Community
Listening to NPR story of a 67 y/o woman the mother of a 38 y/o autistic man and her problem trying to set him up for life after her own demise. She bought him a house across the street in order for him to learn how to survive and learn about problems while she can still help take care of issues. She worries about his depression and introverted ways so she was advertising for volunteers in her community to befriend him. Her hopes were that he would be able to survive in the community with a network of friends. After 6 months she had only one reply to the ads.
Many people in our community are childless and have to figure out how to survive into their aged years. Hillary Clinton was promoting the village to raise a child but she missed the boat on the community is what cares for all members.
The US is a land of immigrants, frequently the newly arrived form strong support systems for those from the old country. Eventually these communities break apart into the 3rd generation as families migrate to the suburbs.
Social services in the community are the ones who pick up the pieces of the elderly abandoned. But as we all know with the economy these were not areas improved when the boom was available.
Social media has a place in community building. News covers these stories of the cyberland and people saving others in need. However person to person contact is limited. Anyone can PayPal and feel good. But who is there to visit the elderly, the in-firmed, the social misfits, castaways from bad families? Drug addicts and alcoholics who find the 12 steps have a strong community based on a shared goal. We are herd animals, yet we are also wimps who don't want to get caught up with problems that are not our own.
Right now I'm dealing with an elderly couple and I can't be anything but a friend. I imagine sooner than later social services will be stepping in with the courts and declaring them unfit to live in their home. I want to support their adult decisions to remain in their home but due to health related aging issues they are not making good choices. This is setting off huge alarms from the time when I was my grandmother's caretaker. She kept having micro strokes that eventually took her reason and memories and inspired the paranoia.
On FB I follow a NY writer who investigates the aging population without family. She was her mother's caretaker and now there is no family for her. Will she be able to ask friends to take on the burden of Power of Attorney over Health or POA for finances? How can we ask this of friends? Yet for myself, friends have always been my family of choice. I chose them, I know them and know that I will be a friend up to diaper changer. BTW if I need diapers and can't change myself please take me for a long ride leave me with a bottle of Tullamore Dew and leave me alone in the cold with snow. I'm all for health/age related assisted suicide. I'm not asking anyone to club me from behind like a seal if you please.
I suppose I'm posting about this because I have an inkling that there is going to be a groundswell of community networks forming as government services are not available or available unless there is a huge military grant attached. I've been the 'spare wife' for a long time for friends, if friends kids are sick in school I will pick them up. Someone's mom needs a visit or a call I'm here. The world I want to live in has more people saying YES to live life participation.
Many people in our community are childless and have to figure out how to survive into their aged years. Hillary Clinton was promoting the village to raise a child but she missed the boat on the community is what cares for all members.
The US is a land of immigrants, frequently the newly arrived form strong support systems for those from the old country. Eventually these communities break apart into the 3rd generation as families migrate to the suburbs.
Social services in the community are the ones who pick up the pieces of the elderly abandoned. But as we all know with the economy these were not areas improved when the boom was available.
Social media has a place in community building. News covers these stories of the cyberland and people saving others in need. However person to person contact is limited. Anyone can PayPal and feel good. But who is there to visit the elderly, the in-firmed, the social misfits, castaways from bad families? Drug addicts and alcoholics who find the 12 steps have a strong community based on a shared goal. We are herd animals, yet we are also wimps who don't want to get caught up with problems that are not our own.
Right now I'm dealing with an elderly couple and I can't be anything but a friend. I imagine sooner than later social services will be stepping in with the courts and declaring them unfit to live in their home. I want to support their adult decisions to remain in their home but due to health related aging issues they are not making good choices. This is setting off huge alarms from the time when I was my grandmother's caretaker. She kept having micro strokes that eventually took her reason and memories and inspired the paranoia.
On FB I follow a NY writer who investigates the aging population without family. She was her mother's caretaker and now there is no family for her. Will she be able to ask friends to take on the burden of Power of Attorney over Health or POA for finances? How can we ask this of friends? Yet for myself, friends have always been my family of choice. I chose them, I know them and know that I will be a friend up to diaper changer. BTW if I need diapers and can't change myself please take me for a long ride leave me with a bottle of Tullamore Dew and leave me alone in the cold with snow. I'm all for health/age related assisted suicide. I'm not asking anyone to club me from behind like a seal if you please.
I suppose I'm posting about this because I have an inkling that there is going to be a groundswell of community networks forming as government services are not available or available unless there is a huge military grant attached. I've been the 'spare wife' for a long time for friends, if friends kids are sick in school I will pick them up. Someone's mom needs a visit or a call I'm here. The world I want to live in has more people saying YES to live life participation.