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Baby Boomers and The Elderly...A Burden On Society?

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posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 09:53 AM
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Baby boomers are those individuals who were born between 1946-1964.
I am a baby boomer and many of us are starting to retire and some are getting sick.
Many younger people are constantly spewing their anger over their resources being
used up by us.
Our country,along with many others,are facing financial and economical difficulties.
There is always some elitist who feels there are too many people on this planet.Our
news broadcasts,politicians...encourage abortion, which is killing the unborn.I wonder
how long will it be before laws are suggested of killing off the elderly and the sick?
When the time comes that resources are so scarce,we know who will be left out to
die.
When we are born,should we be given a date when we should die? This Star Trek episode
www.youtube.com... explains how one society dealt with this
issue.
I believe we should take care of our elderly and sick and never view them as a burden on
society.We all will grow old and we will all die one day.How we live and treat each other
reflects on our society today.



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:16 AM
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reply to post by mamabeth
 


I agree 100%

My grandmother is 65 years old, and she's no burden to me in any way. She is the greatest person I know and my absolute favorite person to talk to and I'd have no idea what I'd do without her.

I'd really hope it wouldn't come down to something like this. An abortion can be justifiable for many reasons, but killing the elderly is just wrong :/ They should be able to live out their lives, healthy and happy just as the younger generations are able to.

But who knows what's going to happen when SHTF...

Oh and another thing, in reality it's the bankers and the politicians who are the TRUE burden on society. They are the true culprits for making it hard to live, not the elderly >.>

edit on 15-3-2012 by GreenEyedVixen because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:25 AM
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reply to post by mamabeth
 


Yep, I'm fat old and broken!
However when resources get low, the kids can still come and rummage my garden for food.
Now who is the liability?

The things people should do to make this world much better are not as fun because it is not a Facebook game...
People will play farmville for hours on end and create multiple accounts to get more supplies but would never consider breaking ground and doing the real thing...
Irony, is that the word I'm looking for?



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:27 AM
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The sad facts are, when a family, son or daughter is unable to care for the complex medical treatments and diagnosis of their parents, they are often sent to nursing homes. My belief is that the nursing home is a place of suffering, where parents are placed because the burden is too much. Living longer means living longer with more health problems. Some patients no longer able to care for their own needs such as toileting, bathing or feeding are kept alive by medications and peg tubes. It is inhumane in my opinion to force someone to stay alive for long periods of time when clearly they can no longer care for themselves.

I have seen people kept alive for years on feeding tubes, knowing they have end stage illnesses, who can no longer walk, talk or eat....it is heartbreaking. I tell my children, please just let me die if it takes more to care for me than I am able to do for myself. But some people are heartless and just want that check every month and keep their family member bedridden in another room left to rot with bed sores and skin and bones....but as long as they get that check, hey they are ok with that...Its sickening....



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:29 AM
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I agree completely. If more young people would realize what a great resource the elderly are....
But I forget, you cannot learn something if you already know it all.




And I say this because I have 2 sons, and grandparents. I know who I go to for information or to learn something new.



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:34 AM
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I am a baby boomer. I have no health insurance, so I take excellent care of myself with vitamins and herbal supplements. I exercise and try to eat right. My husband and I have discussed this, if one of us gets something like cancer, we will not go the regular western medical route, and if we die, at least we died trying, not sick and skeletal in some hospital charging us $4000 a day. We feel we have an obligation to leave at least something for our kids. A chronic or fatal illness could wipe that out and leave a huge debt behind, which we are not willing to do.

I hope that I get old out here with my many cats. I imagine myself passing out of this life quietly in my sleep (at least, that is the best that anybody can hope for), and when I am discovered, my cats are all around, protecting me and hissing at anybody who comes near.


You see, we were a rather selfish and hedonistic generation, but in the end, we do care about our kids and grandkids and want to leave something of value for them. I also want to be cremated, no ceremony. A full funeral and burial is a sinful waste of money, in my opinion. Spread my ashes on a windy day out here, I'll go all the way to Washington, D.C., where maybe I'll settle on the Mercedes of some scumbag lobbyist and hopefully scratch the paint job.
edit on 15-3-2012 by FissionSurplus because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:37 AM
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reply to post by Starwise
 


The baptist church I used to go to has a nursing home ministry.
My husband and I would go to these nursing homes and visit the
people there.Many of them are dumped there and forgotten by
their families.
My husband and I have living wills and neither of us want to be
kept alive by machines.We have power of attorney over each of
us.My husband is still working full time and he will be 76 later this
month.He is an IT specialist for the government.


