Crisis facing American seniors: Life as "elder orphans"
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2015
- A quarter of Americans over 65 are at risk of becoming so-called "elder orphans" -- facing loneliness, depression and limited access to basic needs. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports on the emerging problem.
Thank you to the Dispatcher for stepping up to the plate and offering help immediately to the elderly man.
oh my lord this is so sad. 😢
@@maggiegibson7183keep praying Dumb BELL
Or stepping up to fill the plate.
What about next week, next month?? I know !!!!....I'm living the nightmare !!!!
I am a senior.
Lots of health issues.
I think most people do not care.
Younger folk cannot conceive of being old.
Respect and many thanks to that dispatcher - such a kind person.
age comes to everyone including the smart alec young people who think they will live forever One day the karma will come back to haunt them. Take the time to look into the face of an elderly person and give them a smile; even say a few words to them. You will be a better person for it, and you just might have made their day..
If you want some honesty. A lot of us just straight up hate the older generations for what they have done to the world and to the younger generations.
I honesty don't know why I would want to help after all the abuse thats been leveled at millennials and gen z.
The sad part is that that catches a lot of people too that are undeserving. But its whats happening.
I straight up avoid contact with older generations now.
@@no-ic5gwyes, I’d have wanted to be of more help, if I weren’t predated and almost bullied, by elderly neighbors, who’s families even wanted nothing to do with them. I am almost 60 and still working. Still I DO know what I’m headed for. In fact, worse. But I cannot and will not run a free eldercare and hospice service. I will not be bullied into submission. Side note is that some of the elderly retired early, with the expectation they’ll “make” someone provide care. Some also feel they’ll “trick” people into care, by not outright asking or demanding it. Just attempting to put a person in an “assume the position” situation, because the elderly may be dodging labor laws. And what will the elderly do, when my or future generations don’t have SS anymore? Nothing, because they’ll have taken our final years, for themselves. Some just hope you don’t know that.
@@no-ic5gw Whether you hate the elderly, or you don't hate the elderly; or whether you want to help them, or you don't want to help them, is immaterial to the fact brought up by the OP, which is one day you will BE them, and someone else will tell you that you've messed up the world and he/she hates you. As probably the OP had such feelings towards those who were old when she was young.
I believe in past lives, and I like to look at things holistically, and whenever I observe this phenomenon of interaction between young and old, I wonder whether someone like you might have been the elderly that the OP hated, and when you are old she will come round again to hate on you, and round and round it goes. Lol.
@@extemporaneous4545 ill be old but I won't be them. I'm trying to learn so that the younger generations don't see me as out of touch monsters
The level of humanity within a country can be measured by the way it treats its most vulnerable people.
Yes, also how it treats it's animals, pets, livestock, wildlife, etc.
@@virginiamoss7045 I agree!
Agreed. We have aborted more than 60 million babies than could could have been caring for us.
Very fortunate I belong to a Native American tribe that cares ,and values their elders.
@@momjameson Who is to say they would be at all interested in caring for us? Or even should be expected to do so? I did not abort my child and they certainly won't be caring for me; they have succumbed to alcoholism and can't even manage their own life. That is not my fault and it's not entirely theirs either. Would they have been better off having never been born? How many people in their life would have instead been better off if they had not gotten involved with them? And what about all those people killed and injured by alcoholics on our road? If all of them had not been born, so much misery and destruction could have been avoided. Yes, life is precious, but so is the life of every woman living who deserves to have a say in what happens to their precious living lives.
Social worker at the hospital should have done discharge planning and hooked him up with local grocer and ongoing delivery of his grocery list.
In many states it's not the social worker as a discharge planner anymore. Would like to know who planned for the discharge, and what happened to the routine visiting nurse being assigned to the elder.
How do we know he was ever AT the hospital? Article said he was suffering from prostate cancer. We don't know if he's under ANYBODY'S care!
Yes, you can get groceries delivered if you have internet access, are within a certain radius of the market, required to spend xx amount of dollars and the charges for the delivery. So what it boils down to is those who have the $$ get it and those who don't suffer in silence and wait to die because they have no voice.
@@thomasschwarting5108. The video indicated he was discharged from hospital and his fridge was empty 😢😢😢
Most elderly cannot do apps
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Who ever dismissed this fellow from the hospital without asking if he had help at home - should be fired
Hospital's are a business. They don't give a damn about you or me. They want money,the faster they get you out the faster they can get someone else in there. It is disgusting.
In my city, patients are discharged into the streets. If the patient was homeless before the patient came into the hospital, the patient is back on the streets after discharge.
Because the old are dismissed in our society. Totally unacceptable in many other countries. Our society see the elderly a as weak, a burden and bothersome. They don't live with extended family which is a disgrace. In other countries they see the elderly as full of wisdom, intelligent and strong and the matriarch of patriarch of the family. America should be ashamed for that attitude.
This is a perfect and very accurate description! Thank you for sharing it!
Also, in our country, there is NO RESPECT for the elderly.
That is so sad but when the inheritance come they are quickly to collect but not value their elderly it's not an effort to raise their children but when parents or elderly need them they ignore their needs
That's because the boomers started this effect with their all about "me generation" attitude. They took power and dismissed their elders and took the fruits and let all else rot for everyone else. Millenials have been following root. Also boomers constantly complained about us Millenials from day one and we hold resentment because they had it way easier and cut off the easy way for us and we are now living in the broken economy/world they created.
