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.
Elderly Culture and Nursing Homes Nursing homes offer a wide range of long-term care assistance for older adults to be able to meet their everyday needs. Older adults from different cultural backgrounds experience conflict with their decision to participate in a nursing home, catalyzing the underlying stigma different cultures hold towards nursing homes. In many cultures, older adults look for family as their primary source of care. However, when their needs cannot be met due to disability and mental health issues, it begins to take a toll on the person’s instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). IADLs are complex daily actions that are needed to live (Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2015).
are old.” Individuals should have some understanding of the of what the term ageism but maybe
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.
are forced to live off of. What happens if there is not enough to go
There are some major and minor differences and similarities between the first article, “Age Difference,” and the second article, “Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice Against Older Persons.” The topic for both of the articles was age in our society, which was one of the few similarities between these articles. Both of the articles as showcased statistics and useful quotations. Everything else about these two articles were different. The first article’s main focus was the different viewpoints of a person at work, at different stages of their lives. And how a company deals with multiple generations of workers working together under one roof, and wanting different benefits. Each generation of works have a different expectation that their company
As a non-academic pursuit, I have volunteered at a Vera Davis community family source center for nearly four years. Volunteering at this facility has helped me develop critical thinking skills, as well as social and professional skills. Within this center I have the responsibility to provide free resources to people in need. For example, free food giveaway, distribution of bus tokens, computer services, taxes, and tutoring for children K-12. Throughout my experience at Vera Davis I learned uncountable values and boundaries that transforms socialization to a different level. I enjoy being around people because they make me feel alive, but most importantly because I know that by helping them I am improving as a person. Vera Davis evoked a deep
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.
Ageism is prejudice in which people are categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age (Berger, 2008). Our western culture has embedded ageism into our everyday lives, and we may not be able to identify the ageist behavior when it occurs. Older adults are frequently given negative labels such as senile, sad, lonely, poor, sexless, ill, dependent, demented, and disabled. (McGuire, Klein, Shu-Li, 2008) It is inevitable that we will experience decline in physical and mental capacities. However, the timing, quality, and degree of the aging process are highly variable and very different for each individual. General assumptions and stereotypes about aging are harmful to individual senior adults and do not benefit society.
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.
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
Late Adulthood and Death Paper Analyzing late adulthood and the death of an individual as a culmination of the life span development process one must understand late adulthood consists of. This paper will give a brief overview of ageism and stereotypes associated with late adulthood. This will explain how health and wellness techniques in the late adulthood stages can mitigate the negative effects of aging. As people age, the social views and experiences change in relationships and interactions with people, as they near the end of life. When closely approaching the end of life, a person has cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity in late adulthood.
It seems that your encounter with M.L. was a interesting one. I must say that living to 100 years of age is nothing less than remarkable. She definitely should be allow to eat and do whatever she likes. She seems like a quiet lady with , no-nonsense having demeanor. At times when we as healthcare providers want to make ourselves comfortable with the strangers that we are just meeting we have to be mindful in the way we do it. Some joke, giggle or use terms of endearment like, "sweetie" or "honey" or "doll". This is not approrpriate and is not always appreciated by the patient. It is important to know that most of the patients we will be providing care for are from another generation. What we do during this modern
“The Golden Years? You've got to be kidding...(Nelson)” Ageism is the main influence for how older people view the aging process. Despite stereotypes, today, for the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. A longer life represents an important opportunity, not only for older people and their families, but also for societies as a whole. Additional years provide the chance to pursue new activities such as further education or a long-neglected passion, while continuing to make valuable contributions to family and community.
While volunteering there, I was placed in a local long-term care home for the elderly. This experience was highly beneficial. Working along side, nurses, care aids and other health care professionals was my first view inside the “system”. Volunteering at the Care Home, did not necessarily make up my mind on the field of social work but solidified my desire to work in the field of human services. I learnt from this experience at the hospital how profound my compassion for others truly was. It was not until my first year of college, that I started to volunteer with an organization that I am still with today and absolutely adore volunteering with. That organization is the Vernon Women’s Transition House in Vernon BC. I started off by filling in for employees who met in weekly meetings. While on the floor, I met many women who were in a place of ‘in-between’ and safety. This experience was eye opening. After a brief stay out-of-town, I returned to Vernon and again volunteered with the transition house – this time in another program: Support to Young Parents. This is an incredible housing program where young mothers who have fled abuse (potentially without the resources or parenting skills they truly need) can live long term. This apartment consists of 6 units, with the 7th unit converted into a resource and common space. The program
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.