Impact, Volume 10, Number 2, July/August 1980 Page: 4
24 p. : ill.View a full description of this periodical.
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string of life."S.B.
Marie Hingston, 80, her white hair
piled high on her head, sits in a sunny
corner of her bedroom in the retire-
ment hotel and crochets a tiny pink
shawl, baby doll size. She is smiling,
and her arthritic fingers seem to grow
increasingly nimble as she works the
hook into the soft pink thread. The
shawl and matching bonnet are gifts
for her five-year-old great-grand-
daughter's forthcoming birthday, and
Marie's mind is filled with the party
events, her volunteering stint at the
nearby hospital, the soup she is mak-
ing for her ailing neighbor, and dinner
at her son's house later in the evening.
Hilda McIntyre, 79, who will be the
recipient of the homemade soup, lies
on her bed in a darkened bedroom, a
cold cloth on her head. Her hands are
clenched by her side.
Medical reports on Marie and Hilda
would show few differences. Both of
them are in good health, except for
some chronic ailments. Both are able
to function satisfactorily but only Marie
does so. Hilda is in her doctor's office
one to three times every week. Be-
tween visits she calls him frequently.
Hilda in her isolated bedroom is
thinking of little but her headache and
her loneliness. Her husband dead, herone child far away, her friends almost
non-existent, she is alone, away and
apart from life.
The differences in the two women
lie not in health status or income, but
in attitude. Marie possesses one vital
attribute which Hilda lacks--relatedness.
Clark Tibbitts, in the book Aging in To-
day's Society, has suggested needs
which should be met if people are to
grow maturely. One of these is the
need for relatedness, or association
with others. Without such a sense of
being related to other human beings, a
person is totally alone, detached and
unable to use his humanness.
William James, writing to some
students in 1896, said, "I now
perceive one immense omission in my
psychology-the deepest principle of
human nature is the craving to be ap-
preciated, and I left it out alto-
gether... because I had never had it
gratified until now."
The words of William James speak
to every human being's needs to be "in
touch," appreciated, connected to
other human beings. One suggestion
has been made that a CB radio band
be provided for older people in order
that they can have contact with one
another. Such an idea may seem
simplistic, but the thought of connec-4
ting people, pearls on a string of life, is
one which bears thinking by all who
want to meet the challenge provided
by older people in our society.
Relatedness is a boomerang. It is
other-directed, but it is self-returning.
No person can be "related" artificially,
or without effort. Older persons, even
those who are physically frail, bear
responsibility for relating to others.
They can do so by telephone, by
letter-writing or in person. They can
move away from their own ailments to
feel the hurt of other people. In so do-
ing, they direct their efforts outward.
The spectrum of services which
needs to be utilized if older people are
to be able to remain community par-
ticipants must be strengthened in
cities, small towns and rural areas.
With a declining economy and cut-
backs in public programs, the need for
personal input becomes imperative.
The concept of extended family
may need to be altered to include
those persons who are concerned and
who feel a sense of responsibility for
others, even those whose faces they
do not recognize. Many of the pro-
grams which have helped to keep frail
elderly in the community can be con-
tinued by caring neighbors. For exam-
ple, since transportation is one of the
IMPACTcJ~
0
C
-C
0~~
/Relatedness:
Pearls on a String
of Life
By Bert Kruger Smith
To be aware of mental health developments and dilem-
mas in Texas is to be aware of the name Bert Kruger
Smith. Smith, an executive associate with the Hogg Foun-
dation for Mental Health in Austin, has won countless
honors for her contributions to the field.
Executive, teacher, radio program moderator, Smith
has also found the time to author half a dozen books,
along with scores of articles, brochures and pamphlets.
The titles of her two latest books, The Pursuit of Dignity:
New Living Alternatives for the Elderly and Aging in
America, reflect her special interest in the problems of
America's elderly.
One particular concern has occupied Smith lately: How,
in this era of austerity budgets and shrinking support of
public programs, will we provide for this segment of our
society? In the following article she suggests an innovative
answer to that question. Smith terms it "relatedness" and
expresses the concept as "connecting people, pearls on a
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Texas. Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Impact, Volume 10, Number 2, July/August 1980, periodical, July 1980; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1588503/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.