Amen
We worry so much about people in other countries being scared or hungry. We need to look closer to home. It won't cost billions of dollars and it will make our community much stronger.
We need to be concerned about both the home needs of the US and foreign to a certain extent. Selfishness is the society's main problem.
We lack the capacity to do both.
Is worrying supplying other countries with weapons so that they can commit genocide or invading other countries to spread freedom and democracy?
MY 73-year old husband fell, breaking his shoulder and pelvis. He was hospitalized for a week, and will be in rehab for 6 weeks.
I am 69, going blind and with severe back and pelvic injuries. I use a cane and often a wheelchair because I cannot walk or stand long without severe pain. I can drive my truck but not at night due to my vision.
We have 7 kids who live all across the country. Only 1 son, 3000 miles away, keeps in touch; I've only heard from him once since this happened.
Our house was supposed to have a new roof put on and our well fixed. My husband's best friend from the military is paying for the repairs.
We haven't had running water for several years. Then my husband fell so the repairs were postponed.
I haven't seen my husband in 2 weeks. I can drive to where he is but I can't walk through the facility to get to his room. I can drive to the store but I can't walk through the parking lot and store to shop. I also struggle to carry things.
I can't do housework, and we haven't had running water. People would be shocked at our house.
We are not destitute. We have some money but no one to give us physical help.
The worst part is the aching loneliness, especially since my husband is not here. I have 3 dogs to keep me company, but I can't walk them: feeding them and cleaning up is all I can do.
Our children, neighbors, people from the church and others we know are aware he was hurt and know I can't walk or see, but no one calls to ask if I am ok, or if I need help. I am sure it will be the same once he is home. We only have each other.
This Thanksgiving I will be alone. We always had big family holidays, but now I won't even see him.
I just wish people would call and see if I am ok. If I fell here and couldn't get to my phone I could die. I guess my husband could alert someone if he didn't hear from me for a couple of days.
I am NOT SAYING, Oh, pity me!! I am just saying there are thousands of us out here like me who were good parents, but whose kids don't care about us. He served 20 years in the USAF; we worked and paid taxes all our lives. We volunteered and have helped many people in many ways. Now it is our turn, and no one is there for us. There are no services for the elderly here that I have found.
Please, if you have elderly people in your neighborhood or church, or if they don't see or walk well, take a minute and call them, or go over and just ask them if they are ok, or if they need help. Just the call showing you know they are there would mean so much. If it is a holiday, ask them if they have anyone to spend it with them.
Please, no one deserves to be alone and forgotten, but so many of us are.
Hello, ma'am, I know I can't do much for you but might I suggest something?
When you are about to go to stores or the rehab place your husband is in, you could call these places and before hand and ask for some assistance. It's not a guarantee but some of the employees wouldn't mind helping get the items you need or lead the way to by giving you a wheelchair.
Also as much as I understand your situation and feelings, it would be best if you and husband after he comes back try to pool your resources and move to a safe assisted living home for the both of you. You're simply getting too old to live independently and it pains me to hear of that condition.
You must also remember that being a good person never meant good will come to you or anyone. That's just something we tell one another to keep ourselves out of unnecessary trouble.
I know it'll mean losing so much but consider what I say so you won't get as unlucky as you are know.
Please stay safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Greetings from England. This is so sad I pray that some kind compassionate people come into your life.
Awwn...tho am African...I wish I could adopt u as my parents
This is what happens when introverts refuse to make friends.
In India,it has been started in recent years..
But still most of the families are taking care of elder one.
Hope India will follow the same old culture to
respect and care elders.
Before Indian culture and food was ugly,it was of low level..everybody used to laugh at Indian food and culture..
n
Now indian culture .Pooja with meditation is superior to keep contended..
And food...wow..it's The Best food with nutritional value in each tiny thing we use..even we know how much to use since ages..
I love india
8 years later and nothing has improved for seniors.
No, not improved. In fact, worse. The trendy attitude among the 30-somethings seems to be rejecting/disowning your parents.
@@2Hearts3 or stealing from elderly parents; disgusting.
And, the pandemic has made things worse. A lot of tenuous social connections have been lost, and a lot of the elderly suddenly found themselves alone due to the death of a spouse.
And our current political climate of hatred and division in this country, is adding to the problem.
Think of the root of the issue. Family ties, lack of support from parents to kids, etc etc. @@2Hearts3
I'm an elder orphan. And remember one time my father said to me that he was an orphan. I looked at him and said, "what do you mean you had parents and siblings?"
He looked at me and said, "I had. What's that make me now?"
He was right.
Now i stand in his shoes
Give me your city and I'll contact a church for you.
Society doesn't care much about seniors, or men at any age. God bless you.
@@GDuncan8002Or older women in poverty. Check out stats on that one.
You have to work to be valued.
I make a new friend almost every week. And I don’t go out much. I’m baffled. It’s so easy to make friends.
PLEASE don't let this go unnoticed. We are all getting old. Much love to this brave man.
