Jeremiah R.

My Experience Taking Care of Old People

I didn't plan to learn how to care for the elderly; it just happened, and it changed me in ways I didn't expect.

In Tanzania, we don't really understand what it means to "send elders away." They live with family, and everyone helps out. When I was in high school, my grandmother moved in with us. She was getting older and needed help with everyday things, so it made sense for her to be with us.

I have to admit that I was a little uncomfortable at first. Helping her take her medicine, making sure she ate right, and sometimes taking her to the bathroom were all private, vulnerable times that felt strange at fifteen. But one day, my mom pulled me aside and said, "She changed your diapers." This is just love coming back around.

That stuck with me.

I learned that taking care of older people takes more patience than I thought I had. My grandmother would tell the same stories over and over, sometimes more than once a day. At first, I would get mad and try to change the subject. I finally understood that she wasn't telling me for information; she was connecting with me and remembering who she was. Every time, I learned to listen as if it were the first time.

There is also a practical side to caring for the elderly that most people don't think about. These little things are very important: keeping track of medications, looking for signs that they're not feeling well but won't say it, and making the home safer.

I was most surprised by how much I learned from it. My grandmother had lived through Tanzania's independence, raised eight kids, and survived things I can't even picture. I loved talking to you in the evening. She would tell me about going to British colonial schools, what Dar es Salaam looked like before it became a bustling city, and how to be strong and have pride.

I felt very sad when she died during my first year of college in Kenya. But I also felt thankful. Thankful that I had been there and learned to slow down and be with her, and that I had gotten her wisdom directly instead of just hearing about it from someone else.

Taking care of older people teaches you that strength isn't just about being able to do things on your own and getting things done. Being kind, patient, and honoring the people who helped you get where you are now is sometimes all it takes. It has taught me to see people for who they are, not just what they can do now, but also who they have been, what they have been through, and the respect they deserve no matter what their current abilities are.

Honestly, it's made me a better person. More caring, less rushed, and more aware that we're all going to the same place in the end. And when I need help, I hope someone is as patient and respectful with me as I learned to be.