2025 Second Place Essay

Piper Hagley, Holy Cross Elementary School

As I stood next to my grandma’s bed, I could feel her fading away. My mom was whispering into my grandma’s ear, gently stroking her hair. My aunt stood at the foot of my grandma’s bed, adjusting her covers to make sure that she was warm. As I looked at my grandpa, I could see that his eyes were filled with tears. He held onto my grandma’s hand so tightly that it was like he was trying to keep her here on earth with the strength of his grasp. As my grandma took her last breath, my grandpa fell to his knees. My heart sank and I thought to myself, “who is going to take care of grandpa now that grandma is gone?”.

Getting old is a natural process. It’s during old age that people need the most care and love. Society tends to focus on protecting the lives of the unborn, but who is preserving the lives of our elderly? The Catechism says, “Family should live in such a way that its members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor.” (CCC 2208). Taking care of our elderly is a responsibility that we should all take on. The elderly deserve to lead fulfilling and happy lives just as much as we do. It is our moral duty to take care of them when they cannot care for themselves.

One of the best ways to care for the elderly is to simply spend time with them. Imagine sitting alone every day, doing the same things over and over, and not having anybody to talk to. That doesn’t sound very enjoyable to me. A person can make a huge difference in someone’s day by calling them, bringing them a sweet treat, or by sitting with them and listening to their stories. When I visit my grandpa, I like to watch golf and old Westerns with him. He’ll ask me how school is going, and he’ll tell me what it was like when he was growing up. Our older generation has lived through a lot, and they have a lot to teach us. We just need to take the time to listen.

Another great way to spend time with the elderly is to visit nursing homes. Nursing homes can get very lonely, and some of the residents don’t have any visitors. The residents often feel neglected and unhappy. Young people can bring so much joy to the residents by stopping by and saying hi, by playing a game with them, or by giving them a hug. You’d be surprised how much joy a hug can bring. People can also send cards. Everyone likes to get mail because it makes us feel special. When I visited my local nursing home, I sang Christmas carols and made Christmas cards with them. It was very special to see the smiles on their faces just from a simple act of kindness.

As we grow older, it gets more difficult to do daily tasks. Older people often feel overwhelmed by the tasks that they can no longer do. We can help by doing chores for them, helping with yard work, or by running errands for them. In doing this, we show them that we care about them. I know my grandpa always has a long list of things for us to do every time my family visits, and he is always very thankful for the help.

Older people also struggle with financial stability. They often don’t have the money to buy the things that they need, like food, clothes, and medicine. As a society, it is up to us to provide the elderly with items that they cannot afford. Our parents and grandparents spent years providing for us, now it’s our turn to provide for them. Whether it’s with our own money, or with the help of an outside organization, it’s our responsibility to make sure the elderly have the basic necessities of life.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, the youth seem to have forgotten their moral responsibility for their elders. Psalm 71:9 states, “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” This passage calls on us to care for our elders and to give them the love and care that they deserve. God does not abandon us in our time of need, so we shouldn’t abandon the elderly in their time of need.