Taking Care of Our Elderly

As a member of society, I believe that we are all responsible for looking out for our elderly. I know a lot of people find elderly people to be a problem, but in reality so many of them truly need our help. It doesn't matter the situation, but as someone of sound, mind and body, I am fully aware of situations and times when I can clearly see when someone elderly needs my help. Unfortunately, problems come into play when those of us that see an issue with someone elderly does everything they can to avoid helping out. 

Listen, I know that elderly people can be very difficult and opinionated at times, but I also know that I have a responsibility just as we all do to help the elderly when we know that help is needed. I get that we all have a lot going on in life and we have places to be at certain times, but when you intentionally leave an elderly person in a dire situation then I believe that you have absolutely compromised your morals and values. So imagine this...your grandparent is out and about and encounters a difficult situation and no one takes the time to help them until the matter is dire or it is too late. So tell me, how will you feel when you get the call that something bad has happened to the grandparent and no one helped until it was too late to do so. Then remember, you too had the chance to help someone elderly and you chose to skirt around the matter and leave it to someone else to handle. I'm just saying, always remember that our elderly represent the generational-to-generational reason which allows us all to be here today. I can simply tell you that If you don't get that then you have a lot to learn!

Transcript

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Hey, hey, what's up out there again, everybody? I'm your host, Greg Mac of You Better Plan on the Podcast. Catch me every Tuesday at 12 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, or go to YouTube Live and also catch me at that same time. Or you can also go to www.youbetterplan on the podcast dot buzzsprout.com and catch me on one of your favorite apps, and I really appreciate it. And think about it, everything that I do centers around planning, having an effective daily plan, which is what I want you to focus on, which is what this podcast is all about. An effective daily plan that gets you from point A to point B and back to where you need to be safely and efficiently. Now with that said, let's go ahead and get started with the topic of today. Topic of the day is taking care of our elderly. Taking care of our elderly. And that topic is near and dear to me because of a situation that I was in, involved in, involving someone elderly that needed some help. Now, uh just a couple weeks ago, uh, every well every week I try to hit the barbershop and get my good-looking cute back on, you know, so I can get out there and just be out there live and well and looking good. And I went over to Nellis Air Force Base to get a haircut and get my beard uh toned up. And I had that already in my plan. I knew I had a specific plan of the day, some specific household chores, getting a haircut and then coming back and helping my wife do some specific things that we needed to get done before the next day. So it was already the plan was decent and in order and ready to go. Now, just like I said, you know, you can have a plan at any given moment, but if it's not an effective, well-thought-out plan, when something goes awry, you can end up with a plan that just goes in the dumps. And now you are just all over the place trying to figure out what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, and trying to make phone calls or whatever you need to do to get yourself back on track. Now that leads to frustration and bad language, bad attitude, all kinds of things just go the wrong way, sideways, and then you have a messed up day the rest of the day. So, in any case, as I was leaving the Air Force base over at Nellis, I was going down Las Vegas Boulevard, and just as I was driving, uh I encountered an elderly lady in a vehicle that was sitting sideways with half the tail of the vehicle hanging out in the main part of the highway. So as I passed by, I got a good glimpse of her, and I thought maybe she was just making a U-turn. But the car apparent was not going anywhere. As I looked back in my rearview mirror, she was still sitting there. Now, mind you, as I was leaving the base, there was a wave of traffic because I was stuck at a stoplight just before I was leaving the base, and there was a wave of traffic that was going to be going in that same direction coming in both directions as well, coming from both directions. And it was interesting. I was thinking to myself as I passed by her, okay, she must be okay if all these vehicles leaving the base and coming from wherever they're coming from are passing to and from going by her. So anyway, I got down to my turning point and I flipped a quick UI and I went directly back to see if I could provide some assistance. And lo and behold, when I got there, she was sitting in a car. The car was completely stalled. I parked a good distance behind her, off to the side, to be safe and put my hazards on. And I got out of my vehicle once I realized things were clear, and I carefully approached the vehicle just to make sure everything was okay because so much traffic was kept coming by on both sides, particularly right behind me. So, you know, you're always gonna be aware of your surroundings. And anyway, you know, I really was trying to be back home at a specific time because me and my wife had some things to do, but that became the part of my plan of the day where you have to have an effective plan and be have some flexibility within that plan because it can help you help someone else in need. And anyway, you know, I looked in the vehicle and I see an elderly lady, and the car stalled again. Like I said, the tail of her vehicle was in the road. What really got me going in a negative light was all the vehicles passing by, not one vehicle stopped to assist. And keep in mind, this is a highway that has a lot of tractor trailers going to and from because it's out there by the raceway, you know. So a whole lot of tractor trailers coming through. And trust me, that is a road that you can really get down and go on it and push the pedal. