Prime days

October 14, 2017 Ikit ng Bayan Opinion

Happy Elderly Filipino Week to all our iKit there! With its theme this year “Pagkilala sa kakayahan, ambag at paglahok ng mga nakakatanda sa lipunan”. The Elderly Filipino Week is observed every first week of October by virtue of Proclamation No. 470 signed on Sept. 26, 1994, by then President Fidel Ramos. The proclamation spells out the responsibility of the Executive Department, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), to develop a social welfare program promoting the wellbeing of the elderly.

The Municipality of La Trinidad celebrated it from October 9 to 15. They have various games, free check-up and food preparation for our Lolo and Lola. Mayor Romeo K. Salda said that “Eventually all will come to this age of reaching our senior years; it is a good thing that we have a national law to depend on for the good benefits of our elderly. So let’s enjoy it to the fullest.”

Expert said that there is some behavior that an elderly will undergo which is comprised of the following: frustration, loss of control, insecurity, loneliness and then acceptance. As children of our fathers and mothers, we may be irritated and frustrated as they are if we seem to encounter them this way. But always keep in mind that all will come to this day even if we sometimes say to ourselves, “Sana hindi ako maging ganyan pag tumanda ako.” Na-ah! You may easily say such things but you cannot control nature.

Now, old people hate it if they do not have something to do. Some said, “Hihina ako lalo pag wala akong ginagawa.” And some good things to do include: playing old music from their younger years, walking (in the backyard, garden or park), gardening, letting them visit old friends or relative and family, being with them at the church, having a chit-chat, letting them talk about their selves, reading a story for them or letting them watch movie. You may have other good ideas to add in this list but just make sure not to tire them too much into having a heart attack.

In the Bible (KJV) Job 32:7 “I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.” Ikaw ay nadapa, well bumangon ka. Matuto sa pagkakamali at huwag nang ulitin pa. It depends on us how people will describe us this day and in the days ahead of who we will be in our prime days. But keep in mind mga iKit that regardless of how negative you are when you were young, this does not define what you are today and what you will be in the future because there are people who will always guide you to do good things as iKit ng Bayan always says “Ti panagkaykaysa, mangiwanwan iti naranyag nga pagsayaatan”.