If aging is hard for some, that’s especially true if you’re homeless. You can be on your feet for hours, or forced to sleep in the frigid cold or be seriously ill with no place to go. Increasingly, the nation’s homeless population is getting older. By some estimates, more than half of single homeless adults are 47 or older.
As in many cities across the country, there are plenty of homeless people in Vancouver. In the early morning hours, dozens of bundled-up men, carrying backpacks and duffel bags, emerge from an unmarked door next to a parking garage downtown. A tear ran down my cheek as I saw this and wondered why more and more seniors are living out their lives on the street during what should have been the happiest times of the lives.
Seniors who have paid taxes and raised families in the United States are more vulnerable than they may appear. There are too many seniors without the resources or the support system to survive the financial impact from one illness or one stay in the hospital.
As the weather gears up for winter, I can’t help but wonder what will happen to these elderly people. We are all human beings and I feel it is our responsibility to help those that cannot do so for themselves.
