Steve Huppert
Columnist
Hupps440@aol.com
I have been old for quite some time, but it first hit me this year during the Christmas holidays. I jumped off a three-foot wall at the Washington Monument; next thing I knew my right knee was being operated on in Arlington, Virginia. For the next 20 days I was in a rehab hospital in Northern Virginia.
While I was in the rehab, I began to realize old people live in a whole new world, and it is not good. You look at some and you wonder how much time they have left in this world. It is a world that features wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and walking assistance. It is sad.
One thing I did determine was if a person was interested in getting involved in the stock market, equipment for old people might be a good start. They are everywhere, nursing homes, rehab hospitals and Walmart. For wheelchairs, Walmart is similar to Interstate 81. Wheelchairs take the place of trucks on the interstate. People walking in the store better watch out.
The situation is bad today, but 30 years from now it is going to be far worse. Knowing Walmart, they will have their own wheelchair store.
Believe it or not, right now 20 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or over. That is a lot of people, and the percentage continues to grow. Every one of us owes President Roosevelt for creating Social Security. What would this country be like without financial support for the elderly in the form of Social Security?
The sad part is the number of babies being born is decreasing each year. I would like to get involved in that again, but I guess it is not in the cards. Among other problems, I’m not ready to spend the night up, and I guess a lot of other people aren’t either.
One thing about old people, we all need to be supportive of these people who have done much to create this country. Maybe today they are just playing bingo for a free candy bar, but in the past they have done much for all of us.
I guess I can include myself, but when I came back from the rehab hospital very few people went out of their way to say hello or lend me a hand; I think we all need to work on that. Most of us are going to face the situation in the near future.
It is just the right thing to do. Thanks.
