DEBUNKING AGEIST THOUGHTS

C is an accomplished international consultant on educational affairs in science. Yet, she is not grabbing all chances of more jobs and travel perks abroad because she wants to be with her 97-year old mother who remains lucid until now. She can see the difficult past of her mother as the latter remembers her painful childhood of having been responsible for her siblings at a very tender age.

Del from Pangasinan, is waiting for her contract abroad. The youngest in the family of 6 children, Del was single at the time when she took care of her 64 year old mother who suffered from a heart condition and difficulty of breathing that required her hospitalization. Today, because she was at the bedside of her mother when she died, Del has been a model for her original family in terms of caring for the elderlies.

Meanwhile, in Tondo, an older man resides in his daughter’s house, suffering from dementia. He can no longer manage his personal condition and requires an aide but the family cannot provide one. His wife tolerates his idiosyncratic ways and feels helpless about doing anything to alleviate his condition.

A grandmother in Tondo also suffered a worse fate. During her stay in the city, she was actively moving about, getting bets for jueteng, and discussing the stories in the teledramas. She was also sensitive to the cries for counseling assistance of her neighbors. Because her family did not want her to be moving about without their knowledge, they sent her home to a daughter’s house in the farm where her mind deteriorated; lacking the necessary knowledge of humane treatment of the elderly, the family tied her to a pen like an animal, fed and hosed her with water whenever she answered the calls of nature. Eventually she died.

The stories above are bleak scenarios of what can happen to the elderly in our society. Among the upper classes, the family can afford to pay for a nurse that will attend to the needs of their grandparents on a daily and nightly basis. The budget for them is already set aside and reserved for their medicines, the caregivers, and other expenses.

Anti-Ageism
To be politically correct, we define discrimination of the elderlies as ageism, a movement that seeks to marginalize the elderly citizens. An ageist is one who espouses that principle that the elderlies are no longer useful in society. Hence, our movement is anti-ageism, anti anti senior citizens.

The government use of the word “senior” pits the elderlies against the youth needlessly. Why use the word “senior” instead of “elderly?” Eddie Ilarde in his radio program emphasized that “elderly” or ‘senior” in Pilipino should be “Nakatatanda,” and not “matanda.” The word “Nakatatanda” is more respectful of the people.

Western care of the elderly
In London, I have seen how the elderlies are taken care of even if they live alone in their flats. They get an allowance for housing, and a pension that can take care of their basic needs. A meals-on-wheels is provided them at their doorstep everyday. A social worker visits them daily or several times a week to check if they are ok. In the streets, the buses stop for them to alight and get on, with everyone not minding at all the long period of waiting for them to negotiate the act. But of course, medicines and hospitalizations are free there, since Britain is a welfare society. So the elderlies do not have a difficult time when getting sick.

I remember having read about an elderly woman who was divorced by her ageing husband who had gone looking for a younger woman to boost his fears of old age. Instead of moping in her home, she took off to New York and developed a new career, as a painter. But of course, this is in the west where opportunities abound and the social ladder is almost open to everyone regardless of age, sex, race and creed.

What are we trying to say here? In general Philippine society relegates the elderlies to the family members’ care without much assistance coming from the government nor are the relative-caregivers given assistance either in terms of morale-boosting or financial help. The department of social welfare and development may provide monetary assistance but only for dire needs like funerals. (Hopefully the new budget of the DSWD will carry funds for the elderlies to be able to cover their basic needs.) Monetary assistance for sickness is given by the PCSO but only after too much paperwork requiring going back and forth to the office which in turn could drive away the physically and economically hard-up relatives.

Debunking workplace attitudes
How early is the discrimination made against the elderly and those approaching retirement age? I remember in the Budget Commission, now the Department of Budget and Management, a senior employee was always teased by the junior employees, “Matanda ka na,” and he would retort with “Tatanda ka rin.” During the election period at the Barangay Donya Imelda in Quezon city, I heard a man say, “O paunahin ang mga senior citizens,” in a very mocking way. Somebody told him off, “Oo, paunahin sila. At ikaw tatanda ka rin at pagtanda mo, you will also be mocked. Lilibakin ka dahil yan ang ehemplong ipinapakita mo sa mga nakababata.” His face grew serious after that.

Actually, in the workplace, approaching 40’s is already like a time bomb, or a time for being bombed out for many employees. I can empathize with the flight attendants of the FASAP who are clamoring for the raising of the retirement age for them from 45 years, since they can still move about at that age. I know they speak from experience. When I flew to Amsterdam, KLM Airlines had elderly-looking attendants for that short flight from Frankfurt, Germany. They were very professional and smiling all the time, walking nimbly along the aisle, and their physical bodies not registering any weakness at all. Their faces had wrinkles but it is their heartfelt gestures of taking care of the passengers that removed all feelings of anxieties during the flight. And of course, their years of experience on board all the more emphasized that we, the passengers then were in good hands all the time.

