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Day 323 - Not so Deep Thoughts
Nov. 23rd, 2011 05:37 pmToday I had a chance to think about two things - old age and how much we take for granted.
While I was running errands we had to stop at a cross walk for people to cross. One of those people was a gentlemen who was probably in his late 80s. His gait was very slow and shuffling and I was just thinking to myself that I really admired him because if I were only able to walk that slowly; I just wouldn't bother walking at all - which would only make the problem worse - when I realized that NO ONE in the lane next to us was stopping for him.
I was horrified. He shuffled to the edge of our car and then had to stand there waiting for the next lane to clear. Now I don't know how it is in other places but here you're supposed to do what they call clearing the crosswalk, which means if you're driving and someone enters the cross walk you're supposed to stop and let them cross, even if there's no pedestrian light. The really shocking thing about this was that there was a light and it was green for him but because he was SLOW and people are idiots, I guess they just figured they'd drive by. Sigh.
Then my driver made a comment about how he shouldn't be walking; he should have a scooter. And it annoyed me so I said, not everyone can afford a scooter. The response was well it's only a thousand dollars. Now I've just done a quick google and the going rate seems to be anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000. Because of my job I know that you can write them off on your tax... BUT ONLY if you would have otherwise been wheelchair bound. So it's not clear whether they would allow you to write it off if you actually have mobility but CHOOSE to use a scooter.
And I don't know if insurance would cover them. The whole medical equipment thing is a tenuous one since each insurance company seems to have differing ideas about whats considered medical equipment. For example, they would not cover my CPAC machine even though the manufacturer said the machines were considered for medical use.
And not everyone has a great pension that allows them the ability to buy whatever necessities they desire.
We like to think we're so advanced as a society but I don't know that we've progressed that much further than packing up the village and leaving the old ones behind.
While I was running errands we had to stop at a cross walk for people to cross. One of those people was a gentlemen who was probably in his late 80s. His gait was very slow and shuffling and I was just thinking to myself that I really admired him because if I were only able to walk that slowly; I just wouldn't bother walking at all - which would only make the problem worse - when I realized that NO ONE in the lane next to us was stopping for him.
I was horrified. He shuffled to the edge of our car and then had to stand there waiting for the next lane to clear. Now I don't know how it is in other places but here you're supposed to do what they call clearing the crosswalk, which means if you're driving and someone enters the cross walk you're supposed to stop and let them cross, even if there's no pedestrian light. The really shocking thing about this was that there was a light and it was green for him but because he was SLOW and people are idiots, I guess they just figured they'd drive by. Sigh.
Then my driver made a comment about how he shouldn't be walking; he should have a scooter. And it annoyed me so I said, not everyone can afford a scooter. The response was well it's only a thousand dollars. Now I've just done a quick google and the going rate seems to be anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000. Because of my job I know that you can write them off on your tax... BUT ONLY if you would have otherwise been wheelchair bound. So it's not clear whether they would allow you to write it off if you actually have mobility but CHOOSE to use a scooter.
And I don't know if insurance would cover them. The whole medical equipment thing is a tenuous one since each insurance company seems to have differing ideas about whats considered medical equipment. For example, they would not cover my CPAC machine even though the manufacturer said the machines were considered for medical use.
And not everyone has a great pension that allows them the ability to buy whatever necessities they desire.
We like to think we're so advanced as a society but I don't know that we've progressed that much further than packing up the village and leaving the old ones behind.
