Shakeela is the Chicago Bridge’s first Older Adult Guest Writer. We welcome her to the Chicago Bridge and thank her for her contributions. We hope all readers learn a valuable message from the voice(s) of those people we serve.

SHAKEELA SABA SIDDIQ (aka DORIS RIZOR), retired, has been a writer, both self-employed and employed, in fields of securities, law, architecture, medicine, and healthcare as well as being a public relations account executive and an electronic court reporter.  Throughout, she was heavily involved in social issues, such as counseling runaway girls, and civil rights, both physically in the streets and writing, being credited as one of the top 100 leaders in Illinois and being influential in the passage of open occupancy bill in Illinois legislature.

Empowered Aging:  Stories of Strength

July 4^th has recently come and gone, the celebration for supposedly all Americans for over two centuries of a cherished right, hard fought and costly in human life to win, the right seniors are still desperately seeking, and imploring others to assist in the accomplishment, to peacefully relax and enjoy:  INDEPENDENCE.

True, the healthy and well seniors now largely enjoy and independent lifestyle.  We are dealing here with the “un”well.

I some time ago dated a brilliant Indian law professor studying here on a Ford grant, who adamantly refused to stay on principally because of the treatment and situation of seniors in the U. S., a group revered and idolized in his country.  In the U.S. he perceived that seniors were viewed as a burden and that seniors were rightfully suspicious of every attempt of a stranger to assist them, for example, carrying grocery bags to their homes.  If only fellow citizens were likewise appalled.  Thus, these comments, categorized and serialized, are meant to perhaps enlighten those who have chosen unselfishly through education, employment and/or lifestyle, the difficult task of attempting to empower seniors.

The first major category is advising the need and assisting in building a support group, both for enjoyment socially and advice in many areas, but, equally or even more importantly, also to be a militant advocational force when the senior is unable for any reason to handle a serious situation or is overwhelmed by the “powers that be,” so to speak.

I have been blessed with a strong, capable support system that has proven to be very effective as a group and who have individually become my closest friends:  There are A) a social worker with a Masters degree who regularly visits representing Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly; B) a court reporter in federal district court I have known, and officed or worked with, for over a quarter century; and C) a Franciscan Brother who visited every week from Caring Connections for Seniors who has assisted me in many ways- with teaching prayerfulness, gratitude and patience, solving individual dilemmas (even at 81 years of age, one can still “grow”; how ‘bout that?).  Another “unofficial” member is my home health nurse who is a salient bolsterer.

An example of what a carefully selected group can do somewhat impinges upon future continued categories of empowerment.  Recently a doctor referred by the emergency room, one who only assisted me five or ten minutes every other day, determined without discussing it with me that I should recuperate in a nursing home and gave the order to the hospital social worker, who informed me.  I vehemently argued that no way whatsoever was I going to a facility in which I would feel disempowered, lacking the independence I so value- a place the Chicago Tribune and I, through a series of exposes, perceive to be neglectful and unsafe.  Someone visiting from my subsidized housing program relayed this to the head of the housing department at my program.  I was hand-delivered what can only be called a horrifying, nasty letter saying I would be expected to follow the doctor’s orders or I would be put back on the street, homeless again.  When I tried to explain the situation to her, she hung up the telephone.  This truly was a situation unable to be handled by me alone.

Member A contacted B and C and demanded a meeting in my room with the social worker.  In the meantime, I contacted my home health nurse of many years’ acquaintance who visited my home weekly on the behest of my primary doctor.  He stated that, based upon my health status, abilities, and strong support system I could safely “recuperate” at home.  Member A brought that verbal statement with her after confirming it.  The entire group was very insistent regarding their beliefs and those of my nurse.  The hospital social worker was flabbergasted, said she was never advised of any of these presentments, and discharged me to my home.

Independence won due to the empowerment provided by the support group. However, seniors should be literally “bugged,” constantly if necessary, to be realistic notwithstanding such success(es), should be reminded to be cautious not to jeopardize their state of health and well-being over-zealously chasing unrealistic independence.

Concomitant with a strong support group must be a modus operandi for rapid communication and interaction.  To be continued… …check back on the Chicago Bridge website for further articles on the topic of empowerment.