A question - What significantly older man or woman has the slightest genuine interest in looking at very large television monitors bristling throughout the day & evening hours with (predominantly) news shows (predominantly Fox) with the sound turned to mute?
Does it catch their attention? Most certainly. But without sound, what use is served?
It's doubtful that many/any mental health care professionals would consider the massive television screens, totally dominating a once cozy dining space (where the original large-screen monitor is tucked into a recessed area, to reduce intrusion) & the entry to the main public area. Who would argue against findings that television - even on a regular set, even in the privacy of an oldster's home - is detrimental to the elderly? Even the best television series & specials. But news networks? You don't need a medical degree or PhD to know how dire the consequences of being involuntarily pelted with such programming.
Watching television - any television - does succeed in numbing the senses, but it does so without any of the benefits of relaxing the body. Our entire system is on alert whenever we watch the telly - so much more so when we watch news shows. And while it can feel to someone of any age that television engages their attention, what they might not realize is that while when television does, most certainly, engage our senses, it's with the sort of energy that wears thin & wears down after a short period of time, whatever the viewer's age, from toddler to centenarian.
More than a fairly short amount of even the best, most enriching television programming fills us up with negative vibrations. It just does. Imagine what damage is done by four screens turned to four different channels, most or all with the sound turned down.
If I can come up with a solid list of reasons why the elderly should not be submitted to such a physical visual emotional bombardment, imagine how many a trained health care professional could tick off!
No comments:
Post a Comment