In the wake of the chaotic disaster that was Hurricane Irma, I have been pondering on the poor elderly people who have died in the Florida nursing home, the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. In South Florida, while the power grid was down following the storm, the residents of this nursing home were stuck inside with no AC. After a call to Florida Power and Light and an inadvisable decision to not evacuate the facility, the temperatures and stakes started rising. The needs of the people in the care of the facility were largely ignored until it was too late-10 people have died so far from overheating from being left in the stifling building for days after the storm.

In today’s day and age, society tends to either forget about or not properly respect the elderly people around us. As I have an extremely close relationship with one of my grandmas, and as I live with my Abuelo and Abuela, this hurts my heart. There is so much we as younger people can learn from these elders who have lived longer and lived fuller than we have. This age bracket has the potential to pass along so many nuggets of wisdom, all we need do in return is listen and care. By doing these simple things, we can add not only to the life of an elderly person but also to our own lives. Without my grandparents in my life, there are several key lessons that I might not have learned. But having them around and listening to and caring about what they have to say has equipped me to go through life as a stronger person.

My Grandma taught me to always make everyone around me feel at home. Everyone who visits should be fed whether they want to be or not (thanks for the diet help, Grandma). A kitchen in use is a warm kitchen, and a warm kitchen creates a warm home which in turn creates a warm heart. My Grandma taught me the importance of not apologizing for things that are not my fault. If I spend most of my time apologizing for things outside of my control, I will be blamed by those around me for things outside of my control, and I will be buried under a pile of blame I can’t get out from under. She showed me different ways to express sympathy for those around me without inadvertently placing the blame on myself.

My Abuela taught me to always be confident in myself. The only person’s approval I need is my own. She has shown me that I should not be afraid to be fully myself, anytime, any place. She taught me to be unapologetic about my ways. If all I do is try to shape myself towards other people’s expectations, I will eventually lose myself, which is more tragic than the possibility of making a few enemies along the way. My Abuela taught me to always remember my roots. She always tells me stories about her life, about where she came from, and about what she has gone through, and she is proud of each story she tells. The events that she speaks of helped shape her, and she loves every single one of them which helps her love herself.

My Abuelo taught me to always speak the truth about how I am. Even if I am not doing great, it is better to say that than it is to try and cover that up. He taught me it’s ok to not feel 100% great 100% of the time. I have been shown through him that it is ok to admit to needing help. He taught me that my well-being is worth worrying about. My Abuelo taught me the greatness of a witty joke at the right time. There is nothing more unexpectedly funny than a well-placed quip, whether it be towards myself or towards someone else. He’s shown me that sometimes, all a person needs is a joke to brighten up their day. Laughter is the good for the soul, and seeing those you love laughing is a wonderful sight that can make you yourself feel better and happier.

In short, people older and wiser than us can be some of our greatest teachers and assets. The fact that it took so long to help the people in that hot, powerless nursing home after this strong force of nature hit is appalling. We need to stop our tendency to shove elderly people into a corner when really, we should set them front and center. It’s time for our society to stop overlooking such a large group of our population, and to start celebrating their long life and their wisdom.