Podcast An old issue: Episode 5 – THE ELDERLY AS TRAINED ANIMALS

Hello, my name is Ricardo Crispim, and this is the 5th episode of the podcast An old issue!

Today, I was supposedly going to talk about old people and clowns, which is also a topic that has a lot of juicy content, but I have decided to save that for the appropriate time. So, I've raised the stakes and I'm going to talk about old people as trained animals.

Therefore, today I'll start with an old issue (there it is again): How do we want to be treated when we get old? How do we want to be looked after when we're old?

Should we take care of others in the same way we would like to be taken care of? Or should we take care of people in the way they want to be taken care of? When in doubt, simply see the person as a person, because that’s what they are, because if they were an irrational being, then it would be another matter. And in that case, we would enter the realm of zoology, which isn't quite the dimension of this analysis, at least not for now.

In reality, it's more convenient for us to assume that people would like to be taken care of as we would like to be taken care of in the future, rather than asking them how they actually want that to happen. And indeed, it's not entirely incorrect, primarily because most of us wouldn't want to be taken care of in the same way that some adults are taken care of.

It's not very common, or at least I don't recall knowing many people who, before engaging in direct care or in the development of a socio-cultural activity, think: "I think it's sensible to first ask about what the person wants, how they want to be taken care of, if they want to engage in a particular activity, or if they are unable to respond, to try to gather information from the family or people who are close to them about how they would like to be taken care of, what they enjoyed doing in their free time before being unable to express their wishes."

I even presume what the reason for this might be. The position of being a caregiver generally exempts one from listening to others. Professional experience provides quite a lot of learning, and when someone does or is obliged to attend training that preaches the exact opposite of what has always been done, the initial reaction tends to be astonishment and repulsion. Who has never heard: "-But who in the world is this person to now teach me how things are done!"? Then the training ends, people leave the room, and everything continues exactly the same. The working conditions in the caregiving sector are challenging, and the salaries are low, which partly explains the difficulty in changing practices.

Generally, the status of non-adults is assigned to older adults. They need someone to take care of them, they are unable to calculate the risks of certain actions, and they are similar to kids needing help with the most basic activities to survive. Everything must mashed up for them to eat because teeth are a rarity, and they wear diapers to ensure they don't mess up the couch or the "Emma" mattress (written with two "m's" because it’s a foreign name). They walk slowly – but then we still tell them to "take it easy!" We call Mrs. Maria "princess" or Mr. Joaquim "Quinzinho." We treat them like children, CHILDREN, CHIL-DREN! This is exactly what we do to these individuals. We treat them as if they were children. They're not, I’m sorry! In case you don’t know, these individuals are not children. They are adults just like us.

Meanwhile, what happens is that we turn older adults into almost trained animals, those who jump through hoops at the snap of a finger, or can roll over, sit, lie down, or reach out their paw upon command. Their identity, interests, preferences, and ultimately, the pleasure of living, are stolen from them, all in the name of sustainable care, fast care, because there's someone else that needs to be "treated," or simply to meet a calendar of pathetic events that make perfect sense in preschool but not in the social facilities that make up the network of services dedicated to older ADULTS.

Trained animals are the best friends of those who think they know almost everything; all the animal needs to do is what the caretaker wants, and routine takes care of the rest. For example, on Halloween, it's common to dress older adults up as ghosts or witches, without even explaining the purpose of the activity to them. It's also common for professionals who work five days a week with older adults to ask Google what crafts should be done at Christmas. In this case, you might find a lot of things, except for the sense of appropriateness and the right context. To those engaging in or promoting these activities, or even other similar practices, I recommend a retreat to reconnect with the purpose of care: RESPECT for the principles of equality, freedom of choice, and the right to an autonomous life. I am certain it will be highly transformative, both for the professional and for the individuals being cared for. In this retreat, the goal is for the trainees to recognize and remove the "mask" of know-it-alls and admit that learning is ongoing, and that more than what we get from Google, the answers we want always lie with the PEOPLE being cared for, not with the machines.

How can we sign up for this retreat? That, I don't know… What I can tell you is that we must be willing to challenge stereotypes, throw away calendars, and stop searching the internet for what to do with older ADULTS.

What is learned in this retreat? The principle of restlessness. This principle teaches trainees to be discontent with turning older people into trained animals who are dressed up because someone thinks it's cute. It teaches trainees to feel bothered when they see older adults being disregarded because they are "old." It teaches trainees to feel upset when the agenda includes, "- Dress up the elderly as the Three Wise Men, or as Our Holy Mary and Saint Joseph, take a picture, and without asking, post it on social media!" It teaches trainees to feel nauseated with the Christmas handicrafts that start to appear everywhere we find Nursing Homes, Day Centers, or Community Centers in our little Portugal.

Now, I can tell you that these retreats are part of continuous professional development education and training programs throughout one's career. After attending this retreat, it's normal for trainees to feel restless. It's just a matter of time until they stop treating older ADULTS like trained animals and start treating them like mature individuals who deserve respect, dignity, and consideration.

I’m counting on you for the next episode. Oh, by the way, my next episode will talk about Christmas oddities and old age. Talk to you then.

I'm Ricardo Crispim. Take care.