Robert Paul Hey Robert nobody is falling for your scam buddy
Thankfully I have a group a friends who meet every Saturday for lunch and we talk often on the phone I also have a sister and two brothers and my mother in town
‘Dominos Tuesday’ is a great little novel I got on Amazon about a group of senior citizens on their last legs who throw caution to the wind and take a dangerous sea voyage on a small craft in the name of “going down swinging.” It’s one of those books that I know I’ll reread one day. (Elderly - tough elderly - dying with your boots on.
Where was the Senior Center/Aging resources in that state and community? How did they not know about this man? When he was discharged was there no visiting nurse to visit/check on him? He knew to call 911: thank goodness.
Hi I'm Carmen leeder I'm using my husband's You tube app just to tell u I've lost a dad when I was 6 years of age and my mother at the age of 28 I was raised by my grandparents I m missing them so much that I'm currently looking after my husband's lifelong friend we are currently living with him his age 77 but being neglected and abandoned by his children for three years and it happen also quite along time His bipolar schizophrenia and is on prescribed medication The daughter and stepdaughter never visited or made contact with him for three years I had to take the responsibility for his wellbeing take him to doctors feed him wash his clothes to keep him clean This is so sad but show him lots of compassion and care How cruel can you be with your dad
Many seniors have cared for their parents in their final years. Cared for their spouses in their final years, and did so with pride and love. Now these widowed seniors are floundering without their spouse. "Grateful for Spam" is silently screaming I now have a food safety net because my family safety net is absent... Grateful this man made himself heard and the kind people who responded 🙏
Thanks to those who helped this man; you saved his life. Exact thing happened to me. Home from hospital, with instructions to get 90-120 grams protien. Couldn't walk and had 1 apple and some rice in kitchen. Desperately called a Care Link number I heard on radio. They didn't have anything official they could do, but would try. Several hours later three people came carrying all kinds of food. Will never forget their generosity
It's rare for seniors to actually get help. To many it's just a drop in an ocean of dispare!
A hospital social worker should have visited him before discharge to ensure he had supports at home.
those are the services the republicans cut.
They can’t be involved after discharge- it’s no longer their concern. I’m sure there’s some legality 👀
They can’t be involved after discharge- it’s no longer their concern. I’m sure there’s some legality 👀
Did you read what theirmom4723 said??? She said the social worker should have visited him "BEFORE DISCHARGE" Not After!
@@ritasepolio3113 You assume he was hospitalized but prostate cancer be done as outpatient.
I'm 68 years old, and my
family ignores me, I AM
an orphan in every way!
Put in an AP??? Many of these elder don't even have a cell phone! How are they going to "put in an ap?"
This man seems delightful. Someone worth getting to know. Hope there are people in his area who will take the time to "adopt" him as their friend.
I have a cell phone but its a older flip and I can't put ap on it. I'm lucky I can still care for my self and drive so at times I become a taxi or some one to run out to pick up some ones meds. I hope there some one around when I get to the point I need a ride or some one to talk too.I have no family left but there nothing I do about that. Some one once told me life is a bowl of cherries you learn to spit out the pits and move on. I plan on living until some one call Last call and they bring down the curtain and I go out with a big bang. Please remember seniors don't alway need food but they just may need some one to talk to and listen to them.
R Bear Old people didn’t grow up old and where young once making stupid decisions and this is what happens when you live beyond your means
@@BigRed2 What stupid decisions did we make? We owned our own homes didn't use credit cards to buy our coffee every morning. paid cash for most things. didn't buy a new car ever 5 or 6 years.When the insurance didn't cover our medicines we had to take the money from our savings to pay for them. Seniors could make more money on welfare but our to proud to ask for it. Our Gov. will raise welfare faster than they will SS. What will you do when you can't take care of your self and have no one to help you and you money starts to run out and you have to live from check to check with no one around?
R Bear Sorry but SS is suppose to be “supplemental” income to your retirement but many of you old people don’t understand you have to invest and save your money, you also act as if your medicine prices are the reason these old people are driven poor lol, no it’s far from that as its money mismanagement as the primary reason
How are you JONES
I'm from morroco
I wish working in elderly
+2120627088283
An App? Jeez the haves have no clue do they?
Thank goodness they helped him.
Exactly! Seems a bit out of touch. I know my 85 year old mother has to be reminded to 'slide up' to answer her phone! Anything else would be way too confusing.
The powers that be want everything on a cell phone, an ap, and/or computer. Sorry, too much technology. What happened to keep it simple and in many cases having an english or clearly speaking person pick up the phone (yes the so called old fashioned wall phone for an elder who really doesn't get out much anyway!)when they place a call. So glad for the dispatcher with this specific case.
Oh god, whenever I try to explain to my 84 year old mother about technology, we both get super frustrated. It has to be accessible by an old-fashioned phone.
My flip phone doesn’t have apps!
Some places are too remote for cells to work. People who live in rural areas often cannot use them due to companies like AT+T's and not having towers in these areas.
We will all be there someday, and many of us already are. Very humiliating and lonely.
Boomers started this
God bless this woman who took his list, bought the groceries & delivered them to his house.🙏🏻❤️
I am 76 but by the Grace of the Almighty - I still work, cook and drive - if he is close to Houston I will definitely be happy to cook for him.
