Letters to the editor: Water warnings commonplace and shameful neglect of elderly

Elder abuse is not just financial or physical, it's also neglect, a reader says. Photo/file

Yesterday's newspapers, television and radio news broadcasts all included at least one item about our country's deteriorating water. Warnings not to swim here and not to drink there are becoming commonplace. At the same time, we are allowing our very best water to be exported overseas free of any charge.

Another frequent news item is the Greenhouse effect, climate change and the planet's rising seas. These items bring to mind two lines from Mother Shipton's rhyming prophecies penned over 500 years ago.

"And men will die of thirst before, The seas shall rise and mount the shore."
Interesting.
Gwyneth Jones Greerton

Having entered the final quarter of one's life provides time for reflection. The successes, often too irregular, were satisfying nonetheless. The mistakes. Blimey! That's a book in itself.

The family stuff – we are lucky enough to have them all in one country. Which brings me to my point, looking after the elderly.

Over the past 22 years, we have said goodbye to all four of our parents/grandparents.
As their offspring, we are there to honour their work in our lives, especially so at their end. They wiped our bums, remember.

Sadly, one of the things I have noticed within our wider society is that elder abuse is widespread. Financial, emotional, time-wise. And I include abuse by neglect. A lot of my generation have simply lost all interest in their parents.

Our elderly are living longer and enjoying themselves, and good for them. They worked hard. But do we visit them as much as we could? Do we thank them as much as we should?
Do we care about them as much as we should?

In my experience, for every person who does care there is one (often more) who doesn't.
For every hour they spend with their elders, there are days and weeks when that isn't done.

I've often thought that, by and large, we boomers can be quite a selfish lot. Well, it is showing.

Elder abuse is way up, unfortunately.

Graeme Martin Otumoetai