| I am a senior citizen living alone in the world's largest | | | | alive but in tremendous pain. |
| senior community. But I am not alone or lonely, | | | | Another neighbor, a healthy 80-year woman, was |
| because there are 75,000 other seniors living here. | | | | pulling weeds in her fenced garden when she tripped |
| We are grateful for the opportunity to live | | | | on a garden hose and broke her leg. She cried out |
| independently, have our own friends and participate in | | | | "help me" repeatedly but the temperature was in the |
| all the activities that keep us mentally and physically | | | | high 80's and neighbors in their air-conditioned homes |
| active. However, the universal concern of all of us is | | | | heard nothing, saw nothing. The next day, a little |
| "what if I fall or become ill and no one knows?" | | | | dog, out for a walk, pulled his owner to the fence |
| Sometimes, our senior minds tell us we can do things | | | | and refused to leave. The owner heard the almost |
| our senior bodies cannot. I recently escaped | | | | inaudible cries of the woman ... who by then had |
| unscathed in a home accident but I was reminded | | | | suffered sunstroke as well. |
| that my neighbors were less fortunate | | | | Both the man and the woman had children in another |
| This winter, a man in my neighborhood gave his | | | | state who tried to 'stay in touch'. But the children |
| next-door neighbor a key to his house and said "if | | | | have jobs and children of their own. Their day is filled |
| my newspaper is still in the driveway at 8:00 in the | | | | with cooking meals, housecleaning, getting the kids |
| morning, check on me." The neighbor watched for | | | | off to school and extra-curricular activities, |
| the newspaper every day. But one early rainy | | | | supervising homework, spending a little time with |
| morning, another 'good' neighbor threw the wet | | | | their husbands... as well as working 8 hours a day. |
| newspaper closer to his door. | | | | A call to their parent once or twice a week was |
| Unfortunately, the man had fallen and broken his hip | | | | routine but it wasn't enough. Imagine the guilt of |
| that night. He was conscious but immobile on the | | | | knowing your mother or father suffered alone for so |
| bathroom floor. No one knew. Only when the next | | | | long. |
| day's newspaper remained in the driveway did his | | | | I don't want my children to feel guilty. |
| next-door neighbor knock on the door and find him, | | | | |