I'm like this as well, same age. 2 grown children nearby help in emergencies which I am determined to never take advantage of. I share what I can with them in return...my strong faith and my love of playing cards, which makes me fun.
Totally heartbreaking. But this is becoming a much wider problem in Western countries, I'm afraid. No one - young, old or inbetween - should be left in such dire straits when vulnerable.
Bless this gentleman. I hope he'll never again be left in this situation.
Been in this situation before and in covid. Very thin with stomach issues. It's not getting better. I want to die sometimes. No internet or money.
I live lonely like that most of the time! In Europe it s common!
@@karenatha7890Praying for you. I'm sorry you feel so bad. Please know that someone cares and you are loved. ❤
It has been like this in Asia for sometime as well. I see a lot of tik tok folks over there to feeding the poor elders.
This is what happens when introverts refuse to make new friends. Or any friends.
This breaks my heart! So many ppl are isolated in loneliness not knowing who to talk to, let alone, knowing who cares!
Lets face it, this problem is epidemic and effects all ages, from young to old!
Hey John , I like that you have Empathy
211 gives the senior resources but how are they going to get there? They do not come to you
Young people have parents..most anyway, siblings, husbands and wives. Yes, loneliness can happen r I anyone, but younger people have a built in support system. Older people are the true warriors.
I know a lot of negative older people who are crabby and complain all the time. I do not want to spend time with them.
But happy people who ask about my day, those people I help.
@@deekang6244As a kid and young teen, I had a grandparent who complained quite a lot. You do not say how old you are, but I bet you are pretty young like I was and are too ignorant to have empathy. In fact, "ask about YOUR day? You do realize they likely lived a full life too, and maybe you should ask about theirs, right? But I realized when it came to one of my parents in the last few years of life after confiding me about getting physically shorter, losing once luxurious hair, finding it hard to reach things that were once easy, the pain of falls, legs that used to work, but now walking was a struggle, after living through the deaths of family and spouse, living through wars, Watergate and DT, that on the occasion that my parent lashed out at me, while unfair, my parent had lived through things YOU never could imagine living through and likely could not bear..and, in fact, if you had to live through hospitals, your husband or wife of more than 50 years passing, the loss of a son or daughter, YOU might be a bit of a grump yourself! If I hadn't been like you with regard to my grandparent, I would be disgusted by your cavalier, flippant and judgmental attotude! However, now I see that oldsters are ENTITLED to being grumpy on occasion and I would hope you get wise, get empathetic and if you see a grumpy older person in need of help, you will count your blessing that you are in your teens, 20s or 30s..and help them out! They deserve it!
All of us old folks need to get out there and make some new friends. No one should ever feel this alone.
People have their cliques and clashes even in churches and senior groups and everyone thinks just because we're old we like to play "Bingo" etc... Like this elderly gentleman can get up and go out on his own and make a bunch of new "friends" ! ? Everyone's not the same, different personalities, beliefs, abilities etc...
If he can't get out to buy food, how is he supposed to get out to make new friends? Do you even listen to yourself?
The problem with the loss of the old ways, baby boomers departed from multigenerational farms and this is what we're all possibly facing as a result.
@@lightninglotuslark We"baby boomers" didn't depart from multi-generational farms. It was our grandparents and some of our parents and corporate industrialization jobs, migration to the cities after WWII.
@@lightninglotuslark🤦♀️🙄Generation Misinformation👀☕️
God bless this dispatcher for coming to his rescue. This poor man needs support from his community for visits, assistance and elder care.
Thank you for caring ❤🙏🫂
Thank heaven they helped him
This video is 8 years old and just now shown. It's now 2024. I don't know if this gentleman is still alive, but I pray, if he is, that good hearted people like that 911 dispatcher are still seeing to his needs. God bless him🙏🏼
So touching God bless her for being compassionate to the elderly
Thank you to the dispatcher and the two cops who accompanied her for that urgent and empathetic response. God bless them. This totally breaks my heart, this poor man 😥
Bless this woman and all the others that helped
Bless from what? If there was a god would this be happening? Stop with the propaganda of gods blessings.
No evidence no gods!
This is so so sad. Family who can’t or don’t make the time for parents or other aged loved ones. Working in social services & hospice for 25 years, I assure u, this isn’t a new problem at all. The elderly have been alone and isolated forever in the US.
This is why I don’t want a doctor to make me live longer😢
Same here. I'm amazed at the determination some very frail, unhappy, old people have to stay alive in a hopeless situation. There seem to be a lot more of them than us though.
Already have a plan to get myself out of the farce of life somewhere between 40-50. I can't deal with the crap of the world AND getting old at the same time. Don't have or want kids or a partner and my family is largely garbage people I could never rely on. Til the end I've got to be responsible for myself, and I already know what comes at the end of the tunnel.
Me too. Let me go when I can no longer care for myself.
I can’t get to a doctor. I can barely get out and get my mail let alone travel to a clinic, sign in, walk to an elevator, walk to the office, sit and wait.
An 'app' won't help here. You need to mail lists of services to these people, or go door-to-door and talk directly to them. How many older people have cell phones? They either hate them or can't afford them.
