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guest commentary tossing aside our senior citizens by irene daly she lies curled up in the fetal position a grotesque sight silhouetted against the stark white of the bedsheets her bones protrude sharply against a taut nearlytransparent skin the head is almost skull and the shape can be seen clearly through the thinning flesh the room is bare save for a couple of pieces of utility furniture a chair a dresser there are no personal effects to show who she is except for a plain gold band on one finger to show she was once somebodys wife and mother now she is just a pathetic wailing bundle of humanity ethiopia india el salvador perhaps no this travesty is happening right here in mar- kham in one of our nursing homes and its happening now in may 1987 this woman died yesterday of starvation not for lack of food she was well cared for in that sense no she died from a starva tion of the worst kind from sheer loneliness from lack of love and nurturing from being abandoned by her family her sons and daughters who booked her in and then did as little as possible after wards it was a slow dying full of men tal anguish unanswered ques tions and much anger and if you and i dare to call ourselves hu man beings then we have to take some of the responsibility for that death and for the others just like it that are happening every week in the nursing homes and institu tions in our town we are the family of these peo ple these wonderful citizens who helped to shape our country in the early years and who endured much hardship to make it what it is today how dare we cast senior citizens aside while we enjoy the fruits of their earlier ordeals some of them risked their lives in two world wars suffered se vere economic depression and lived in a canada that was a lot less hospitable than it is today how dare we cast them aside while we enjoy the fruits of their earlier ordeals the world is a strange place alright last week i heard of a planeload of people from different anniversary sale velon window decor march april russians romans balloon austrian 95 fflm j sq ft labour 50 off vertical blinds al custom made free matting valance made to measure 70 off selected fabrics tergal drapery special up to 30 off list price triple made to measure 13 i i triple foot poly silk 95 triple fool room darkening roller shades 4pty energy saving on steel rotes chain system extra 50 o off bay window special we now offer the shacteomatic one piece angle track patent af for bay windows stock venetians 18x45 8 22x45 10 24x45 12 27x45 14 30x45 18 78x84 75 custom venetian blinds 50 off iri manufacturers suggested list price plus free valance free striping 7170 warden ave markham comer of denison warden unit 10 4754135 free shop at home service backgrounds who passed an emp ty suitcase round filled it twice with monies amounting to 79000 so that a little girl on board could have the medical treatment she needed last week i sat with a woman and watched her die because no body could spare an hour of time of time to tell her that she was loved and cherished one lousy hour the emphasis today is very much on perfection the media in sists that we have the body beauti ful a lovely home at least two cars in the garage and one or two holidays a year those who cant fit into this im age are fast becoming the out casts of our society what kind of people will our children become if we insist on perpetrating this im age of perfection the old and infirm arent going to suddenly disappear on the contrary in the next decade their numbers will increase signifi cantly we have to start feeling some responsibility for them and setting our children the right ex ample why is it that when a baby is born and a new life begins the event is marked with showers flowers and fanfares and yet when life is drawing to a close we cant even spare the time to say so long and thanks does a life begin to depreciate like a new car from the minute it starts until its put into the scrapyard to rust away sitting with that old lady last week listening as she begged to die made me realize that i can no longer live with myself if i dont start doing something for these people we have to start seeing them as an extension of ourselvcsas an addition to our own families we wont all get our wishes for a quick and painless death many of us will end our days in a nursing home or an extended care facility shouldnt we be pav ing the way to making them com fortable happy places the more prominent members of the community our church leaders councillors doctors and lawyers have a big responsibil ity when it comes to teaching compassion i can no longer live with myself if i dont start doing some thing for these people they must learn to stop pussy footing around and speak out more strongly they must not be afraid to risk their popularity standing people have to be made to feet uncomfortable to squirm a little when they hear of the plight of our elderly they have been called the for gotten generation and that is what they are fast becoming churches newspapers and schools have the largest captive audiences and are therefore the most influential let it begin with them we need more exposure on the living con ditions of our seniors what its costing them to live in our town and how they are being exploited in some areas for instance why do they have to pay the going rate for hairdo why do they have to pay for every nonsmokers discount on homeowners insurance more citadel sense if you and your family are nonsmokers shouldnt you pay less compare our rates with citadels non- smokers discount you get nononsense savings on your homeowners insurance call us your member of the citadel team today the insurers 7812 kennedy road unionville ont 4775000 i cii v 1 tablet and spoonful of medication that they need havent they paid their dues already isnt it time they were able to sit back and enjoy their final years the following lyrics are taken from the album under the vol cano it was recoreded by two young guys from vancouver who show remarkable understanding poignancy and pity qualities not normally attri buted to our young please read them and hopefully by the end you will feel just a little uncom fortable if you do then there is indeed hope for mankind old photographs trinkets and souvenirs thats all thats left to show for these ninety years talk to me im on my own cause im old you see talk to me im all alone and id love the company the tv still glows i dont even know whats on so i 11 walk down the street hoping to meet someone talk to me i think youll see that im just like you talk to me its not that hard and every word is true and there was laughter almost every day and now those memories seem so faraway and i have watched a million years go by and every friend i had has said goodbye the children grew up they all moved away from here but theyve got their lives i sup pose id just interfere talk to me should i go on or should i dissappear talk to me are they too blind to see me here rock hyde under the volcano wellbewithyou everyday of your diet at diet center you work with a counselor oneonone one day aia limecalffora free consul tation and get a taste of how it all works center youre fining to make it this lime 4714500 254a main st n markham upstairs in the markham medical centre building do you know you dont have to be a member to buy diet centre products