"Ageing into Poverty"

You see elderly people all the time, but do you ever think about what their background is? Lots of older people live in poverty and can’t afford heath care and many of them have valued knowledge about the past. Think about it like this: every time a person dies we lose a piece of our history. I think that we need to help all the old people who live in poverty because, do we really want to lose our past?

In a lot of undeveloped countries elderly people are poor and enter old age already sick and this could lead to death. Some people think once a person can’t work they are worthless and that’s when the old people start losing their rights illegally. By 2020, 1,000 million people aged 60 and over will be living in undeveloped countries. Older woman out numbered older men in 2000, and for every 100 woman there were 83 men worldwide! By 2050, 1 in 5 people will be over 60 years of age. Physical health is the most important thing to old people because they can still work and be considered worthy of living which is wrong because everybody is worthy of living in good health or not. Some women that are widowed may loose their rights to there husband’s property and land. Have you ever wondered about what it would be like if this happened to you? In Eastern and Central Europe is where this mass elderly poverty problem is happening. Losing worth, being sick and have nothing to do about it and being concerned about your physical health because if you’re not healthy you would be called worthless. Just imagine if this happened to one of your loved ones.

We do need to help these people because when they die all of the history they lived is gone forever. Go help the old by helping out at your local retirement homes or send some things to the elderly in poverty through a charity. So the next time you see and elderly person that looks lonely go talk to them because you never know how much that could mean to them. This problem could one day affect you so help before this happens to you.

abrie z