The emotional state of the majority ranges from fair to bad and with little expectation of improvement, since their incorporation into society has been excluded from productive and social aspects, and this generates a state of frustration, which far from being attended to. , is fueled by the abandonment of public policies.
In other countries, older adults have greater economic independence and a range of special services that allow them to stay busy and happy.
I see with sadness that being brilliant minds, many of our grandparents are relegated and their role is limited to taking care of their grandchildren. Mexican families are not prepared and most do not have the time and resources to build a harmonious and patient relationship with them.
inclusive spaces
In 2006, I lived for six months in a city called Scottsdale, in Arizona. That city was designed as a retirement destination for seniors in the United States. For me it was a great experience to see how in the streets, shopping centers, museums and entertainment centers, the majority of the population enjoyed spaces adapted for their mobility and special offers, this makes them feel safe and gives them an active lifestyle. and independent.
Mexico is not prepared for what is coming, nor for what we have today. Neither houses, sidewalks, nor public spaces are adapted so that older adults can move freely, shop, or spend quality time.
As a result of the pandemic, I had the opportunity to return to my parents’ house to spend time in home office and part of my savings I dedicated to fixing up their house. After several weeks of searching, without success, for a service that was dedicated to remodeling spaces to adapt them for older adults, I found a bricklayer who supported me in carrying out all these tasks and we managed to build a space where today they move with more freedom and safety. .
At first there was resistance and anger, mainly from my father, who at 79 years old continues to work by choice, as a university teacher, a fact that keeps him mentally active. After several discussions, I managed to negotiate that he would allow me to throw away all the useless objects that had accumulated over decades in exchange for converting those spaces, and patio, into an area to organize barbecued meats so that they could live with the grandchildren and family.
But something that we have not achieved as a society is that there is coexistence without outbursts, especially when it comes to political issues. During the pandemic, our elderly, isolated most of the time, received too much institutional information, which, combined with the misnamed “AMLO scholarship” (support that had already existed for three six-year terms, but the rules were made more flexible to broaden the base that received support), generated a bias that makes them believe and defend the nationalist and populist vision of the official narrative; as if corruption has already been eradicated and that the correct way is to eliminate the participation of the private sector in Mexico.