I'm 75. I have a basic cell phone that I use for telling the time and getting phone calls. I wouldn't know how to use apps, and I don't know any younger people who could teach me. I use my computer for getting on Facebook and You Tube, and that's all. I'm sure there are some who don't even have cell phones and PCs. I pay bills by mail because it's simpler for me. Many older people don't have a circle of friends who communicate by cell phone every day. It's nice to keep conventional means of communication open.
Everyone can afford a cell phone. Obama made sure of that.
I'm old and disabled and have no one to help me. I know I need to be somewhere where they give help but it costs so much more than I could ever afford on my low fixed income. I live in a rural area all alone except for my dog who showed up here one day so I let her in and we've been together. But just getting to the store is so painful for me I often go without. But I always make sure my dog has her food. I can't take care of the yard or outside and only drive to the store because there's no other way to get some food. I say, 'I wish I had some help' many times during the day as things just get harder for us older people. But as you age you also in my experience, become more unnoticed.
Go to a doctor and get a prescription for a mobility chair so you can get around. If you're on Medicare they pay 80% ask your doctor about it. The places that sell these can get it setup on bumper of your car lower it with a button.
Please call a local church.
Are you receiving the help you need now? In which state do you live?
I would help you as you are helping an animal needing assistance. Living in rural is bad idea if you don’t have $
Call your local senior citizens center
Very sweet yet very sad story. I hope this older gentleman is able to find someone or an organization to watch over him.
Hello Jennifer
How are you?
‘Dominos Tuesday’ is a great little novel I got on Amazon about a group of senior citizens on their last legs who throw caution to the wind and take a dangerous sea voyage on a small craft in the name of “going down swinging.” It’s one of those books that I know I’ll reread one day. (Elderly - tough elderly - dying with your boots on.
Does Meals On Wheels still exist? It was a great service: meals for the elderly and a guarantee that someone kept track of those in need.
Well, you will notice that there is no mention of dude reaching out to the numerous services that are in place for elderly and veterans. I am sorry that dude used 911 instead of calling the church down the street. Question: How did dude get food for the five years prior to the 911 call? I am not mean, just pragmatic.
Yes, my area has a senior center with a meals-on-wheels program along with a bus that picks up seniors early in the mornings, feeds lunch, then takes them all back home by 3 pm. works out well for the workers who then can pick up their own kids after school.
Even if Meals on Wheels exists in an area, it doesn't always meet the elders' needs. When I looked into it for my Dad, I found that they would just deliver frozen meals once a week. The senior had to be able to accept delivery at the door and heat them himself. Not knocking it -- it's free food -- but it's not always what people picture.
@@barbarastock3568 If a senior can't get to the door or is unable to heat up meals, they need more than Meals-On-Wheels. They need an assistant or to be in assisted living. Meals-On-Wheels is food and a reliable connection to the community in the form of someone who will see you at least once a week (so that you don't have to call 9-1-1 to get basic help). Hope your father is well and has the help he needs.
@@barbarastock3568 I think you just defined the point at which someone should not be living alone, if they cannot reheat a frozen meal.
God bless that dispatcher! ❤
"Elder Orphans" The phrase perfecty reflects the circumstances of many elderly people.
I'm so blessed for the woman who saved this poor man oh, this tears me up
What a wonderful woman ❤God bless her. Bless his heart , bless him for his service
It's heartbreaking to see people alone like that. There's no excuse for people to be abandoned in such a wealthy nation. Unfortunately, a lot of the people who should be caring for other generations are struggling as well. Working 60hrs a week to survive doesn't leave any energy to care for others.
At the very end of this video, the newscaster stated that someone should develop an app as a resource for these poor elderly folks. Newsflash: most seniors can't or don't operate a computer or cell phone. Yes, indeed, elderly citizens are being left behind with no one to help them. It was indeed wonderful of the 911 dispatcher to deliver food to this man.
I am older, but not quite over 65 yet. Never could have children unfortunately. I don’t have a spouse anymore and my only sibling died without children. My parents died about 20 years ago.
I hope this doesn’t become me. I’m looking to help others who need therapy but I am already in adult orphan . I don’t know who’s gonna help me when I need it since I don’t , have any relatives left.
Unfortunately, I’m always alone during holidays Christmas, Easter, etc. I have friends but they don’t invite because it’s important that they be with family only
Do you have any cousins?
@@renealexander2703 Not really, since my dad was an only child and my mother, the same but I have distant cousins
I'm 75 and take care of my wife. I wonder what Ii'm gonna do with myself.
Best just not to get that old hope get cancer something before you can't take care of yourself. It may sound cruel but that's the reality of life. Medicade nursing homes are terrible in this county. I'm in my 50's hope I don't live until I'm at the point where I can't take care of myself.
😢 im not a senior, but am disabled, and have the same problem. if u have no family its hard. i only recently found out my local grocery store will do delivery, only certain days/hours, for disabled, and its been a life changer!! They're not online so you have to read them your list, and hope they got it, but its way better than nothing. Call your stores and see if they would be interested in setting up such a program. I hope they never stop doing it.
