"Doing right by our elders means, at minimum, giving them our presence, attention, and compassion—in short, our loyalty."
CHICAGO, IL, October 06, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The loss of an elderly loved one is often tragic, but it was the moments leading up to his grandfather's death that impacted Thomas Hallman the most. In the essay that won him the Pintas & Mullins Quality of Life Scholarship, Hallman detailed his regrets regarding how he treated his grandfather as a teenager.
Hallman writes that he "forgot about him, ignored his inconveniencing existence." After his grandfather passed away, he ruminated on the good times, the love his grandfather had for him, and his regret for not showing his appreciation for him while he was still alive.
Thomas Hallman just finished up his senior year at Houghton College, where he graduated with a degree in Christian Theology. It was at Houghton that he came across the notion of loyalty that he now finds integral to his ideas on improving the quality of life for the elderly.
"Doing right by our elders means, at minimum, giving them our presence, attention, and compassion—in short, our loyalty," writes Hallman.
This is a threefold commitment that involves pressing into familial commitments, pressing into the elder communities in our immediate surroundings (such as religious groups, neighborhoods, etc.), and reaching out to isolated groups of elders, such as those in nursing homes.
"Instead of depending on the elderly to come to us, we ought to go to them," Hallman writes. We can accomplish this through building "relational openness," committing to activities that involve a wide range of age groups, or simply singing Christmas carols to local nursing home residents.
Hallman, now attending Asbury Theological Seminary, is the recipient of Pintas & Mullins' $2,500 Quality of Life Scholarship for his thoughtful essay on how to improve the lives of the elderly and show them respect. Or, as he would say, Loyalty.
Pintas & Mullins is a personal injury law firm with decades of experience serving clients across the nation. The firm has long been a champion of the elderly, handling litigation in a variety of nursing home abuse and medical malpractice claims. In light of its dedication to helping the elderly, the firm established its Quality of Life Scholarship to highlight students who champion ways to improve their lives.
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