By Sheila Kun RN, BA, BSN, MS

Zhou Daxin, the famous author from China, warns his senior readers that scammers targeting seniors are pitfalls that we should be aware of. This is the fifth scene that he described in his book on aging.

Swindlers know that seniors have savings. After all, most of them have pensions and lifetime savings as part of their means to sustain their retirement. Seniors are especially vulnerable to sign up on schemes from the internet. Frankly most seniors are not that IT savvy. One click to the wrong account, or pay on line on a purchase that has a fake account is very common. Telephone calls attempting to access your social security or banking information are everyday schemes to squeeze money out of your pocket. Beware of recommendations on “getting rich fast” schemes, or health products that guarantee longevity. They know what you want – health, sales and discounts. Be a super alert consumer! 

The last scene that Daxin Zhou offered is: Be kind to the people accompanying you.

This could be your spouse, family members, friends or care providers that you are in close contact with. Be gentle and kind, caring is a very powerful tool. Mr. Zhou depicted your spouse as the last deposit you have in your bank. Seniors should not expect their children to be part of their daily life. They have their own children and responsibility. At the end, it is your spouse who accompanies you to the very end. At this age, if you are still together, you know he or she is not eager to look for another partner! The only worry is that you will eventually lose him or her. This is part of the natural process of the life cycle.

Before the sky gets dark, the light of your last stage of life is getting dimmer and dimmer. Hence, you need to understand what life is, fully value and enjoy life. Don’t worry about the triviality of your grandchildren or society. Your experience or seniority in life does not make you an authority on everything. Being a senior means you have more capacity to understand the young or issues. Age does not transform you to be in a more powerful position. Similarly, this is the time, as seniors, to learn to respect, to understand and to let go of debates and differences on perspectives in life. 

It is time to prepare yourself to live and age gracefully. Understanding these scenarios will help you to grow old wisely and hopefully gracefully.

Your homework from the Care Ministry this week: reflect on the two main points from this week’s discussion.

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