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Reflection on volunteer experience
Community service experience reflection
Cultural diversity in interpersonal relationships
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I spent roughly thirty hours volunteering at Martin Luther Campus, during which I got to take a part in many experiences that were alien to me. Through participant observations, I was able to interview residents and draw out information that I would otherwise be unable to get if I used a “fly on the wall” approach. There were many things I witnessed, and experienced first hand, that made me very uncomfortable. Whether they were “bad” or “good is irrelevant, as I found that the things that made me the most uncomfortable tended to be the most relevant to this class. By keeping track of my experiences in my journals, I was able to to revisit my experiences once I obtained a more objective view. This helped me interpret my experiences as an anthropologist, rather than as an anxious nineteen year old. There were certain isolated experiences that had an impact on me, but there were also subtle trends that I began to notice over time. For instance, I noticed trends among the way the caregivers treated the residents. The conclusions and question I came up with regarding the topic were as important, if not more so, than memorable interactions with residents. One common theme I saw at Martin Luther Campus was loneliness. Often times, it was extreme loneliness. I recall a particular time in which I was wheeling an elderly woman named Agnes back to her room from the ice cream social they hold ever Thursday. Once we were in her room, I asked her if she was doing okay, and if she needed anything. She responded “How can I be okay? All I do is sit in this room all day. No one comes to visit me. All there is to do is sleep and watch TV”. Then, some time later, she asked me to open the blinds on the window, because she liked to watch the birds ... ... middle of paper ... ... the type of care given to the residents was appropriate, and I began to rethink that it was necessarily bad for the residents. Although there is no black-and-white answer to these topic and questions, I personally believe that every human being should be treated with respect they deserve, and in the case of the elderly, I would imagine that it boosts their self esteem, and would perhaps make their lives happier. We as Americans must examine other cultures to evaluate our own treatment of the elderly. The Vedic culture teaches us to revere the elderly, and many other cultures, both past and present, have given the proper respect to the older portion of their populations (Gormally, Human Dignity and Respect for the Elderly) I believe it is time that modern Western cultures examine their views on the elderly, and whether they are actually beneficial to their societies.
are forced to live off of. What happens if there is not enough to go
Each day, almost everyone in the world comes in contact with an older adult. For the purpose of this paper, an older adult is a man or woman who is over the age of 65. Although they are seen regularly in society, have you ever stopped to notice how older adults are treated and portrayed in on-screen media? Most people who watch television have started to notice the quantity and quality of older adult characters over the years. During the era of television shows such as The Golden Girls, older men and women were almost always in a featured role. They were also portrayed in a positive light. As years have passed, older adults are becoming less frequent in on screen media such as television. When they are cast as characters, they are portrayed as needy, annoying, and a complete burden. This paper will explore the different types of messages and representations the media communicates about older adulthood.
Bookman and Kimbrel acknowledge the gap between financial status as well as culture and race, they stated, “.because elders are widely diverse by race and socioeconomic status, their families attach differing cultural meanings to care and have widely different resources with which to accomplish their care goals” (2011). Thus, creating the large gap seen in nursing home facilities. Specifically, cultures like the Chinese maintain traditions like filial piety, in which the adult children must care for their elderly parent (Li & Buechel, 2007). This type of culture defines the line between those who view nursing homes as ideal and those who prefer a separate form of older adult care.
There are several populations that interest me however possible preferences include families that deal with domestic abuse and those who are disabled. Working with families that have experienced domestic violence is an interest because in the past I had friends whose family was dealing domestic violence and the impact could clearly in all members of the family. Seeing the difference that was made by those who worked to help their family made this population a preference. Another population that is a possible preference is are those who are disabled. The interest to help those who were disabled started when a faculty called Edelweiss opened. Up to that point there had been no interaction with those who lead different lives than myself. Through the year that was spent volunteering the changes in those that had lessons became obvious. Being able to see the achievements of those who had lessons made it a continued interest. In the past couple of years a new side of this interest was shown. There is someone that is a close friend who is disabled because of seizures who has had trouble with employers. Seeing how she has been treated made it even clearer that this population needs help and has made it a continued interest professionally and personally.
“If I can buy enough pills, cream, and hair, I can avoid becoming old” (Esposito, 1987). Western cultures are champions of stigmatizing the complex, delicate, remarkable process that is aging. Generally, people rely on physical cues to categorize each other in races, genders, and ages. What comes to mind immediately when the word “old” or “elderly” comes about? Quick identifiers like white hair, wrinkles, and slow-moving, are always associated with the elderly. Simply, the labels that are given i.e. elderly, old people, seniors, and senior citizens contribute to the categorization of this group of people. Like prejudice or discrimination, “ageism” refers to the adverse attitudes, stereotypes, and behaviors focused toward older adults based
As the years pass and we began to age we all notice a change and this change that comes is not the apparent physical change but rather the attitudes and personification people have as we enter our old age. It seems as though, as we begin to age we notice that a sense of respect begins to build from the younger generation. According to the book “social perspectives on aging, “ it states that ‘today most social gerontologists prefer activity theory, which assumes that older people benefit both themselves and their society if they remain active and try to continue to perform the roles they had before they aged.” In other words the elderly are benefiting from what they built on their own over their lifetime and they are also benefiting from society
Physical Factors are a big part of how old age is portrayed in both of
My experience on the service-learning trip to Guanajuato, Mexico was one where I connected information to experience to gain true wisdom and knowledge about the people, culture, and world view of Mexico. When I began the class portion of this experience, I was unsure of how the background information on the history of Mexico we were required to read would influence my service-learning experience in Guanajuato. What I expected of the trip was assisting in and teaching some English to a class of preschoolers-all other experiences would be extraneous and `touristy.' I poured over the readings and classroom information anyway, assuming that even if it would not be useful on this service-learning trip, it was interesting information that I could apply to my Spanish major. I quickly found out once in Guanajuato that the information learned in class would apply in nearly every way to my experience, and the synthesis of it with my experiences would change my opinion of the volunteer work I was doing, throw off my understanding of myself and my goals, make me reevaluate the motives of my future students and my country, and develop a greater understanding of the Mexican perspective.
