With You all The Way

I read an article that stated that in the time period covered, an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 elderly were abandoned at hospitals.  That is, they were taken there and left at the doorstep and it was up to the nurses and staff to figure out who the person was.
That to me is a really sad story.  I had my dad with me before he passed away at 97.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing but looking back I can see his decline.  It seemed there was less and less time between the periods of unwellness he experienced.
A real estate agent originally from Vietnam had been instrumental in finding me a place that could house me and my dad.  He had said you are much like it is in our society.  We look after our elders and take responsibility for their care.
It seems to me families go through the whole gamut of roles.  When young I am looked after.  When older I strike out on my own.  Then where possible I look after my parents in their twilight years.
I guess the story I read struck a chord with me as it highlights what I see happening more and more these days.  That is the abandonment of a people group.  They may be elderly or a different race or poor.  One thing they all have in common it seems is (and there is that word again) vulnerability to the shifting sands of affluence and influence.
It seems to me everyone deserves dignity.  My role may simply be to listen, or it may involve greater involvement.  No matter how it is manifest everyone needs a sense of self-worth.
There is no doubt from my experience some are harder to love and spend time with than others.  Some have woven a tangled web for a lifetime.  It can seem that spending time is simply marking time.  Others look forward with optimism to when the aches and pains and weathering of age are a thing of the past.
No matter what it seems to me all deserve dignity.  All deserve a voice.  Sometimes their only voice is mine.  What matters to me is that is the way I would like to be treated so that is the way I will treat others.