Further, it is amazing how strongly people can be emotionally tied to a place. My mom and I are constantly trying to get my grandparents to consider moving to a larger area, so they wouldn't have to drive numerous hours to get healthcare, go out to eat, go shopping, or basically do anything that isn't in their small town (which is almost everything). I even tried to get them to move back to college with me when I moved out last year to start my master's degree so that we could still be roomies, but my grandpa just laughed and told me to learn lots at school and spend my money wisely.
An article in the New York Times describes just how much harder things are, physically and mentally, for elderly people growing up in rural areas as opposed to urban areas. Though I always thought this was true, it was somewhat disheartening to read this article that confirmed my suspicions. Living alone in isolated areas, injuries and accidents can become much more life-threatening and even for people living "in-town" and around other people, there is often a lapse in time between the injury and the length of an ambulance or car ride to any hospital.
Like I stated earlier, driving is essential to life in rural areas, which means that the elderly growing up in rural towns must drive or get rides in order to do anything. Like one of the men highlighted in the article, many elderly people worry about getting their license renewed; if they don't pass their test, they not only lose their independence, but lose ability to provide for themselves. Along with this loss of transportation often comes isolation and loneliness. According to research, there are links between isolation/loneliness and disease outcomes and health, that state. And according to my grandma, old people who are alone too much start to lose their mental capacity and ability to relate and converse with other people. Sure, that's not a published fact, but if I learned anything from my elderly friends last year is that they know more than me.
Interestingly, the concept of "loneliness" is not dependent on isolation, but rather, is "the more subjective feeling state of being alone, separated, or apart from others" (Tomaka et al), meaning that a feeling of loneliness is different for everyone. For some, a connection to their home and environment is enough to diminish the solitude, as is the case for Ms. Clark in the NY Times article. Ms. Clark says that she sits and stares out over the landscape where memories of her deceased husband and raising her daughters fill her mind. To Ms. Clark, she is not lonely, but another person may feel incredibly isolated and alone in her same situation.
The question then comes down to, when should people worry about isolated elders? Or should we at all? Is it our place to decide if someone is happy or content, even if they live in complete solitude? Back to the issue of driving; do we have the right to take away someone's mode of transportation and independence without providing them with an alternate way to get around?
Julie, I most definitely believe that we should do a better job of providing the elderly with transportation. When my grandmother decided to stop driving (she still had a license but didn't feel that she was able to see well enough anymore), she was completely dependent on my uncle, who lived 30 minutes away, and her best friend from church for transportation. She was not able to do all of the social things that she once had. When I visited and would take her to the store, she would buy everything in bulk, because she always hated asking for people to take her to buy things she had forgotten or run out of. I feel that transportation for the elderly in a pressing and important issue...health generally deteriorates rapidly in assisted living situations, so it is ideal to bring services to the elderly community at home. Unfortunately, the public transportation system in America is lacking, especially in rural communities, and tends to not be a priority. Do you think that an overhaul of public transportation or a policy requiring local agencies to come up with transportation of the elderly is the best way to approach this problem?
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