Finally! Letter written.

 

It took several months, but I finally wrote a letter to the powers-that-be about those blasted monitors at a grannie client's senior residence.  

At first, it felt like simple procrastination - it's the rare person who LIKES writing a letter griping about something.  But the delay was educational.

My reluctance made me appreciate the hesitancy most older people - especially ones living in any sort of senior residence, even the very nicest - have about making a fuss.  

In my experience, no matter how serious the grievance, it can feel wiser to put up with the consequences than lodge a complaint.  Imagine that you live in a place - a lovely facility like my dear friend or in a less than wonderful "home" or even with family - where you more or less depend on others to get needs met.  What are the risks of kicking up a fuss, of being labeled a nuisance?  The temptation to let a concern or problem ride is huge, while the potential upside to raising gnarly issues can feel small.  Oldsters & the elderly often fear that being a "trouble-maker" could bring retribution.

Although I could have written months ago about my concern with news network programming glaring from four large monitors throughout the day - even just monitors streaming the most innocuous programming all day can have detrimental effects - am glad I waited until now.  It's jaw-dropping that the monitors were turned to news network programming on Christmas Day, when so many celebrate the Prince of Peace, and again on New Year's, when CNN & FOX News & MSNBC counted down the top stories of 2014.  YIKES!

Letter - written.  Copies to appropriate others within the power grid.  Copies to my grannie client's family, on whose behalf I was writing (ok, and to satisfy my own concerned curiosity).

Now comes the wait for the response.  Am interesting in hearing the WHYs.  The WHY behind installing oversize monitors in social areas.   The WHY behind keeping them tuned to news network programming.  The WHY to keeping the sound low or on mute, just the picture flitting across our eyeballs, relentless news ticker graphics lodging in our brains.  The WHY to having monitors in the once cozy casual dining room tuned to three different news networks during meal time  - hardly good for digestion. 

Stay tuned for the next installment of this continuing story!