In reality, the worst thing that can happen to elderlies or those approaching retirement age is to be considered a liability, and no longer available for competing in the workplace nor for an appointment in a government position despite their expertise. The latter is worse because the government is supposed to lead as a model in hiring on the basis of competence, and not making youth as a standard for getting appointments. Government positions are jobs that require sensitivity, competence, and skills in attending to the needs of the people, such qualities readily found in those that have had experience like the elderlies.

Being marginalized contributes a lot to the onset of mental weakness, according to medical doctors. Yet this should not happen at all as the Filipino people in the first place are a beautiful set. We love life and love Mother Nature. We grow easily in any surrounding – just consider the millions of Filipino workers and professionals abroad. Hence, the least the government can do is to take care of everyone regardless of age.

Truly, a need exists to debunk many ideas about age in the workplace.

Artistic contests
What about artistic contests? I am glad that the Filipino society of composers contest in cooperation with the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, entitled “Click” for song compositions does not specify any age bracket for entrants. Instead it just calls on everyone to submit their entries and the public will decide the winner by the number of downloads that they get, internet-wise. By the way, the deadline for this is November 15. Check the KBP website.

On the other hand, a film competition on Biodiversity now emphasizes age over competence. The problem here is not that the elderly cannot compete skills-wise but rather in terms of treatment, they could provide a deeper meaning, a more substantial delivery of ideas, than the younger contestants. Clearly what is important here is that ideas about biodiversity should flower and that they must be allowed to spring from all sources. Why limit to a certain age? Environmental problems are concerns of everyone.

In the arts, works of mature and experienced artists really show more significance than those of the young. Even in terms of musical compositions, the lyrics of mature individuals have more depth and more relevance.

I think this is why in the Oberhausen film contests, everyone is free to apply and submit entries regardless of themes and regardless of age, but there is a special section for youth and children’s films. Here we see that all the members of society can exercise their creativity and be allowed to compete in terms of artistry and audience-viewing.

By the way, a sadder scenario here is that only Makati city provides free cinema viewing to all its elderlies all week.

Education for all
Then in the educational field, elderlies who may not have had chances of furthering their studies, or who would like to pursue a new course can no longer compete for scholarships. There is no such thing as scholarships at all for the elderlies as if the government looks at this sector as a risk instead of a group that can provide a deeper meaning to issues and topics of the day. Why not give a 50% discount in all education fees to those who want to study further or pursue a new course?

Moreover, our society is growing very fast technologically. Hence everyone should have a chance to get into the bandwagon and learn how the latest gadgets work and/or study how to put these technologies to good use. An ordinance can be passed making schools in every district provide discounts to the elderlies to study and then using these as tax-deductible items.

Anti-Age Ads
Along the same vein, our society is too embroiled in making youth as a standard for everything. Look at all the advertisements, a few show the elderlies for selling anti-ageing food supplements, and anti-sickness medicines. Instead of magnifying their exceptional achievements in having helped this society attain its level of development, the ads bracket them into situations that depict or emphasize their weakness. In an advertisement for a lagundi cough syrup manufactured by a pharmaceutical company, a child mocks his grandmother for sticking to the traditional method of boiling lagundi leaves. The case of discrimination here is two-fold: one, the boy is mocking the grandma for being out of touch in terms of so-called “modern” medicines, and two, the ad script is disrespecting our traditional healers who have used leaves for curing and treating the illnesses of our people especially those in the provinces where medical care is not available or is expensive. Hence the ad is a poor model for a child, and a poor example of advertising on health. It is also a prime example of discriminatory advertising.

On the other hand, I would not surely approve of elderlies competing with the younger set in terms of dressing up like Madonna the singer or dancing ala-Michael Jackson, and gyrating on stage as if the world can go hang. I believe that all acts of copying or imitating the young should not be encouraged as ageing should be taken as a spiritual stage when everyone can be looking at the world already, viewing and reflecting on it as a place for human life and for resting. The tarot cards reveal one picture of the Crone, an elderly woman known to have wisdom. Yes, wisdom is what the elderlies have and which should be nurtured and respected.

For couples approaching elderly years, I would suggest that the DSWD provide more vigorous counselling so that the stronger of the two would not abandon the other unless for plausible reasons like violence. It is rather unfair that one should separate from the other only because of age. Sometimes, even family members commit acts against the elderlies like their preventing or despising a parent for wanting to marry again. I think this is the height of insensitivity as romance and love are natural occurrences regardless of age. Instead, the barangay should have competent counsellors to advise families. Then DSWD should also devise program to teach the elderlies on what foods to take, food supplements that are good for their bodies, and all kinds of exercises that would keep their bodies still healthy and fit to live, as well as how to maintain a healthy sex life with one's partner.

I believe that ageing is only in the mind and that it is possible to maintain one's fitness. It is only the stresses in society, the pollution and the attitudes that bring about dark thoughts among people and hence hasten ageing. Medical reports are now coming out that age is not at all a liability in upland places, especially in mountainous places that are stress-free, where the air is cool, pollution is practically nil, and water is always clean.

Definitely, a deeper study of the plight of the elderlies in our society is very much needed so that the local governments, especially the barangay can truly be relied upon to take care of every one from womb to tomb.