Persuasive Essay

Dear Little Nanny,

          You have been staying in the upstairs room since the house was built in 1970, and I understand that staying upstairs in that room brings back lots of good memories. At one time there was you, your husband, and four children staying in the house, but now three of the children have grown up; one child and an incredible husband/father have passed away, and now it is just you and a twelve year old Bearded Collie. Please consider allowing my dad, Duncan, and Joe to move your things to the downstairs room that you and your husband built for the two of you when you were no longer able to go up the stairs. I want you to consider this because I love you and I don’t know what I would do if you fell down the stairs and passed away when the family could have prevented it.

          You are retired and have no earned income to pay for bills. If you lived downstairs you wouldn’t have to run the lights, and the heating and air conditioning so your electricity bill would be lower because you would be using less electricity.

            You like having a nice, clean house and you love having family over at holidays; we all love getting together. You wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning what is now the guest room because we would all know that it is your room.

          I really want you to move downstairs because I don’t want you to fall and get hurt. Falling is to be taken seriously among elderly Americans. Someone’s risk for falling is doubled every five years after they reach the age of fifty. More than 350,000 elderly Americans fall each year. Only about a quarter of elders that fall fully recover, and of the people who do recover half of them will need a cane or walker. Nearly twenty percent will die within the next year of their fall. An elder’s home is where almost sixty percent of falls occur. (Smith) One in three Americans older than sixty-five fall each year. About thirty percent of falls needs medical attention. In 2005, just under half a million elderly people were hospitalized due to a fall, that same year one point eight million older Americans were sent to a doctor to be treated, and a little over 16,000 Americans died due to a fall. (Philips)

            
          Please consider this letter in making a decision soon. It is in your best interest to move downstairs for a lower electricity bill, less upkeep, and most importantly for safety. I hope you will consider it.

Sincerely,                   

Samantha McIver

 

Works Cited

Smith, Ian K., M.D. “No Fall Insurance.” Times 29 Jan. 2001: Web. 17 Sept.2012.

Philips, Cheryl, Dr. "Falls Are Top Cause of Injury, Death Among Elderly." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 19 July 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/19/AR2008071900814.html>.