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Our Elderly Don't Ask For Much

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By STEVE OTTO

sotto@tampatrib.com

Published: December 10, 2008

The woman handed me a stack of gift wish lists.

That's not all that unusual this time of year, especially around our house where the lists include electronic devices I have (a) never heard of and (b) can't afford. It has been like that for a long time now, but it has only been in recent years that telephones exist that do everything except, apparently, make phone calls.

I don't think our boys even know how to call on a phone. They can text message or get onto the Internet, but actually talking to someone else doesn't seem to happen.

Anyhow, I looked at the list. Each name had an age next to it. The first one on my list was 84 years old. She was asking for a brush and comb set, some toiletries, socks and underwear.

The next person was a gentleman 79 years of age who was hoping for a sweater, some socks and maybe one of those small transistor radios.

Lisa Esposito is a Tampa lawyer. She also is president of the local Gator club, if you can imagine trying to have rational discussion with a Gator lawyer now that they are headed to the national football championship game.

Esposito is using her office as collection stop for the club's annual project to gather gifts for adults who have become wards of the state. Club members work through a nonprofit agency called Aging Solutions Inc. that coordinates with the state's Public Guardianship Office and Department of Elder Affairs in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Brevard counties.

No Frills For Elderly

Aging Solutions' clients mostly are in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and are unable to manage their own affairs. After whatever benefits they receive are subtracted, people are left with somewhere between $35 and $50 a month to live on. Yeah, that's right. Isn't it remarkable how we deal with the elderly in this country?

Aging Solutions provides legal guardianship services and does what it can to add some substance to the lives of these frail and disabled elders. Currently there is a caseload of some 326 clients, with more than 100 on a waiting list.

Every year, agency employees put together a simple wish list for these people who have no family and no real resources.

Simple Pleasures

"Last year," Esposito said, "I delivered an inexpensive watch to a 102-year-old man. He had been a railroad porter a long time ago, and his mind sometimes slips back to those days. He had me put the watch on his wrist, and he said this would help him keep time on the trains. He is still around for this Christmas."

Esposito talked about giving a robe to another woman. "You would have thought she was the queen. She asked me to sit down with a couple of residents of the home so she could model the robe. She said it was the most wonderful gift she had ever received."

Even, or maybe especially, in these difficult times you can do so much with just a little effort.

If you want to send a check or just get a little more information about Aging Solutions, you can call them toll free at 1-866-92-AGING (24464). You can write or send them a check at Aging Solutions, P.O. Box 342065, Tampa FL 33694.

Lisa Esposito also will be glad to give you more information or accept a donation. Her office number in Tampa is (813) 223-6037. Just don't mention the Gators unless you have the time.

Keyword: Otto Graphs, to read and comment on Steve Otto's blog.

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