After spending an afternoon interviewing my elderly father-in-law, I gained insight into how he perceives the aging process and the impact on the quality of his life. First, and foremost he viewed aging in a very positive and healthy manner. He believes that a positive attitude assists in accepting physical and psychosocial changes and enjoyed the fact that he and his wife are both physically fit and cognitively alert. He felt confident that advances made in health care and the quality of their lives would continue to be empowering. He enjoys the benefits of being a senior citizen including discounted travel, free education, and other incentives marketed towards seniors. He expressed a sense of well-being with respect to the numerous housing options geared towards the graying population, such as Retirement Villages, and assisted living. However, the subjects of Long Term Care, Social security reform and government involvement in health care reform were subjects he regarded with very strong negative emotions. During the interview these issues as related to his experiences with health care were discussed with zeal and frustration. Ron is my father-in-law; he is seventy-seven years young and lives in Smallville with his wife. They live independently in a sprawling 4,500 foot custom built cape style home. Ron was the oldest of three siblings and was raised in a farming town by his father who was a disabled war veteran in poor health and a feisty Italian mother. Ron had the opportunity to complete high school and receive the gift of learning to work with his hands as a master finish carpenter. He worked on many farms as a young boy during the summers of high school to help support his family; he is no stranger to working very ... ... middle of paper ... ... a better understanding of what everyone needs especially the elders over the age of 65 living in the United States. As a nation we know it is time for reform, we will get involved and make our opinions count and cry out for access and affordable health care for all. References Chait, Jonathan. (April, 1999). Countdown to Reform: The Great Social Security Debate. Washington Monthly. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_4_31/ai_54367642/print Marshall, Will and Martin Schram. (1993) , Mandate for Change. New York: Berkley Books. Reynolds, Sean.(2004). Privatization of Social Security. National Parliamentary Debate Workshop. Retrieved from http://www.willamette.edu/cla/rhetoric/workshop/DebateResearch/shaunreed.doc Spitzer-Resnick, Jeffrey.(1987), Your Real Medicare Handbook. Madison, Wisconsin: Center for Public Representation.
The Canadian population is graying at a steady pace, adding thousands of seniors above the age of 65 in the population charts year after year. This segment of the population needs special attention due to its social, emotional, health, and dwelling needs. Continued growth in the size of aging population is putting pressure on the economy, health care system, and living space for seniors. Planners and policy makers need to pay immediate attention to the issue as it is going to affect all Canadians in the years to come.
...ral, and social benefits to be reaped, and so it is important for our government to continue down this path its started and also important for Americans to provide our full support. There is much to overcome to completely reverse the direction of the health system, and I’m sure it will take many years for the results to pay off, but I’m glad we’ve at least provided the groundwork for future generations to build on.
In the early 1940’s Marie was born into a small tight knit family living in a small rural Kentucky town. Marie is now in her seventies and has led a very interesting life traveling the country, raising four children, and shaping her chosen profession. Our interview sessions were conducted over a period of time, as Marie is very active and has little “free time” to spare.
Mrs. Maxine represents my archetypal view of the healthy "seasoned citizen." Maxine is a Caucasian female born in rural, Mullens, West Virginia in 1926. She is the only child of a Southern Baptist, "middle class" family. Joseph Hammond, her father, was a farmer. Her mother, Ruby, was a "full-time parent" and prided herself on "running the house." Maxine explained that farmers wife's were routinely responsible for the day-to-day operations of the household. Her Southern Baptist faith was complements of her parents and minister grandfather.
Within the health care arena there is a growing concern about the needs of the elderly.
Ralph Waldo Emerson alleged the statement that “it is time to be old, to take in sail.” But what, in fact, does it mean to be old? Does it mean to be wrinkly, feeble, and grumpy? Or does it mean to be happy, successful, and satisfied? It is without a doubt that today’s culture has set many stereotypes and classifications on old age. In this paper, I will address many topics on how old age is defined. First of all, I will describe the ways in which the elderly are perceived in both my culture and my family. Second of all, I will state how my experiences with the elderly have affected my attitude on aging. Third, I will illustrate what I both fear and look forward to in aging. And last but not least, I will explain my thoughts on how a person would meet the criteria for aging well.
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
...er as they dread the aftermath of joining the care centers more so when they consider autonomy. Nonetheless, with changing times and administration of the checkpoints above, the feeling and approach of geriatrics is bound to change and individuals will henceforth look forward to old age.
Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.
The results of this project were derived from a series of interviews and surveys that were distributed among selected local health care institutions such as Assisted Livings, Nursing homes as well as group homes. Reports were also gathered from online sources such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration site. As America's population ages, the need for mental and behavioral health services continues to increase. Public Health professionals are playing a critical role in addressing this situation and part of this is to determine any correlation with lifestyle or socio-economic background.17 Psychologists are studying and treating the mental and behavioral problems associated with growing old, such as loss of spouse, loss
The lifespan stage I would find most difficult to work with in a health and human services setting would be older adulthood. Older adults have been born and developed within a different generation which means it can be hard for someone like me to connect with their beliefs, language and culture. Older adults often have a lot of experience which can be intimidating. Their levels of experience could then lead to them not valuing my opinion and service that I am providing. Most times that I talk to older adults I am listening as I attempt to absorb as much of their wealth of knowledge on life that I can. Older people often have stereotypes of being ‘the angry old man’ or ‘the angry old woman’ who continues to be angry no matter the situation. Older people are often vulnerable to memory loss but also behaviour changes which could impact my
A term used for elders is aged, which is having reached a specific age (McKenzie & Pinger, 2015, p.273). Another term used for elders is aging, which means getting older. Some elders live in assisted-living facilities, which provides an alternative to long-term care in a nursing hoe. They also can live in retirement communities, which are areas that have been specifically developed for those in their retirement years (McKenzie & Pinger, 2015, p.288). For elders, health care is a major issue for them. Since they are older, they develop more health problems and that causes them to use the health care system
This psychosocial theory is one of the main reasons why ‘changing the way America ages’ is what American Senior Assistances Programs is all about. Many elders want to look back on their life and enjoy what they have done. However, not everyone is as fortunate to grow old and healthy. This could mean that many elders begin to see signs in decreasing health and become incompetent. Therefore, caregivers, care managers, or even guardians have to be appointed in order to take care of the elders
Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief, all will go through the aging process. However, how well each endures that process depends on the individual. After my Visit at English Oaks Convalescent Home, a skilled nursing facility for adults’ age 55 and older, I found this to be true. During my visit, I conversed with many “residents” whom were alert and oriented and very aware of the aging process. We conversed about the process of aging and the factors that appear to account for a longer life. We talked about adjusting to aging as well as the positives of growing old. After my visit, I realized that we all age at different rates and aging is a highly individual process that affects people in unpredictable ways.
The phases that elderly people go through in their life leave them exposed to physical and emotional vulnerability. The elderly face many challenges in day to day life, from physical and emotional difficulties to stereotypes propagated in the media. In the face of such stereotypes, the elderly population often behaves in a way expected of them. The elderly are forced to devise methods to cope with these challenges if they are to fulfil the last stage of their life journey in a positive manner. Either by putting a positive spin on situations or by receiving support of family and healthcare professionals, the elderly must learn to live with the unique challenges that face them at this critical stage of their life.