Woman’s post about lack of empathy for the elderly inspires internet

A bloggers’s heartfelt message about how we society treats older members of the community has sparked a heartwarming discussion on social media.

Adele Barbaro posted a message on her The Real Mumma Facebook page on Tuesday, encouraging people to help the elderly after witnessing two older people being treated poorly.

“Twice this week, I have watched an elderly individual, fade into the busy life in which we all live,” she wrote.

The Melbourne-based mum explained that one man asked where he could find the Panadol in a supermarket and was quickly told aisle six.

“But he struggled to navigate the supermarket and as I watched him go in the wrong direction, I left all my groceries and took him where he needed to go,” she explained.

A few days later, she saw an elderly man who had “obviously had a fall” with a scrape and blood on his leg, be completely ignored by others nearby.

“He walked past people in the cafe, while he slowly made his way to his car,”Barbaro said. “Not one person stopped. Or looked. Or acknowledged him.”

The popular blogger said she took the man to his car and checked that he was OK, adding: “He told me he had a fall and wasn’t sure how the air con worked in his car so he just didn’t use it. I sat with him, until his air con kicked in and heard him talk about the old frail body that he is in, that fails him now, every single day.”

She then reminded readers to think about their grandparents or parents and how upset they would be if no one stopped to help them. Barbaro included a picture of herself holding a sign, which read: “One day it will be you.”

“They deserve our utmost respect and consideration,” she added.

It seems many readers could relate to the moving post as more than 150,000 Facebook users have liked it and 130,000 have shared it since it was published earlier this week. Several others flooded the comments writing about their own experiences with the elderly.

One woman explained that she recently saw an elderly man’s card get declined while trying to pay $47 for groceries so she “leant over and tapped” hers to pay for his food. “It’s small and means more to him than me and if I can help I will,” she wrote.

Another said she helped carry a “lovely” elderly lady’s shopping to her car, adding: “It didn’t hurt me, but it sure made me feel good.”

A third wrote: “Good on you! A while ago my sons and I were driving and saw an elderly man had fallen out of his motorised wheelchair. It had tipped over. We stopped and helped him back into chair.”

Others praised the post with many commenting how important the message is, with one writing: “You are amazing. Such an important issue to raise.”

Another added: “This post is one of a kind. Such beautiful replies from everybody. Congratulations to everybody that has help someone in need.”

What are your thoughts on this? Have you helped out an elderly person before? How did it make you feel?