.jpeg;w=960)
BradfordToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is in response to a letter written by a Bradford resident that was published on our affiliate, BayToday, on June 15.
As a retiree, I wish to express my thoughts on three topics regarding seniors and how we are coping with such inflated costs and basically "surviving."
A BayToday reader wrote, "Growing old sucks" in other words, not having the "get up and go because it has gone up and left." The work atmosphere has changed in that it is "in with the new and out with the old." Employees look at seniors in a non-respectful way, all because they are old, and it seems like employers are "pushing" seniors out the door.
As seniors, our body is saying "slow down" but due to the cost of things today, it is hard to slow down. There is a saying, "Work to live, not live to work."
What about health issues and caring for our spouse/partner? Can we still do the things we like to do? What if Government grants or subsidies are minimal?
Then there is the "gift" from your employer — a watch! To me, it means one of two things: enjoy your time, or, time is running out.
I received a watch from my employer after 40 years of service and quite frankly it is still in its original box after 3.5 years of being retired. It was dropped off in my mailbox — no handshake.
I was thinking of giving it to a homeless person so he/she can tell time or sell it for things that they need — if you know what I mean.
So, why is it that 35 per cent of Canadians aged 55 can afford to retire, 70 per cent have to work past 65, and 32 per cent are in a situation where they cannot save funds for that retirement day? Aging happens to us every day and being unable to "provide" is very scary! Seniors wish to volunteer to help others but, sometimes the senior is in need of help.
Then there is the saying (from a female manager) of being healthy, eating properly, and exercising. Please help me out on this one as I find it hard eating healthy foods, going to the gym, and taking care of my body (pizzas at $3.99, Kraft Dinner, and maybe a KFC is within my budget — not healthy, I love salads). All this is easy to say but trying to do it is, in today's era, a real struggle budget-wise.
Lastly, governments should be helping seniors battle inflation because seniors have paid their dues and formed this country, and sadly enough, some say they are glad to be on their way out, yet there are funds for foreign aid, wars and still seniors are simply trying to "survive" and the impression I get from the government is like that of an employer — they are "pushing us out."
My final thought as a senior, and to all seniors: we used to be respected, recognized, and appreciated for simply being a senior, and in today's situation, we are the ones who should be "living the dream." Realistically, this dream is a "nightmare," and our personal savings are depleting at a fast pace, but only if we control our spending, do nothing in life, and wait for that final day!
In my mind after being retired, working again in order to make ends meet is not my preference, and besides who will hire an elderly person who might not last a full shift?
Gary Kader
Timmins