edit on 15-3-2012 by mamabeth because: made correction



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:42 AM
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Only someone without a heart could do such a thing. I am with you when it comes to supporting my elders and taking care of them in a time of need. Infants to Old timers.. We all share a place on this earth together. I don't know who has the gall to even think/debate on such a thing as who lives or dies. We have other alternatives to survival on this planet and having an "expiry date" on life would be the last thing on the mind of someone with more than half a brain. I hope people come to their senses and realize that our elders were there for us when we needed them most and we are going to be there for them when they need us most.. even if we go down together kicking and screaming.. no one will be left behind.

As for resources running out.. that's the most lame excuse I have ever heard. We can build cars that run on water, free energy generators ect.. and yet there are people out there who are getting ideas of killing off the human race.. how about putting an early expiry date on people with very low IQ's?


I have a big heart and I am always willing to helping out my fellow friends and neighbours.. but this is not the way we do s**t. If we want to survive the next decade.. or two or three ect.. we are going to have to use the heart and mind together.



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:45 AM
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reply to post by mamabeth
 


In addiontion to that, we wouldn't hear about all of the hype about SS running out of money if that account had not been raided time and time again to use the money for other purposes rather than drawing interest.

No one to blame but the politicians. And when the denied Death Panels start functioning, we can blame the politicians again. Of course, those that set up the oldies for such determinations are long gone with their nice, fat for life salaries and fine medical coverages. Is this a fine country or what?...!



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:47 AM
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Most people living in nursing homes had some sort of estate when they were dropped off at the facility.

The kids don't want to care for the oldster, but want the house or the stock portfolio, and the power of attorney.


Most nursing homes smell like pee.



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 10:51 AM
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I volunteered at an "Assisted Living" home for about 2 years.

Now Assisted living is supposed to be quite different from a nursing home. These people are allowed to have jobs, and leave the home as they please and return when they please. However, a lot of these people would come in rather healthy, and due to the neglect and mistreatment of the staff their health would begin to falter. So in turn, the Assisted Living has turned into a nursing home or a hospice where people go there to basically fade away and die.

Specifically I knew a lady that was living there, and she used to be a model when she was younger. She showed me all of her pictures and I'd listen to her talk for hours about her modeling career. It was so interesting to me, as this was what I'd wanted to do aswell. After awhile, she began to change from her normal, happy dispositon, to this depressive state. Seeing the transition was awful. Her kids would no longer visit her, and she told me she knew they were waiting for her to "shrivel up and die" so they could collect her high amount of life insurance.

I cried for her many a time, and I was always so worried about her...

I came in one day to check on her, and she wasn't in her room. So I figured maybe she was in the dining hall, or outside enjoying a cigarette. I looked all around and still couldn't see her anywhere. So I asked the Staff "Do you know where ##name removed##has gone off to?"

I was told she'd hung herself from the rung in the shower. It hurt me so bad to hear that, I wanted to find her family's contact information and give them hell. But, I knew it would do no good because she was where she wanted to be, she was in a better place. I know everyone says that, but that Assisted Living home became her own personal hell.

I refuse to ever put my grandmother in a nursing home, I do not trust her in the hands of any staff, anywhere no matter how great they say they are. I will take care of her myself regardless of how hard it is, it is never a burden because she basically raised me, she never abandoned me and I would never abandon her and throw her in some home in her time of need.

I just wonder people's thinking processes when they drop off their own mother's and father's at these homes, their pappies and grammies
Just so sad to me
edit on 15-3-2012 by GreenEyedVixen because: (no reason given)

edit on Thu Mar 15 2012 by DontTreadOnMe because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 11:05 AM
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I'm so sorry to hear that


I feel for you. As for giving her children "hell".. karma is universal.. you can not escape it. Nothing would be worse than what they have "done to her".. being "done to them". I don't know the whole story so I have nothing more to say except I think that we need to do more than just take care of our elders when they are put in homes.. because I know there are some really heartless people who don't even give them the light of day. Creating a bond with them and letting them know they are really important to us and that they are loved goes a long way. Especially when you are away from the ones you love.



