Last weekend we were doing a little gardening at my girlfriend’s parent’s Des Moines north side home. While weeding a bed of tulips, we could see from a distance an older man sitting on an electric scooter, wearing a garrison cap and holding a white cardboard sign. He was on the shoulder of a busy intersection. People were stopping occasionally to speak with and handing him scraps of paper.
We drove from Betsy’s parent’s neighborhood to hit the grocery store, but we still couldn’t help but wonder what was on the man’s sign, so we ducked down a side street and circled around. We parked in a nearby alley and walked over to him. His name was Clyde. From the pins on his cap, it was safe to say he fought in Europe during World War II. He said he was a 90-year-old World War II vet looking for work. He didn’t say if he needed extra income or just wanted a job to pass the time, but he couldn’t find a job due to his older age and did not know where to go.
I witnessed a very different sight in Colfax last week. A local World War II veteran in his 90s, who is known for always being on the go, made the decision to get a walker after a recent knee injury. The U.S. Army vet was part of the D-Day beach-landing in Europe and fought all the way through the Battle of the Bulge. He’s very independent and is no slouch.
A local pharmacy employee worked with the veteran on the sidewalk outside the drug store, showing the senior citizen how to walk with the new equipment. But just because he’s using a walker and a knee brace, doesn’t mean the man is slowing down. He’s lightening quick with his new wheels.
There are too many inconsistencies in how our aging veterans and senior citizen population lives. Depending on circumstance, familial support system, community and socioeconomic class, a senior can have a very different quality of life than another aging citizen just down the street. Anyone who served our country, worked their whole life or is simply a human being shouldn’t question if they can get a prescription, wonder where their next meal is coming from or if they can pay the rent next week.
County-level elderly nutrition programs, Social Security and Medicare help but there are still gaps. Many of these seniors were around when FDR cut his New Deal with Americans and all remember when LBJ passed Medicare. These members of our society were promised they would not have to worry about everyday necessities when they finally put down their hardhats, typewriters, brooms and briefcases.
My own mother is approaching a well-deserved retirement and will be leaving her 35-plus year post at the Des Moines Public Schools. I’m fortunate she has a good pension on its way, but the uncertainty of possible medical bills as she ages still keeps me up at night. I can’t image how seniors without a close family must feel as they enter retirement and advance in years.
We need to begin to keep our promise to our elders and provide the security they were promised. It’s who we are.
Contact Mike Mendenhall at
mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com