It is half
past eleven in an old people’s home.
The morning drinks have been taken and the cups collected. In a small lounge with fire doors at
each end, ten old ladies are sitting quietly along two walls. Some are staring ahead of them and some
appear to be dozing. Through one
of the fire doors comes a member of the staff caring a small suitcase. Behind her is a thin old man holding
his hat in front of him with both hands.
In the room she turns, asks him to sit in the vacant chair, places a
suitcase in front of him and then goes out the other door. The old man is dressed in a dark suit
with a white shirt, dark tie, and polished black shoes. The suit is cut in very old style and
has been carefully pressed which makes him look as so he is on his way to a
Sunday service or a funeral. He holds
the hat very tightly in his lap and his hands are shaking. Some of the old ladies glance at him
then look away. After several
minutes of silence another staff member comes in carrying a piece of paper and
a pen, reads an address to him, and asks if that is the correct address of his
next of kin. He clears his throat
and says it is. After she is gone he sits forward stiffly in the chair, gazing
at the floor in front of his suitcase.
Ten minutes elapse. The
first member of the staff returns with a cup of tea and asks him if he would
like sugar. He shakes his
head. She hands him the cup of tea
and then departs again. And as he
sits holding his hat, and the cup, the shaking of his hand makes the cup rattle
loudly. It is the only sound. He sips quickly at the ten. Before, he can finish; the staff member
returns again, says that his room is ready, picks up his suitcase and goes
through the door holding it open for him.
He rises quickly to his feet, holding his hat and half finished cup of
tea and looks around. There are no
tables in the room and he balances the cup on the window ledge behind the seat,
before hurrying out of the room.
The old ladies who have looked up at his departure return their gaze to
the wall and floor. Now can you
see the imbalance of power in the relationship between provider and recipient
in an institutional setting and to the experience of being admitted as a
recipient of service?
[1] 19
years ago Bill Bytheway produced the book Ageism: Rethinking Ageism. The above
story is in the book ISBN 0-335-19175-4.
It is inside chapter 6. I
am interested in reading what you think.
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