Longevity and Obstacles

Written Assignment 2: Longevity and Obstacles As people become older, they face various obstacles in their lives. What are the demands of longevity? Give at least 2 obstacles faced by the elderly in your country. Give solutions - ways the elderly can overcome each obstacle and/or the measures that can be taken to help the elderly. Include examples and state any references used. (350-400 words)

Longevity and Obstacles
How long can a person live? In my country, Myanmar, life expectancy today is on the rise due to better care services. Our national statistics indicate that our average life expectancy is 62.1 years, quite close to the world average of 67.2 years. Just like old people all over the world, our elderly also face obstacles. Human history is a record of how we encounter and handle obstacles. Let us discuss the obstacles which the elderly in Myanmar face and how our society helps them to overcome these obstacles. The most common obstacle is livelihood which includes food, medicine, and accommodation. The government gives the old people an allowance to purchase their daily necessities. There are also community-run retirement villages where the poor and homeless elderly can turn to for refuge. In such community living, the elderly support one another to face the obstacles of aging. For example, Hninsigone Bobwa Yeiktha, special community living, is the most famous and peaceful place for the poor and homeless elderly in Myanmar. This is one of the best traditional practices in our lovely land. While the first obstacle relates to the body, the second obstacle relates to the soul. People when old, helpless and poor tend be afflicted by negative emotions such as anger, frustration,

sorrow, fear, and hopelessness. As a result, many elderly people dare not embark on new adventures; they have no confidence. They also think that at such an old age, it does not really matter if they continue the status quo. What a pity, old age is supposed to the golden age. Although there is no medicine to cure such emotions, what we can do for them is encouraging and supporting. For example, recently, my friend 's grandparents were passed away one after another. His grandfather was suffered from chronic disease and his grandmother gained depression till her husband died. After a few weeks, she could not control her grief and passed away. This is what an emotion brings to death. In conclusion, people at every age face obstacles. The obstacles that the elderly face are not necessarily more in number or worse in intensity than that faced by younger adults. Obstacles can be overcome and even if they cannot, they only teach us to be stoic, compassionate and empathetic. I wish all elderly people health and happiness and look to them for guidance because of their life experiences.

Word count: 399 References : 1. http://www.disabled-world.com/calculators-charts/lifeexpectancystatistic. (downloaded on 16 July 2012) 2. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thepowerprime/201201/personal-growth-four obstacles-positive-life-change. (downloaded on 16 July 2012)

References: : 1. http://www.disabled-world.com/calculators-charts/lifeexpectancystatistic. (downloaded on 16 July 2012) 2. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thepowerprime/201201/personal-growth-four obstacles-positive-life-change. (downloaded on 16 July 2012)