJet on Jan 4, 2014 8:57:19 GMT -5
quote from Robin's last post (silly to copy the whole thing!) .. "Jeri, are you a teacher or librarian? I like to do research, too, and aren't be blessed to have the internet? I hope sometime to go to our local library and spend some time researching Ancestry.com."
A couple of things -- nope, not a teacher or librarian.... just have always been very curious -- about anything and everything.... drove family, teachers crazy.... luckily, I have a fairly retentive mind, so I don't forget much and don't have to ask again!! So -- I'm curious about your "researching Ancestry.com" note.... I've spent mucho time on Ancestry putting together my (now huge) family tree.... and one thing I now know is that Ancestry.com is only as good as those contributing -- that is, one can get a lot of good info ONLY if some distant relative has put in the real research first.... it's worth noodling around Ancestry.com to see if there is much there.... I hadn't thought about it much until an extremely distant relative phoned me one day -- he had tracked down several people who he thought may be related to his great great grandmother!!! I was able to use much of his research to flesh-out my mother's side of the family.... and then, I discovered on Ancestry.com that a distant cousin had already put together much info on my paternal grandmother's family.... this "cousin" was extremely thorough -- had already included everything she could find on both sides of my family, including old family pictures!!! And then, another distant relative tracked me down due to my new participation in Ancestry.com -- because she was trying to find info on her paternal grandmother, who died at 22 in 1921, and had the same maiden name as my paternal grandmother's family!!! She had stuff like signatures in a wedding book, a few pictures, but little else -- took us almost two years to find any definitive (verifiable) info... and although we now know our grandmothers were related we still can't pin it down exactly. I may go to my grave..... !!! It's a lot of fun developing a family tree but possibly the most frustrating thing I've ever tackled!!! .... would love to hear of your "project"
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Post by Ponycart on Jan 5, 2014 13:24:12 GMT -5
My Ancestry.com interest is not so much of a project, but just seeing what has been cataloged and is there. I would like to see if there are old newspaper articles, etc.
I am in the DAR so a lot of family research has been done on my family. But my husband has never found much on his family, so I would like to see if there is anything there that might be of interest for him, too.
~Robin
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Post by Ponycart on Jan 5, 2014 13:25:34 GMT -5
...
When it comes to families taking care of their elderly relatives, it interests me because of my dad (as I mentioned above) -- In addition to his life-long attention, his mother lived with my folks after his father died, for quite a few years. Eventually, she did have to go into a nursing home because by that point my folks were too old themselves to care for her (she lived to be 93) -- could no longer lift her, for example.... HOWEVER, dad visited his mother every single day for almost three years, with mom joining him twice a week!! A half-hour drive, and I doubt they missed even once a quarter.... Can you believe it?! Still amazes me.... and I bet it kept the nursing home staff on their toes! Elder abuse is something I can't even "process"....
But I am also thinking of society as a "village" ... many towns are very proud of the senior centers they have set up, and that kills me! Do they really believe seniors think those are a good idea, a welcome solution?? To be "hidden away" in boring facilities which smell of cleaning products and bug spray.... along with art classes, sitting exercises -- everything to remind them that they are OLD!! -- and, accompanied only by other participating seniors.... feeling like they have been placed "out of sight" and probably out of the minds of their neighbors.... Talk about depressing!!
I am only coming to realize all of this now.... my dad lived on for 12 years after my mom died... and I kept trying to convince him to join senior groups, etc., but he steadfastly refused.... I couldn't understand it then, but now I do.... He was actually pretty good at keeping himself busy, active -- and, at least he had my husband and me fairly close by, as well as lots of friends in touch via phone and letters. Many old folks aren't as lucky.
But it's really mostly about how the elderly are made to feel they are no longer of any "use" to society.... many strive hard to continue be "part of things" ... but are mostly treated like they have no validity at all any more....
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Post by ForeverWaltons on Jan 5, 2014 15:33:30 GMT -5
My Ancestry.com interest is not so much of a project, but just seeing what has been cataloged and is there. I would like to see if there are old newspaper articles, etc. I am in the DAR so a lot of family research has been done on my family. But my husband has never found much on his family, so I would like to see if there is anything there that might be of interest for him, too. ~Robin Robin, have you ever heard of the following site? www.findmypast.comIt helps you make your own family history discoveries by searching more than 1.5 billion public records and newspaper articles.
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