Sadly, today’s society is not always geared towards the elderly.
Whether it’s the care homes lacking in proper care, the elderly living in poverty, or the politicians completely ignoring the elderly.
Or at least, that’s what recently happened in Toronto, Canada.
When it was clear that a community garden had been established in a neighborhood in Toronto where many elderly residents lived, the idea was welcomed with cheers.
But that joy quickly turned into anger.
It soon became apparent that the city had forgotten to build stairs, making it difficult and dangerous for the elderly to access the garden. Among the reported incidents was a man who fell and broke his hand.
The local elderly residents asked the city for a simple set of stairs… And you can imagine their surprise when the city refused.
A politician explained that it would cost between 65 and 150 thousand dollars to build a new set of stairs, apparently too much for the city to bear.
So one resident, Adi Astl, took matters into his own hands and built a set of stairs in 14 hours, for 550 dollars.
End of story?
Not at all!
The city, while grateful for Adi’s good work, realized that the stairs did not meet the requirements – and decided to demolish the stairs.
“Ultimately the city has a responsibility. We have to be sure that our public spaces meet certain safety standards,” Justin Di Ciano told Global News.
Of course, this only angered the elderly residents in the neighborhood even more.
But in the end, the city did come through. They did not spend the exorbitant amount mentioned earlier, and instead built a set of stairs for a more affordable 10 thousand dollars.
The city began construction immediately so that the elderly residents could finally have their stairs.
Even Mayor John Tory called Adi Astl, whose stairs were demolished.
“I want to thank Mr. Astl for taking a stand. His homemade stairs sent a message that I know was heard loud and clear,” Mayor John Tory said, according to Global News.
Watch a TV news broadcast about the incident here:
Our elderly should not have to fight to have things right in the first place. They deserve to always be treated with RESPECT.
Share this article as an example of how older people should NOT be treated!
