Senior citizens are often the victim of harsh and unfair stereotypes. Too often, our elderly population is depicted in media as being clueless and out of touch, needing the kind of babysitting that small children receive on a regular basis.
In reality, senior citizens have more life experience than the majority of the world’s population. Even if their bodies are frail and their minds weakened over time through natural age, it’s unfair to put them at the brunt of jokes or dismiss them as not being worth your time. In fact, if you ask any CNA or caregiver about their experiences with the elderly, you’ll learn real quick that they’re full of valuable experience and wisdom to impart to younger generations.
At Wilson Care, we’re always looking for people in an around the Honolulu area who are interested in applying for caregiver jobs. If you apply for our CNA position, here are some of the valuable lessons you could learn from the senior citizens we serve with our home care program:
Perspective
Society often criticizes the elderly for being out of touch and archaic in their views. While this is sometimes true with topics such as politics and technology, it also goes hand-in-hand with something that only seniors have — an entirely different perspective.
Did you know that there are still over 400,000 World War II vets that are estimated to be alive in 2019? While encountering one is a rarity these days, it goes to show just how different life circumstances have been for older folks compared to the rising generation.
Today, our stomachs turn just watching Hollywood movies about World War II, and other events that have occured in the last century. Meanwhile, there are people you can talk to who have lived out these unique and exceptional experiences in person. While World War II is an extreme example, the logic applies to most senior citizens. They have simply seen and experienced more than any of us younger people have, and there’s something to be said about that.
Relationship Wisdom
When you talk to elderly people, you’re looking at a vast gallery of successes and failures. You have the opportunity to learn from these, and someday, you will pass on your own lessons to the generation below you.
One thing that never changes with time is the nature of personal relationships. We’re not just talking about romantic relationships. Friendships, parents and children, siblings, cousins, business partners, and so on — these are all relationships that have been cultivated by our elderly population, and you can bet that we can learn from their stories.
There’s nothing more heartwarming than caring for senior couples who have spent an entire lifetime together in a wholesome, loving marriage. On the other hand, we can also take notes when we listen to seniors who wistfully recall the relationships in their life that were lost or destroyed through actions that ultimately could have been prevented.
Seniors can help us to realize how much relationships are truly worth, and they’re often a sobering reminder that the things we’re petty about aren’t worth being upset over.
What Truly Matters
What is this life for, if not for pursuing happiness? Everything we do in life has a consequence, and most of our decisions are made with the mentality that they will benefit us down the line, whether it’s an immediate gain or something that will pay off thirty years from now.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to get lost in these decisions and start working towards goals that won’t bring us true and lasting value. When we get lost in our pursuits of money and success, having a good talk with a senior citizen can bring us back down to earth.
Just like relationship wisdom, we have a lot to learn from both the successes and the failures of our senior population. Some of them remind us that money means very little when you’ve disregarded your personal health to the point where it incapacitates you later in life. Some of them remind us that there’s no greater treasure we can work towards than the relationships we cultivate with loved ones. Some of them remind us certain things in life are out of our control, and that we should make the best with what life hands us.
In any case, our day-to-day struggles often feel banal when compared to the lifelong wisdom that the elderly can provide, and sometimes it’s an inspiring motivator to make positive changes and reevaluate what’s truly important.
CNA Jobs in Honolulu
At Wilson Care, we offer in-home care services for the elderly population of greater Honolulu. Don’t get us wrong — it’s not your job to be a counselor, therapist, or biographer. Not every visit will result in an hours-long conversation reflecting about life, but you’re bound to run into experiences where you learn powerful lessons from senior citizens who open up to you.
We could always use more people who want to provide for our aging population. Interested? Apply online, and be sure to contact us if you have any questions!
