Today Michael, who was found dead in his Wellington Council flat after at least fourteen months, was laid to rest. This is a sad indictment of our society. People in the flats said he was a loner who had no friends and relatives, who liked to keep his privacy. But I wonder does this necessarily mean that we dismiss such people from our thoughts and leave them to it. Should we be so blinkered and concerned solely with ourselves and our family?
Years ago we lived in extended families with our elderly with us or next door. Now with children living long distances away or even in a different country from their parents, the elderly are often left to manage by themselves. It is only when they cannot manage that they may end up in care. This was obviously not the case with Michael. Till his death, he was capable of looking after himself. These people living alone are particularly vulnerable and especially if they are unmarried and have no family.
We need to keep an eye on our elderly neighbors. It doesn't take much time. When I was growing up, after our grandparents passed away, we would adopt an elderly person to care for. We popped in every day for a few minutes before school to see they were alright and if they needed anything and from time to time they came for dinner or went out with us at the weekend.
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