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 11:57 AM
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reply to post by mamabeth
 


i was born on 1948 and began working in 1963 , i have paid my taxes and my pension dues all my life ,
the money collected during my working life went to support the pensions of our parents and grandparents of that time.
i have no problem collecting my pension and i can hold my head up high because i know i am not taking anything that i have not worked for .

now if any of the young people out there be grudge paying into a pension pot , i say this what do you think will happen to you when its your time to retire where is the money going to come from .

and as for private pensions , you can forget being able to live on the money generated because the labour government looted the private pot years ago



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 12:08 PM
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reply to post by tom.farnhill
 


Yes, you are so right.
The elderly have busted their a**es for most of their lives, some even as early as 8, or 10 years old, they've payed taxes and they've contributed. And yes, most of them including my grandmother are living from SS, but she DESERVES to! She worked for 50 years, until she literally broke her back on the job. Truly, SS wouldn't even be an issue if the Feds and Bankers didn't decide it was their right to tap into it at their own leisure. It scares me a lot of times because in 45 years, when I'm 65, will there be any SS left for me, as I have been working since I was 10 years old? Will SS even exist?

Any person my age who does not realise these things (and I apologise, as I am not keen on name calling) is a moron. Seriously.

& Who says that these people need to be killed off? That is an outrage to me, because I believe they are the most valuable folks we have around to this day.

I have much more respect for a wise, older person, who has stories to tell, who's worked through hardships and come out alive than the people my age.

There was only a few places to volunteer around here, an assisted living, and a boys & girls club. I chose the assisted living without thinking twice.

And it's funny because my grandmother said "Wouldn't you rather be around kids your age for once? You're always around us old people"

I simply replied "Nope, I can't relate to those my age, I feel lost. When I'm around people my age, I feel like the old person! You guys have way cooler stories to tell, and you even know how to party better." and she laughed and said "Whatever suits you"


I know that it's probably a little discriminative of me, but it's how I feel. Can't help it :/

And I apologise for the huge paragraphs, it's just that this is something I am truly(and clearly
) passionate about
edit on 15-3-2012 by GreenEyedVixen because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 12:23 PM
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reply to post by GreenEyedVixen
 


I am 57 and I can't draw social security until I am 62.
I don't believe there will be anything left when I do qualify.



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 12:25 PM
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My mother(70 in April) is caring for my father with dementia and her mother, that's blind and has serious health issues at 88. Mom's also had her share of health issues. Several heart attacks but she says she'll be damned to put either of them in a nursing home. It may kill her but I applaud that. I just wish I was closer to help her out.

Are we a drain? Yes I'm a Boomer too. Were we a drain when we needed money from our parents, or grandparents? It's time to take care of those that took care of us.
edit on 15-3-2012 by intrepid because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 12:46 PM
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reply to post by mamabeth
 


And it is so sad to see you say such a thing :/

In just 5 short years, there may be nothing... it's so sad but it's the reality we are living in now. I don't understand how folks turned a blind eye to all of this and allowed our government to screw us all over.

Why even pay taxes? Where are they going?

Some states can't even provide TOILET PAPER.

My source for ^

And there's so many that think nothing is wrong with that at all. Why is this okay?



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 12:50 PM
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reply to post by intrepid
 


Yep, sounds about what I'll be going through. As my mother is only 15 years older than me, when I'm 60, she'll be 75 and I'll be having to care for her, when I'm breaking down myself as I wouldn't trust a nursing home to do it.

It's all so ridiculous, but it comforts me to see I'm not the only one who would sacrifice so much for my mother and grandmother. Really, it isn't even a sacrifice because I know they DESERVE it for taking care of me as a child. Everyone should feel that way for their parents/grandparents/guardians/ anyone who catered to them as a child....



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 05:32 PM
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Attention youth of today:

How am I a burden to society when....I worked all my life payed every week into social security and medicare benefits to which back in the day when it was created was the baby boomers 401 k like plan, we payed fo rit we earned it. As for our attitudes in public. I remember when i was a younger person and didnt understand people older then 40, understand the older generation because without us you cant know values morals anything. the youth of these days are scarry, wait tell your older and watchg the youth shred you up for earning your life and wanting to keep. You are nto far off from being older, you blink and you are there. Be wise and consider why we are older and how we got here. peace
edit on 15-3-2012 by lbndhr because: had to add a sentence



posted on Mar, 15 2012 @ 09:48 PM
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Young people don't understand getting old as that day seems so far away to them and does not seem real. Time passes more quickly than you know. Baby boomers have paid their dues and deserve a decent life.



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