Tim Barrus, the New York Times: Falling
Minimizing risk is significant. But the things you can do to accomplish that, are expensive and out of reach.
Older people in this culture are not only expendable, but we live on less money. Sometimes, far less money.
Renters do not get to tear up the carpeting and replace it. If you are living in poverty, like I am, you might be living in places where high-crime is common, food deserts are pervasive, drug dealing is on the sidewalk, mass transit unavailable, and keeping a light on all night uses electricity for which specific budgets down to the penny are necessarily employed.
Installing assistive things to hold – like handrails – in places like the shower is not only high-end, but exactly how do you do that in an SRO and the bathroom is used by everyone on your floor and is down the hall.
We do not exist as far as those who are fortunate fail to notice how we actually live. The French call it réalité.
Once again, what we get from the New York Times is aimed at the upper middle class, and the rest of us are the throwaways to whom not even a second-thought is given as to our class conscious invisibility.
We exist.
We die earlier than the wealthy. We commonly kill ourselves. Whether or not to be here is something we struggle with every day.
Falling is the beginning of the end.
We fall a lot. Then, it’s the nursing home. I would rather be dead than go to one. Death is far, far more acceptable than an existence where every time you turn around, it is a threat.