Those of us who hit 50 are the people who make up the backbone of this country and are our mothers, fathers and grandparents. We have a duty to these people, who have looked after us for so many years and have made this country great. Many of the elderly fought for our country in the first and second world wars and died for our freedoms and civil liberties.

Even those who did not fight still remember hardships from this time, a time when the whole country pulled together and everyone did there bit, whether working in factories or helping save iron. Despite all this though it doesn’t mean that the elderly are redundant, they are very much apart of this country and contributing members of society. Just because someone is old doesn’t mean that they’re past it, a lot of old people enjoy the same sort of quality of life that we do.

It is true that as medical science progresses we are living longer, but is it better to live or to survive? I think that living is more than surviving and should be treated accordingly. Lets help the elderly to do the things that they deserve and enjoy and help them to live the fulfilling lives that we so often take for granted.