It is a big problem. I am a senior with mobility issues and very low income. Fortunately Texas Health and Human Services and put me on the Assisted Living Program so that I can have someone come into my home to aid me with cleaning apartment, aiding me with bathing and helping with laundry.since I have no family left and many of my friends have died this would be a real help and a blessing. However, the Home Agencies do not have enough workers and I am yet to get a reliable worker. These agencies do not pay enough to make this possible. Someone should do some investigative reporting on this issue and shed some light on the problem. Am sure I am not the only person hsvkng this problem. Thanks for your video.😮😮😅
Bless you too, Marilyn too...such a Blessing you gave this dear, sweet man...you deeds will not go unnoticed when you pass from this world, into Heaven...Thank you a thousand times over.🙏💖
She is not just a 911 dispatcher, she is an angel.
8yrs later & nothings changed.I've been told to order groceries online. You must pay the grocery store to shop for you. Then you must pay for the delivery and tip. As a disabled veteran with no Social Security coming in this does not fit into my budget.
Why not? What income do you have? A call to social services is needed
I foresee myself here.
Poor man how sad
When I was discharged from the hospital two years ago, they sent a social worker to make sure I had someone at home to help, asked if I even HAD a home to go to (they obviously deal with homeless people all the time, this in San Diego) and called two days later to check on me. Stellar care, all paid for by Medicare. My only cost for two days and nights was a few bucks for pain killers. Why do all hospitals not provide this? And the elderly people need to wise up and find a friend to move in with and share basic expenses. Housing, utilities and transportation costs don't increase if you have two people in an apartment instead of one.
It's not easy to find someone to move in with you. I wouldn't want to move in a stranger, that could end up being worse & a disaster.
I've been looking for somebody to share expenses with for 3 years now I'm 62 years old
And if there is no friends? Or room for them? And very poor social services in my state? I've tried everything. 63 years old and rapidly declining. It's scary.
In Europe you find nothing anymore with the mass immigration!
@@karenatha7890
I hope you have been able to get the help you need
Hopefully someone to share expenses with too
We talk a lot in this about what group should be at the top when it comes to special treatment. Well, our senior citizens should always be at the top.
I disagree. We already give them a portion of our paycheck.
I now have grocery delivery. Thankfully, I can afford delivery.
I like the idea of putting the zip code in and having people in that area help. But many seniors have trouble with computers and cell phones. Maybe a 211 operator or a local church could do that?
I tried calling 311 as recommended by someone, but it came back as an incorrect number, so I'm thinking this might also be a problem.
Sometimes elderly people are abandoned by their own children I have seen it with my own eyes. GOD BLESS this dispatcher
Yes, the dispatcher is a wonderful person. Nice to know some people still care about others.
I can relate to this man's story. I'm single, 78 years old, and starting to have multiple health problems. And I too, am alone in this world with no one to help me. I guess I need to compile a list of government and nonprofit social service agencies who can help me when I get to that stage. It's difficult. As they say, "Aging is not for sissies". 😢
You ever asked yourself what you did in your life that in the end you have nobody?
@@doctorcatnip2551 Boy, aren't you a self-righteous little know-it-all?! Sheesh! So quick to judge when you don't have the slightest clue about what has happened to someone else! Shame on you! 🙄
@@doctorcatnip2551 My reply just got deleted. I suppose you don't know anything about that, do you?
@@JC-tp5lz Obviously not. I've never met you. How would I know your life's story?
@@doctorcatnip2551What kind of comment is that? ZERO compassion, uninformed, judgmental come to mind. You have absolutely no idea why someone has no family left and some of us had several miscarriages so no kids. Spend some time in an assisted living and/or skilled nursing facility and talk to people who have NO ONE left and not because they are bad people! There are so many reasons why people end up alone. Who knows, you could be one of them.
May God bless and protect the Elderly.
Most of them were the best parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
I’d give anything just to take care of them.
I live in a small red dot .I have been alone totally depressed and chronic illness. People like me in such a pathetic stage had already scared off my family my ex wife who demands for a divorce after seeing me in such a stage. Friends abandoned me in a solitary second. That's the real world. You cant run away from reality
I'm a 62 year old single woman and I would be your friend.
I wish there was a group that adopts the elderly. I never dreamed it would be like this.
Reality is not the same for everyone.
I, too, would be your friend. Would a phone call once or twice a week help? ❤
@@marymurray6163Me too.
Don't elderly patients over there get after care? If this man lived here he would have a nurse and social worker come in an help him after he came home from the hospital. USA should really start considering getting universal health care..
USA doesn't care at all about the people. It's a sad, sad place.
We do have home health care, ya should have a resource list or computer to find them....also, the hospital can provide resource information!
After Care,they don't even get Before Care if they haven't got the money in some parts of USA.
@@DebbyShoemaker Not true! They care about people and what they can contribute to advance big businesses and the rich. It's when they're done with you that they don't care.
That's sad and I can identify with being an orphaned senior but thankfully grocery stores and Wal-Mart deliver in my area.
God bless him. Most bigger stores have home delivery for a 20 or so fee. He had the bravery to reach out, and now hopefully he won't be as alone as he was.
Sad but true. So glad someone came to help him.😊
Bless this dispatcher for helping him!❤ I wish our society was more like others who respect their elders and take care of them. We value youth and discard our elderly to die.😢
I met a lovely lady 4 days ago because my mom had surgery , Found out she is 85 and is all alone some nurses were nice to her and others were terrible. I feel so bad 😢 I don’t what do to help her , I’m just trying to stay in touch with her but since I’m not relative I can’t do too much about it . Hope anybody on CBS could read this and help her
Its hard to age even with the best support system
Thank God for the woman that brought him
food, and for others like here.. It can get rough living ‘solo’ and then is even harder for older folks..
