Small Things Count

Our social history tells how harmful, demeaning, and dehumanizing a label can be to a group of human beings:

WOP……………Spic……………Wetback……………Redskin

     Fag……………Chink……………Nigger……………Mick……………Yid 

Any questions?

We older people should buy a step-in bathtub, to the tune of $3000 – $5000 (plus any modifications needed to the bathroom itself to install the tub).  That’s what the TV ads say—they’re concerned for our safety.  True (says the CDC), a third of people aged 65 and older fall each year.  1% of non-fatal injuries for all ages (15+)—more like 2.5% for seniors–are in the bathroom.  But only 2.2% of the injuries actually happen while getting into/out of the tub or shower.  Plus, the sink and toilet are the scene of almost 25% of all non-fatal injuries in the bathroom.  The most common cause, of course, is slipping.

I don’t know about you, but for $3000 – $5000 I think I’ll equip my bathroom with new, less slippery flooring, low-splash faucets, and a grab bar or two—maybe even a raised toilet seat and a transfer bench into my tub so I don’t need to do any stepping into/out of the wetness.  With the money I have left over (LOTS of it), I can throw a party.  I won’t drink much at it, though, because I’m convinced that the major reason seniors slip in the bathroom more than younger people is that nature calls us to spend a good deal of extra time in there.

Anyway, that’s what I think.