We as a society have begun to think of what our elders are capable of as merely pinochle and dancing and bingo — and that’s such a waste of humanity. It really is. I mean, that’s sadder in my opinion than cases of neglect that you see in facilities. To see someone who is, or was a doctorate — had a doctorate — or was a high-level professional or was just good at what they did, could have been a cabinet maker, and then to see them lose that edge, to see them stop and become what I call elder zombies. It’s very sad, very sad. By Former journalist Martin Bayne on societal perceptions of the elderly (via nprfreshair)