I worry about this. I am 70, single, and my kids live thousands of miles away. I don't want one of them to sacrifice their lives to come prolong mine when I can no longer take care of myself. My retirement funds were destroyed after 2008 and I am barely able to keep a roof over my head, even with social security and a part time job. Our culture is very centered around youth. Old folks are just supposed to fade away. There will soon come a day when I will no longer be able to drive a car. In a city with no public transportation, that's almost a death sentence. This same problem is happening in Japan and China as their population ages.
Your kids should be offering you $. They should each pitch in 1k. If you were a good parent, they will come around. If they are too blinded, tell them you need help.
Your story hit me hard. I can relate. In 2008 I lost a lucrative job at a high-powered advertising agency to care for my ailing father who had recently been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. I call it the perfect storm because although I was an exceptional employee strongly climbing the ranks, I was no match for the devastating effects of across-the-board job cuts my agency made to ride out the storm---the great recession. I worked 12-hour days and often went straight to where my father was hospitalized which was 60 miles away to the nearest VA Hospital where he was accepted and it was brutal. The emotional and physical exhaustion was tolling. I ended up losing my job. I was so young. Years later only did I realize they should have offered my FMLA since they knew I was caring for an ailing father but they did not. I was an advertising agency---go figure.
I saw a 60 minutes story a few years ago about aging in Japan. New retirees ( mostly women) who are healthy can donate hours helping elderly people. The hours they volunteer serving are paid back at the time the volunteer needs assistance.
Modify your lifestyle now to PREPARE for decline. You have decisions to make and fortunate that you have the ability NOW
Add to this the many young adults who've disowned their parents (studies suggest over 25% of all families).
Yep, they claim abuse if the parents made them do homework and chores.
Remember we ALL getting old.
Shame on the hospital for discharging him without proper support. Where was the social worker on discharge?
Who said he was hospitalized? Cancer therapy be on as outpatient? Yes, we need social services? But... How about people helping neighbors? How many neighbors do you help?
A senior help app of some kind would be good too. I've had elderly friends over the years & was called on periodically to help. Always grateful I was there to assist.
Many seniors do not have smart phones.
One solution to such desperately sad incidents would be for neighbors to get together and take turns looking in on their elderly neighbors.
ROTFL
I do that with the lady on the corner
@@dan2wee
That’s sad 😢
There are senior citizens centers in most cities
People can call them
Or try to attend the activities and get to know people
And form a wellness check and friendship check group
What about the elderly who live in the country and don't have neighbors within eyesight?
As a former social worker, I want to know where the damn hospital social workers and discharge planners were! Somebody dropped the ball here.
I am just a Healthcare crisis away from being in this man's shoes. A senior in the USA should not have to call 911 just to get food. Our country needs to address this crisis.
Now, go and wonder WHY Noone wants to sign up for the military!
THIS MAN HAS EARNED RESPECT ❤
I think the hospital has a duty of care when sending a patient home. They should be aware of the home situation and there should be an organization they can contact for home help/visits. Glad I live in a country where this is the case.
The USA does not have this. Capitalism above all so no universal health care and no care for the elderly or disabled unless you are lucky enough to have money and family who help.
A few years ago, a Baltimore hospital discharged an elderly person in a hospital gown, in freezing weather, by wheeling her wheelchair to the end of the street and leaving her there, in the middle of the night.
@@christinebutler7630 The hospital is a building, not a person. Whoever discharged her is a PERSON, and should know better. If s/he doesn't know better they should be trained to know better.
It does get lonely as you get older and you're left out
It did my heart good to see that dispatcher go and take that senior food. I've worked in geriatric Nursing for years so I know firsthand what it's like to be elderly, sick and hungry with no one to help you. There are so many seniors that need help in their homes and can't get help and can't afford help
.If you know of any senior living alone check in on them and make sure their ok!!!!!! See what you can do to help them. This is a cold cruel world!!! But this dispatcher has restored some of my faith that maybe there is still hope and kindness left in this world. This is real love for mankind that she displayed, love her !!!!!!When you get old you need help it's hard being old , especially when you're sick!!!!!! I wish I could come and take care of that elderly gentleman my heart goes out to him!!!
I'm one of the few lucky ones I'm 75 and work don't need anyone and am very happy😊😊😊
Have you made plans for when you are not so lucky anymore? Do you think you will never need help?
@@virginiamoss7045 I have a brother
What about connecting him to the local Area Agency on Aging, or the ElderCare Locator -- both funded by our federal tax dollars to provide meals, transportation, and other community supports in every county in the U.S.? Maybe CBS News hasn't been aware of this problem, but those of us working in the field of aging services are more than ready to help.
Hello Carol
How are you doing?
Bless that 911 lady. She and her colleagues went above and beyond. ❤
This is going to be a lot of Millennials in the next 50 years.
