It was once said that it is a man’s world but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl.
The person who uttered those words was the #1 soul singer of the sixties and seventies, none other than the late, great James Brown. The depth of this statement stayed with me from the very first time I heard it and to this day it’s relevance keeps pounding away at my conscience.
I often wonder why elderly and disabled women in our society seem to be content with a role of subservience. Is it because the impression projected by men, towards women, has always been one of a dictatorial manner? As far as I can recall women who are elderly and disabled always fall into a subordinate category, leaving room for disconcerting actions and subjugation
It is safe to say that elderly and disabled women have concurred that in the period of COVID-19 they are treated with utmost respect and feel a sense of politeness toward them that is left to be seen. Judging from the ones I have spoken to, their facial countenance seems to indicate much discomfort.
Having established the fact that the question which should asked is why are elderly and disabled women not speaking out? Is it because of fear or are they just exhausted? There is an old saying that silence is golden but under what conditions? For far too long women have been coping with inequality and struggling to measure up to the so-called standards that society has imposed upon them,
Let us for a moment delve into a couple of areas that tend to trouble or even disturb these folks, particularly in these times but let us not focus too much on COVID-19 because this virus is relatively new and should not be a reason for blame.
Through the years, women who are elderly and disabled have been complaining about the level of abuse cast upon them. This is a very serious concern that has the attention of quite a number of these women. It was once said that it is widely presumptuous to pronounce with certitude the level of abuse that is unreported against these women with no hope of even a small percentage being registered.
The question is, why the silence? Is it because there are far-reaching consequences to be confronted and any, if not all, of those who come forward are treated unfairly. There must be a plan or some form of protest to curb this recent onslaught of abuse that the elderly and disabled women are encountering today. Silence will only lead to a more crucial level of abuse by the architects of these cruel acts. Tragic is the only way to describe abuse to elderly and disabled women but the silence can be broken by the collective voices of the said folks. Then and only then will some semblance of hope penetrate the evil and monstrous behaviour.
In this time of COVID-19 it is apparent that the will to avoid such wicked actions has surfaced even more due to the restrictions that are now in place to try and curtail the spread of this virus . In order to remove any form of abuse or even reduce its presence requires a deeper sense of collaboration to puncture the inflated demons that are persisting in doing harm to these folks. To solve this continuous barrage of barbaric acts, the removal of this dormant outlook must change and the sound of elderly and disabled women has to be heard in all corners of society.
Another area that stands out as far as elderly and disabled women are concerned has to be neglect. It was once said that neglect is a modified form of abuse so you can easily slip from one to the other.
The term ‘who in the kitchen feels the heat’ has been bandied about for quite some time. This is so true because neglect is now an active part of everyday life for our elderly and disabled women. Just imagine siblings are forging forward with the misconception that it is difficult to take care of their elderly and disabled womenfolk. What sort of person would neglect their own relative in times of serious illness. It is when the chips are low that one should come to the fore and show the importance of compassion. It is said that goodness heals the humanity in you so it is only fair to try and avoid being crushed by the ills of deception,
There are times when these folks only need to have someone spend a few hours with them. That in itself is more precious than loading them up with things that will hardly be used. It was once said by an elderly woman that she felt so lonely in the presence of her siblings it was unbelievable. She almost felt as if she had become part of the furniture. If that is not a form of neglect what is?
We as a society continue to treat neglect as something simple or insignificant. No way can anyone with a normal mind treat these folks with such contempt. You must have a capacity for great courage in order to meet the requirements of a humble person. This will only come about if you look deep into your soul and extract the pure and kind features that go with peace.
COVID-19 came at a time when society felt “everything is everything” but what opened the doors of equilibrium was the fact that the virus came with no exceptions. Elderly and disabled women must grasp at this opportunity to reach out and express their dissatisfaction. Please remember on the battlefield for justice there is a long road to accomplishing your goal so with the aid of the Lord and persistence you will finish in fine style.
No one knows what lies ahead but if you do good your blessings will be assured. Keep in mind, progress is fragile.
Wash your hands, wear your mask and keep social distance.
In the spirit of growth