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I've done that myself. You know, as that we're coming by, I'm sitting there going, you know, the wind is hitting up against the vehicle, you know, and I'm trying to get people to slow down and they're just doing their thing. So soon as there was a clearing and I got a chance to go over and see, I realized, you know, first of all, it is very hot. We're somewhere at probably 102 to 104 degrees, which means she has no AC blowing. And she's been sitting there. So what really got me also was I said, ma'am, are you okay? How can I be of assistance? And she told me, hey, the vehicle won't start. My I have several check engine lights on, and it just will not turn over. Uh, it has a new battery, oil change, everything was just done before I was going on my trip to visit family. Uh, so you know, I'm thinking to myself, all these vehicles passing by, to include military service members, which has really irked me. No one stopped, period. Her rear end sitting in the road. And I maybe they just thought she didn't know what she was doing or she was just being confused or whatever, but nobody took the time to help, you know. And this this is some of the things that irks me with people that are my age and younger. When you know that elderly people need help or look like they need help, do something. Don't just stand there and drive by or walk by. Ask, and you'll find out what's going on. So I quickly engage the situation. I told her, okay, this is what we're going to do. There's gonna be a break in traffic on this side here shortly. There's multiple, there's a tractor, trailer, a few vehicles coming by. I need you to put the vehicle in neutral. Keep for the time being, keep your foot on the brake, but just put it in neutral, put your foot keep your foot on the brake, and I'm going to push your vehicle back out into the road because we'll have a clearing. And then what I need you to do is I'm gonna get behind the vehicle at which point, and I need you to turn it sharply to the left so that we can get you out of the road so that you do not get hit. You know, so once we had a clearing uh in the road, I did just that one thing that I told her we needed to do real quickly. You know, and she's sweating and and she's a little bit weak. She has water and everything, but it is so hot, she has no air. And to find out that she had been sitting there for more than 15 minutes really bothered me, people. I mean, really, really bothered me. No one stopped all that time. I don't know why, and for whatever reason. This is our elderly, and you you have no excuse. There was no excuse for that many people passing by. So, anyway, you know, I got the majority of her out of the road, but she had an issue because she was not strong enough because it didn't have any power steering, obviously being in neutral. She was not strong enough to turn the wheel, and I couldn't do that at the same time based on the angle that I was at. So thank God that another gentleman was passing by with his wife and family, and he said, Hey sir, do you need help? I said, Yeah, I am trying to get her out of the road. So I said, if you don't mind, can you go down flip the UA safely and come back and we can get this car out of the road because people are constantly passing by, nobody's helping. And in the meantime, another little wave of traffic came by, but I had enough of her out of the road to be a little bit safer, and I was trying to make sure by waving people to make sure they seen her to go around, you know. So I acted as a traffic cone or a traffic light or a traffic guard, whatever you want to call it, to help out. Once that wave of traffic cleared, he came back up, and then we were able to get her completely out of the road and onto the side of the road, just up in front of my vehicle with a hazards on and everything, and safely without any hurt harm or danger coming to her, you know. And then I thanked him and his family, and then he went on his way. So I asked her, What are you trying to get accomplished? And she said, Well, my car, I had everything done to it. My brother-in-law did such and such to it to make sure he's good. He's a mechanic, and he always checks it up before I go on a little road trip. But for some reason, uh the car started to stall as I was driving. So I was trying to make a U-turn as quickly as possible and get back to the gas station uh about a mile or two up the street, but that failed and didn't work out for her. So she had a plan. She thought everything was good, and her plan failed. And in my case, I had a plan that I knew was good. And I had to derail that plan using a little flexibility. I made sure I called my wife and told her what was going on and set it off to the side there. And I said, ma'am, it is extremely hot out here. Uh, but she had water, thank goodness, and whatnot. And she was in the process of calling triple A. You know, and needless to say, it ended up working out really well because I told her, hey, what we can do is uh I'm so-and-so, I'm retired United States Marine. Told her who I was, what I do, where I'm from, that kind of thing. And just to make her feel comfortable and safe. And I said, ma'am, it is extremely hot. Why don't we get you out of this vehicle for the time being, since the wreck truck is on the way, and you can sit in my vehicle and then you can call your brother-in-law and your family to let them know you're okay. I will stay here and wait with you. I will not leave you out here in this heat, you know. So we got her taken care of and made sure she had water and gave an opportunity, you know, to call her family to make sure everybody knew that she was okay and where her location was. You know, and she told me, you know, he said it's gonna be about 30 minutes. Okay, no problem. I said, I don't have any issues