BETTER NOW: At 65, I Want Everyone to Belong

That includes older people who are treated as if they're not wanted.

- BY KIM SAMUEL, AS TOLD TO SHANNEN ZITZ

After my father was injured in 1996, he was in a coma for three months, and we were unsure whether he'd wake up. Miraculously, he did-but with many disabilities. His insurance company did not cover his rehabilitation but would pay to put him into a nursing home where he would have no hope of recovering his independence. He was the same age I am now.

FIGHTING FOR BELONGING

I was extremely grateful that my family and I were able to fund his rehabilitation ourselves. Still, the marginalization and the ensuing isolation my father faced were terrible.