No, I Can't

Having spent the last hour struggling with a sun deck outlet connection for a portable air conditioner, I can tell you that the little phrase The Little Engine That Could: "I think I can, I think I can" and his final, "I thought I could", doesn't work for me. Trying to fit one end of the AC hose to the outlet provided, was not possible. The instructions read that I must  merely "pop" the end into the opening. Popping sounds easy but you would have to be a Mr. Atlas to "pop" successfully. Never the twain ends would meet and certainly didn't "pop". I called my handyman , a very talented worker and a creative genius. He is building for me a foolproof panel so that the hose of my air conditioner will slide in. No "popping" involved. It made me think of how many older widows are out there managing household tasks like this every day with no man around. Manufacturers seem to think that everyone in the market can "pop" and they build  items that are not tested for the realities of eldership. Our population is aging and it seems that younger people aren't as DIY conscious as those of us who came from a time where, if you didn't do it yourself, it stayed undone. The aging body is not as capable as once it was, and factors such as becoming dizzy more quickly or having less strength or being less agile or that one's seeing or hearing fades are all natural and eventually affect everyone. There are companies that do put out various products for those less able, but most of them look like it. They are embarrassing, therefore, to use and many elders choose not to buy them because of it. For some odd reason, we worship youth and agility and view them as the ideal. But many people, not just the elderly, lack the strength for certain tasks. Aging is nothing to feel embarrassed about since it eventually happens to every single human being and no one who lives a long life, escapes it. Becoming old can be quite interesting even though at times, frustrating, but, hey, it's all perfectly natural. The benefit of being elderly, is that you know more than the younger do because you've been there. They haven't been your way and don't know what you are feeling and doing. And it really doesn't matter.  Elders do things at a slower rate for good reason. My mother learned the hard way when she climbed up on a patio table to straighten the umbrella and all fell over. Hip surgery ensued. My ninety-one year old grandmother didn't want to take her cane when she went shopping, and fell. A "home" ensued. A friend who was too embarrassed to take his hearing aid on a cruise, was disappointed to miss out on many of the entertainments and social events and depression ensued. There are times when our youngers push us to do physical things that can cause more harm than good, advising: "no pain, no gain". In older people who live with pain every day, the expression needs to be changed to "gain makes pain". At some point those who build vehicles, appliances, structures and equipment, will realize that many if not most of their consumers, are largely older people who have the money to buy their products. They love shopping. Taking this clue should ensure that what manufacturers produce should work for ALL ages.