The double standard of aging is, as women get older they are seen as less useful, less attractive, you could even say “washed up”. Whereas, men are seen as mentally and financially stable, wise and powerful. Society see’s women as this “young spring chicken” who can do anything, take care of others, create life; typically young women are seen as sexier, more fun and livelier. As women age, they are portrayed as mean, boring, not as sexy, or even useless. On the other hand, society sees men as they age as strong, powerful, sexier, and even wiser; typically younger men are seen as immature, broke, and useful for great sex as “they are in their prime”. This is what the double standard of aging looks like. This is also how the unwritten rule of
The Social Security Act of 1935 was established in order to help Americans receive benefits when they retire or in the event that they are not able to work anymore. All Americans who work pay taxes, which in turn are put into the Social Security system. When this act was passed, it was meant to supplement a person's income, when reaching the age of retirement. This money would add to their pensions or savings. Many retirees now depend on it as their only source of income. In the past, the majority of jobs had pensions and the employee contributed to it. In modern society, pensions are no longer the norm in jobs as they were 50 years ago. Blue collar jobs are more than likely to not have any sort of pension plan as opposed to white collar jobs. Not all people receive the same amount of money when they retire. Depending on the salary you earned when working, that will determine how much you will receive in your monthly Social Security check. A person who has worked at low paying jobs in their lifetime will barely receive enough in Social Security. Many of our elderly in the United States barely receive enough money that many elderly live below or just barely above the poverty level.
“You are only as old as you feel”. Everyone at some time in life has heard this saying. People are more and more resisting the idea of aging. In Betty Friedan’s book, The Fountain of Age (1993), she suggests that a new stage in life is emerging from this trendy resistance of growing old. Many people have tried to put a label on the trend. It has been called the “third-age”, “encore years”, and even referred to as the “second missionary journey”. This time of life that is being referenced is the period of late adulthood. Psychologists, such as Erik Erikson, have referred to this stage in life as a period of new identity. Throughout life, each new experience, each gain or loss, requires a reassessment of one’s identity. The idea of who am I, is often challenged in old age. (Berger, 2008). The days of being able to socially define who we are, by what we do have passed and now it is time to begin that “second missionary journey”. Different from the psychological perspective of aging and this life course, sociologists focus in on ideas of how changes in culture and times have brought about this new “third age”. Their explanations are based mainly on the concepts of generations, such as the “baby boomers” of the twentieth century. Through this distinct concept, the new stage of late adulthood can be better explored and further explained. The areas of who these people are, what they do, and what drives them to do it are of most interest to those not experiencing the same changes. Late adulthood is no longer a site of poverty in the cycle of life, but instead is a chance to redefine oneself as an agent of social change.
Negative cultural attitudes continue to also attribute to the notion that older people are sexless impairing the idea that one could have enjoyable sex later in life (Deacon, Minichiello, & Plummer, 1995). Gerontological research has been able to show that having positive attitudes and being knowledgeable towards a person’s sexuality influences a more positive sexual experience in later life. Deacon et al. (1995) reviewed psychosocial and physiological factors that influenced sexual expressions of older people and found that both cultures and physiological factors were key determinants. “Although sex roles have changed and there has been more freedom of sexual expression since the 1960s, the stereotypes that older people are physically
America is a country where everyone is free to live however they like, but it is possible for some people to live a happy life, if no one is around to take care of them. Nearly three hundred million people reside in the America, and out of those three hundred million populations, senior citizens make a 12 percent of the entire population. A senior citizen is commonly known as a person who is over the age of 65 and living on retirement, or known as social security benefits (Census Bureau). Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt implied the act of Social Security in 1935, seniors are regularly provided a financial help, but seniors, along with financial help, seeks also accompany of someone who can look after them. Because of constantly growing needs of senior citizens, government as well as many non-profit organizations is working on helping seniors. Therefore I decided to research on this particular issue in my community, and I found that 64.5% of seniors are living alone in metropolitan area of Atlanta.
People’s lives are changed every day by their actions and experiences. This past summer, I participated in a community service project, an experience that opened my eyes in many ways. I was a volunteer at the County Memorial Hospital. In my time as a volunteer at the hospital, I was able to meet patients and staff members from all over the world and learn about their life experiences. Listening to all of their stories has made me truly appreciate everything which I have.
As a young girl in West Africa, Liberia, seeing oppression and living through poverty developed my love for interventions and social services. My years of acclimating to American culture have enabled me to engage in my education and earn responsible positions such as a resident assistant (RA), and president of the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville’s Black Student Union organization. To effectively sustain my positions, I became accustom to wearing many hats on any given day and setting boundaries. These skills have helped me to prepare myself as a future social worker by allowing me to aide people outside the traditional consulting and medical settings while accepting the limits of what can be accomplished during a specified period