This broke my heart...I have watched this same thing going on in the UK and some other European countries and sit here shaking my head. Most of the elderly people have given to their respective countries in the form of hard work for their entire lifetime and then this happens...why? These people are the most vulnerable and frail of and also a wealth of knowledge...we need to change our way of thinking and end this in our country and also in the other countries...this is a world-wide disgrace, when we especially consider that none of these countries are 3rd world countries...we should be able to fix this in our countries and still be able to help the 3rd world countries too.
Janet Browning • Even in Asian countries with traditions of respect for the elderly, even ancestor worship, the elderly are left to die alone as their families and neighbors pursue wealth and material things. Love, caring, and compassion are gone from the human heart. Read Bible prophecy. It describes it exactly: it is the End Times.
The saddest story I ever heard was about an elderly Japanese woman who killed herself. She left a suicide note taped to her TV, in which she thanked her television for the hours of companionship and entertainment it had provided her, as she had no one else. It was her only contact with the outside world. Very, very sad to feel such despair. I know how she felt. I have no family, kids grown and gone, husband in hospital for several weeks due to broken shoulder and pelvis from a fall. He is all I have. Sad to work and contribute for over 50 years and end up alone and vulnerable, with only each other and 3 rescue dogs for comfort. I never thought it would happen to us. When you get old and can no longer work or get out much, you become forgotten, isolated, invisible to others, and irrelevant.
Fewer people in Japan having kids. The costs and becoming old. Govt PAYING people to have them. This is becoming a worldwide problem. Im 64 and know whats coming...83 yo wise MOM due all the credit. Geriatrics and all associated challenges esp health care and SAVING. PLANNING must begin being taught in 7th grade
Call your senior citizens center if you need help
I am an only child, and I took care of my widowed mother for many years until she died at age 95. Now I am nearly 70 and have 4 children who have informed me that none will be able to help me if I am widowed. My children don't have the resources to care for an extra person because they are all struggling. As seniors, we need to be sure to have a plan B in case there is no family able to care for us. If ever I am widowed, I will take action immediately to ensure I am in a position where I have others in my life that can help me, whether it be friends, neighbors, or someone I have to hire to look in on my needs at least once a week.
Thank you for your service, & thanks to the people who help
This is the result of the me centered, narcissistic way that our society has become. Even elderly with children may end up alone, because those children are so absorbed in their own lives.
Lord Jesus help us! Please allow this situation to improve.
I am so grateful I was able to help my parents. But I’ve seen many seniors with no one visiting many times when my mother was in hospitals.
So many of us are going this way. Loneliness and depression are all we have to look forward to.
I am a proud American 58 years old and have worked hard and own my own busines for 30 years and done well and put back some money for retirement, but I have longevity on my side my grandfather live to be 98 years old and my father lived to be 94 and my wife is 43 and I have to take care of her when I get to that point will I have enough money for us to survive I think we have to do something now with our governments corruption
‘Dominos Tuesday’ is a great little novel I got on Amazon about a group of senior citizens on their last legs who throw caution to the wind and take a dangerous sea voyage on a small craft in the name of “going down swinging.” It’s one of those books that I know I’ll reread one day. (Elderly - tough elderly - dying with your boots on.
It's great that you've been diligent in planning for your retirement and considering the future. It's wise to explore financial strategies and ensure you have a robust plan in place. Consulting with a financial advisor can provide personalized guidance based on your specific circumstances and help address concerns about potential challenges related to longevity and healthcare costs. Staying informed and proactive about your financial well-being is crucial, and professional advice can play a significant role in making informed decisions for a secure future.
I´m from Mexico and I'd like to know why in Anglo-Saxon countries people tend to send their parents to care facilities.
I mean, I don't understand why parents wouldn't return to live with their children even if they required special care, it is very common in Mexico. Family over everything ALWAYS.
There are multiple reasons that an elder may become orphan. Some elders may not have kids, their kids/wife may had died.
💔🙏
People have busy lives but that is no excuse. These people don't want to be burdened by their parents although their parents made sacrifices for them. They'd rather pay a stranger to take care of the parent.
I'm late to the party but I can answer your question. Anglo-Saxon countries, the US in particular, are individualistic societies. They encourage their citizens to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" meaning do things for yourself. This is a double-edge sword that, on one hand, encourages self-determination, success, wealth but on the other hand, it erodes family life, inter-dependency, and interconnectedness. Great when you are young. Not so great when you are old. Mexico, like other Latin American countries, is not individualistic, so it's not as wealthy but also not as lonely. They always put family first and value their elderly.
@@LR-mh8hs True. My experience and observation, however, is that most black people care for their elderly relatives.
thanks a lot who helped this old man❤
Praise God someone listened !🙏
Just so people know, this was made 8 years ago, so there were very few home deliveries from stores. It was probably not an option at the time. But I have to say that if he just got out of the hospital, he should have been hooked up with services. There is usually a social worker who checks on people before they are discharged. Someone dropped the ball, this man obviously needed help prior to being discharged.
What a sweet lady to bring those things
Heart warming! Wonderful story of kindness to others with a good ending I hope.
Great to hear an thank you for getting the word out.
I'm not saying his situation wasn't dire but at the hospital all he had to do was tell a social worker his issue.... and they would have helped him get food. But this is an excellent story bringing a very serious problem to light.
You assume he was in the hospital recently. Maybe not.
@@lizhall2961 if you listen closely you will hear him say he was....