Everyone wants to feel valuable at any age!
Dick and Charline Watts have the simple answer for anyone who wants to feel valuable at any age. They say everyone needs to use their individual talents to give back to this amazing world. Dick and Charline have spent their lives selflessly giving and are both humbly determined to never stop as long as they are breathing.
Dick says, “We never outgrow the need or capacity to be useful.”
Sadly, some elderly people don’t agree. In fact, one older woman who is losing her vision recently told me she wasn’t sure if she still had much “value.” It was a shock to me because I look forward to her weekly presence in one of the senior fitness classes that I teach. She has a bright smile, contagious cheerful attitude, and is truly loved and appreciated by many.
What is YOUR reason for getting out of bed in the morning?
Dick says, “At our age, you need a reason to get up in the morning.”
Some older adults say that a good cup of coffee is all they need for a reason to get out of bed, while others are struggling with their long existence and wondering why they woke up one more time.
Certainly everyone needs a reason to feel important and to get out of bed knowing they have meaningful things to do. Everyone does better knowing there are events on the calendar to look forward to!
Dick and Charline know of a group of older people who volunteer to write letters. There are buddy programs, too, where younger and older volunteers make phone calls to homebound older adults and become their phone pals.
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Can you think of a way to help older adults feel valuable at any age?
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This post has been updated from September 7, 2018
Very nice. Very inspiring. Thank you all.
Love this story! Dick and Charlene Watts are my heroes today. Thanks for hosting and posting Kathryn. I hope to hear this intergenerational conversation he suggested. We can get the long view — both from the vantage point of oldness, looking at youngers, including our own younger years, and from the point of view of young a middle-aged looking FORWARD to worthy examples of age. Thanks so much.
I have two very good reasons to get up each day. The first is art. I’m finishing up a series of 400 collages that I call ‘Plenitude’ which illustrate my new book. The second is the book ‘ART & CREAKY BONES’ which I wrote expressly for the purpose of helping older adults have a happy and healthy, less lonely old age. Scientists say creativity is one of the best things we have to help us age well. The book explores why and how a creative activity is so good for us, It encourages people to begin painting or writing or dancing or any past time that will help keep them in better shape. It’s also a great way to make new friends and remain socially active. Painting or any creative activity is a wonderfully satisfying aid to anyone who is lonely. My book received 6 awards for Aging, Inspiration and Art, so it seems that there’s a great interest in creative activities that can bring so much joy.