“The Golden Years are not so Golden” The lifestyle that many of us sees when we get older and retire, may not be the actual way we will be living. For most persons retirement means freedom, a freedom from taking orders from bosses, from waking up early during the week, and from competition and criticism. Seniors are free, but free to do what? (Bradford 46) Senior citizens face many hardships once they reach retirement and head into the “golden years.” Senior life may not be all that it is made out to be. People are not living like they are young having the times of their lives. Most of them face problems socially, medically, and economically. To some seniors all this freedom may come as a shock. All of a sudden there is time to do everything and anything they ever wanted. Some seniors can keep themselves socially active in the community, as long as transportation is available. But what happens if transportation is not there? As Jennifer Lenhart states, “the region’s outer suburbs it is not just school-aged children who are using local transportation, it’s grandma and grandpa, too.” For seniors having no means of transportation, weather it’s from being forced to sell there car, to having there license taken away, many problems arise. Lenhart reports, “Social Service agencies say they’re trying to help, but resources are already stretched thin, leaving little extra to pay for senior citizens and the transportation networks needed to help these older residents navigate there outlying suburbs.” (Lenhart B01). Transportation isn’t the only social drawback when reaching one’s golden years. Another social barrier in retirement years is being in the presence of a disabled person, or someone who is confined to their house. According to Grace Weinstein, if a senior citizen is confined to a home or disabled, others, such as family members would be affec...
