Elderly Interview Paper

Introduction

This paper is going to discuss the life of A.A, a dear friend of my mother in law's. I interviewed him with the help of his wife. I was able to listen while they told me all about his life, including many great memories and also many sad ones. The reason for this interview was to spend time with an elderly person and ask questions about their life and health.

Interview Setting and Those in Attendance

This elderly interview took place at A.A's beautiful home located along the Colorado River in Big River, California. The weather was perfect. It was in the 70's and there was a slight breeze. When I first arrived we all sat in the kitchen while his wife made coffee. A.A was not feeling too great which was to be expected. He was in pajama shorts and a sweatshirt. He looked very tired and had dark circles around his eyes. His wife was gathering his medications and breakfast. I sat there catching up with them while he finished his morning meds. She had mexican food cooking in the crockpot as well and their house smelled so amazing. The walls of their home are covered in pictures of their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. That gave the home a warm and cozy feel. A.A got a couple bites of breakfast down with his morning medications

and then they were ready to start the interview. We decided to move our conversation outside so we could enjoy the fresh air. Those in attendance for the interview included A.A, his wife, their roommate, and myself. His wife helped him to answer most of the questions because he was not feeling his best and is becoming very forgetful. We sat at their patio table which overlooked the gorgeous river. The atmosphere was very relaxing and peaceful.
Individual Demographics
A.A is a 73 year old male, 5'5” tall, and weighs around 150 pounds. He has tan skin and brown eyes. His skin is frail, and he has edema and bruising in his legs. A.A was born in Yuma, Arizona, and that is where he met the love of his life. They met in high school. The two have been married for 50 years. They have 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren together. They moved to Big River, Ca, after they graduated high school. A.A was a painter for over 30 years. He got bored and wanted a change so he became a heavy equipment operator. Then a few years later he followed his dreams and opened his own boat and car restoration business. He ran his business out of his garage of the home that he and his wife designed together. His business was successful and they were able to buy a lot of nice things. They owner a boat, wave runners, motorcycles, and an RV. It's fair to say that they had a lot of fun together. Unfortunately he was forced to retire 2 years ago when he became sick and was diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver.
How and Why I Chose This Individual
I decided to do my elderly interview on A.A because he is a close friend to my mother in law and is a really nice man. He is a great father, grandfather, husband, and he has always been so kind to my family. He has been dealing with a lot of health issues recently and has gone through many transitions so I thought this would be a good opportunity for me use him for the interview.
Medical and Family History
A.A is an alcoholic. He has been a heavy drinker for the majority of his life. Unfortunately all of those years of drinking alcohol led him to the diagnosis of Cirrhosis. A.A said he was never sick or had never even went to the doctor that he could remember before 2014 when he was diagnosed. After his diagnosis, he calmed down on the drinking but will still have a drink every now and then. He is now considered advanced stage and progressing quickly. Some days he is well and keeps up on his medications. Other days his ammonia levels are high and he has no clue who anyone is. He has no control of his bowels and becomes very confused. His wife says that he has more bad days than good. His legs, feet, and abdomen are filled with fluids. He is taking diuretics and lactulose 4 times a day along with hypertension medications. I asked him about his family history and was told that his brother also has severe liver disease from alcohol. His father passed away from a heart attack 5 years ago, and his mother is still going strong at age 93.
Transitions Experienced
A.A has gone through many transitions throughout his life. Some positive and some negative. He has been through many developmental transitions, such as; childhood, adolescence, adulthood, becoming a father, becoming a grandfather, late adulthood, and now he is losing his ability to care for himself due to his advanced disease. We also talked about some of the situational transitions he's been through such as; marriage, changing careers, becoming a business owner, and recent involuntary retirement which caused a dramatic change in finances. Due to his Cirrhosis diagnosis, he is undergoing many health-illness transitions right now as well. Since his diagnosis, he has been having a hard time transitioning which is causing him to become very depressed. He is facing organizational transitions also due to his change in insurance since he was forced to retire a few years back.
Erikson's Stages of Development
There are many stages of development hat A.A has progressed through in his lifetime but the ones that were evident from his interview were “Intimacy vs. Isolation”, “Generativity vs. Stagnation”, and “Ego-Integrity vs. Despair”. When he was in young adulthood and met his wife, got married, and started his career he was experiencing “Intimacy vs. Isolation”. When he was in middle adulthood and was teaching his children how be responsible parents for his grandchildren he was in the “Generativity vs. Stagnation” stage. And he is currently in the “Ego-Integrity vs. Despair” stage, and is experiencing more despair as he is facing a decline in health and quality of life.

Major Problems Facing the Individual and How They Cope
The major problems for A.A is the progression of his Cirrhosis and the depression it is causing for him.

He is having an extremely difficult time coping with it. He has to take the lactulose 4 times a day to control his ammonia levels but the medications are causing him to become incontinent. That is very embarrassing for him and its destroying his self image. He feels bad that his wife is having to care for him and its causing major depression. I think the depression needs to be addressed because its really affecting him negatively. I also feel like he needs to be seen by a specialist and get aggressive treatment since he is progressing quickly and it doesn't seem to me like he has strong medical

support.
Summary and Affects on Nursing Career
This interview has really made an impact on me. Seeing and hearing about all the difficulties that A.A faces every day really makes me want to make a difference in the lives of the elderly. Throughout my nursing career I will treat the elderly generation with the utmost respect and compassion. I will do my best to help them live comfortably and enjoy life to the best of their ability, as I know I will be a part of the elderly generation one day as well.