Why do younger people think about older people the way they do? They are seen as mostly all the same, and yet when you ask people about their grandparents… oh, they aren’t the “typical” senior.

One thing that has continually hit me is that there aren’t any “typical” seniors - just like every 25 year old isn’t the same. We have identified at least 6 distinct groups, and more are coming, but even within those groups they don’t walk in lock-step.

I admit that the people I was most drawn to when I first got here were the ones who looked up and smiled and wanted to talk with me. But as a researcher, you have to seek out every point of view. I was a little anxious at first when approaching a group of women who I would describe as chiseled from stone… they looked even a little upset and definitely didn’t look like they wanted to talk.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was prejudice… I assumed because someone wasn’t smiling that they were standoffish and wanted no one near them. Upon introducing myself and sitting down I engaged the ladies and found them remarkable, funny and full of life… I just didn’t see that when I first looked at them. Since then I have approach everyone with no fear and have left universally with a smile on my face as well as theirs.

Instead of thinking as our own grandparents as different from other seniors, I suggest we all start assuming that every older person is pretty different and cool if we just take the time to stop and find out. Don’t let the lack of a smile at first stop you… their smile is in there just waiting for you.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2007 at 10:23 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.