Article July 31, 1971 Issue

Companionship: Yours for the Giving

MARIA J. TURNOCK

Pablo Casals remarked in a recent interview:

"On my last birthday I was 93 years old. That is not young, of course.... But age is a relative matter. If you continue to work and to absorb the beauty in the world about you, you find that age does not necessarily mean getting old. At least, not in the ordinary sense. I feel many things more intensely than ever before, and for me life grows more fascinating.... Work and interest in worthwhile things are the best remedy for age. Each day I am reborn. Each day I must begin again."^{Joys and Sorrows: Reflections by Pablo Casals as told to A. E. Kahn, pp. 15, 17;}

Senior citizens are full-time human beings who do not need to feel inferior or incompetent. Scholarship, creative work, absorbing interests, are maintained at high levels by many. Privacy and a sense of independence are cherished. Such citizens have not agreed to grow old. They are wonderful companions to every age level.

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