Self-Worth and Aging

My compliments to David Larsen for his splendid article “The Aged Mind: More Care Needed” (Sept. 19).

There is one very important factor, however, that apparently was not considered at the two-day national conference at UCLA on mental health and aging. That very important factor covers the feelings of self-worth of the aging.

The thrill and excitement of life is in direct proportion to our ability to personally set goals and bring about their achievement no matter how small or large they may be. Some of the conditions that seem to work against the older person setting and achieving goals are:

--People begin to “help” us.

--Mates increase their dominance or dependence, making it more difficult to develop and live as individuals.

--We are displaced as heads and providers for families to being a dependent member of the family. These are roles which neither the parent or the young adult children are qualified to fill without guidance.

My desire in writing is that thought will be given in institutes, colleges and gerontological programs to explaining ways for the creative assumption of new roles facing our increasing numbers of aging persons.

HAROLD L. STALLINGS

Rancho Palos Verdes