with it. She said, No, sir, you don't really need this. No, ma'am. I cannot and will not leave you out here. You are someone that I am required to take care of. I don't know, I don't know what gets into people, but we have elderly people and we just ignore them. You know, we we don't think that they need help. We just assume that they're okay. Well, she wasn't okay. And I and I'm pretty pissed that that many people drove by, especially our military service members, and I'm not dogging them by any yes, I am. Yes, I am. I take that back. I am dogging them a little bit, but maybe they just thought she was okay and she was just trying to get out of the road. I don't I don't know what the thoughts were, to tell you the truth, but I was a bit angry, you know, and I made sure she was comfortable and felt safe and whatnot. And then, you know, she said, you know, I don't want you to have to wait this long. And she kept apologizing, ma'am, it is okay. I've already called my family to tell them what's going on. See, I had a plan. I have things to do, but I'm okay with having some flexibility in my plan. And for whatever the reason, she didn't have any flexibility in her plan at that time. She didn't know exactly what she really needed to do other than try to get the truck towed uh to the best possible location, whether it be her home or her uh in-laws home, to wherever she needed to get to. But at least she had somewhat of a plan. Now, she didn't anticipate breaking down, she hadn't had that issue before making this trip, and it finally happened. And at some point, all of us will break down, no matter how good your car is, or how good whatever the situation you're going through is, there will be a breakdown. And the question is, do you have a plan in place to ensure that you're good to go? I mean, would you help someone that's elderly, or are you just gonna drive by, walk by him, and like you didn't see him? So many people, again, just kept going and going and going. And I and I'm still irked about it. You know, and I could have done the same thing, but I knew something didn't set right with me. And I don't care who you are, if you are of sound mind and body, you know when something doesn't set right with you. We have to take care of our elderly. It is too important to not do so. You know, they are the reason why we're here. It doesn't matter what you think about the elderly. I mean, I know people have negative thoughts of them, you know, because elderly people can be moody and say things and whatnot, but they go through things and they've been through things that we haven't been through. But I knew it for me that day, my plan was set in stone, but it changed. And I was prepared for it to change, and I was okay with the change. And I sat there with her and made sure she was good until she was rescued. Toll truck was able to actually take her because of the distance, having triple A, able to take her exactly to where she needed to go. And I even exchanged numbers with her just to be certain that she was okay and made it home safely. And I was way, I said, you know, if I haven't gotten a response back within an hour, I was going to call or message her until I got a response. But as soon as she got to where she needed to go and everything was good to go, I got a response back from her. And that's what it's all about taking care of our elderly. You know, we shouldn't be having these plans where we got so much going on or we're in such a rush that we leave someone hung out to drive. Now, had she been hit by a tractor trailer or another vehicle who didn't see her because they weren't paying attention. I mean, her tail is literally in the road, and no one thought enough to stop and help her out. That could have been a tragic situation that happened to your mother or grandmother. Now, I'm not exactly sure of her age, but I believe she said she was in her 80s, I think 81, 82. And she had had uh bypass surgery, and she also was dealing with an aneurysm or had previously had an aneurysm a couple years ago and some things. And just imagine with the amount of heat out there as she suffered a stroke or something worse, you know, and and no one even bothers to help her. Because I mean she was sweating, but she had water, and I thank God that she had water, and I was able to offer her a cold bottle of water, and I just wanted to make sure she was okay, and I stayed, and I'm okay with that. I was in not such a rush to get home that I was willing to leave someone out there that could have possibly gotten killed or injured severely because I decided too that I'm not I don't have time for that. She figured out herself, and that's exactly what happened. People left her to figure it out for herself. Folks, I'm just saying to you, let's get on the ball and help our elderly, let's do better. You know, don't let the plans of the day that you have, your daily plan, your weekly plan, your whatever plan it is, don't let that sidetrack you into leaving someone hanging that needs help and you know they need it. There's no way anyone that passed by her can tell me that she didn't need help and literally believed that she didn't need help. No one. So I just say to you, come on, let's get on board and let's make sure we take care of our elderly. You know, we gotta love them, we gotta show them love, you know, no matter who they are, don't care where they're from, what they look like, if they are in need, then we should get them some help. Now, with that said, I want to thank you for your time. And again, thank you for tuning and listening and watching in. I really appreciate everything you do. Again, you can catch me at 12 p.m. Pacific Standard Time every Tuesday. You can also catch me live by way of YouTube at that same time, or go to www.ubetterplanothepodcast.bursprout.com. And I'd appreciate it. Hit that subscribe button. You know, I got a lot more to come, and I want to share it with you. Always remember take care of yourselves, stay safe, and keep in mind a plan that succeeds is a plan that can fulfill one's needs. God bless you, simplify and hurrah.