There’s so much we can learn from history. The New Year is an opportunity to reflect on things we could have done differently and want to resolve to do in the future. Here at Interim HealthCare we like to take the time to get to know our clients and take an interest not just in their health but their life as well. We hope this year you’ll take the opportunity to do the same with the senior(s) in your life and make a resolution to talk to them, listen and learn a little about their life.
Seniors are full of information about your family’s heritage, old traditions and fun tidbits about the first time this or that happen. Think about this, a person turning 80 in this upcoming year, 2010, was born in 1930. They lived through more wars than they care to remember and a lifetime of inventions.
Did you realize, the year they turned 13 (1943) a man named James Wright invented this crazy stuff you could stretch out, ball up or press it down onto newspaper and it would transfer the image to it, of course who would have known that silly putty would still be a kids favorite today. Maybe they’ll have a story about the fist time they let loose from the top stair Richard James’ invention of such a wonderful toy for a girl or a boy-The Slinky. What about in the year they turned 18, did they played with Walter Fredrick Morrison and Warren Franscioni’s newest invention, The Frisbee ®.
In their 20s (1950-1959) do they remember their first trip to a McDonalds, back when they were one of the first 1,000 customers served or the first diet soda they ever drank (invented 1952). Maybe they remember buying the newest toys for their kids like the Mr. Potato Head (1952), the Hula Hoop (1959) or Barbie Doll (1959). Maybe that cool little invention by Wilson Greatbatch, know as the pacemaker, help save a life of someone they knew or maybe it was on of the later versions like the Jarvik-7 artificial heart invented in 1978 by Robert K. Jarvik.
One of the world’s greatest events happened in their 30s (1960-1969) and I’m sure you have all heard the story about what they were doing when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, but were they using one of those Microwaves which were invented 20 years prior in 1946. Had they used the latest invention paired with their typewriter created by Bette Nesmith Graham called “Mistake Out” (known now as Liquid Paper). Do they remember the first time they held a calculator in their hand (invented in 1967)?
Other interesting tidbits you could ask them to tell you about would be things like do they remember their first television set (was it black & white or color). When did they upgrade their turn dial TV to one with a remote control? Do they remember when they first watched or got a VHS player, or first got cable television (you know the one with the slider box). Maybe they even went to concerts of artist that are still playing today like the Rolling Stones in one of their first concert tours (which started in1964).
Showing an interest in the lives of others means so much. Engage them in conservation and learn what they think of the world today. Give them a chance reflect on the good old times and lets you learn a little something about the past first hand.
Just remember, one day you’ll be a senior too and I’m sure you’ll want to share stories about the first computer you used, a program called WordPerfect which was just a blue screen, or when you finally got rid of all your cassettes and turned them in for CDs but burned all those (not by fire of course) onto your computer and transferred them to MP3 players. Maybe you’ll be able to say there was a time when radio was free but you were one of the first subscribers to satellite radio.
Someday someone will come to appreciate your story about the old days when you could only record or “DVR” just two shows at one time, and the first time you watched every football game on a Sunday with your NFL ticket package in HD! What about your first “bag” cell phone, which then you traded in for a handheld flip phone, which you then upgraded to the iPhone which had video, music, a camera and internet access just about everywhere you went!
This New Year Interim HealthCare challenges you to make (and keep) a resolution to take time to listen to a senior, after all with so many inventions and changes over their life they’re bound to have a good story to tell.
Subscribe