Late Adulthood Observation: Doris

For this observation assignment I chose to observe Doris. Doris is a seventy-six year old volunteer at the day care I work at. I have been observing Doris over a course of ten weeks and have spoken with her on many occasions. Doris lost her husband fourteen years ago after a short illness. The anniversary of his passing is coming up within a few days of Thanksgiving. When we began speaking of him, I observed the change in Doris’ demeanor. She is still grieving over this loss.

Her three children are grown and married with children of their own. They all live a distance from her. Two daughters live in Colorado and one son lives in New Jersey. Doris recently underwent surgery on her arm and both daughters came to help her during her recuperation. According to the Penick, “the Adlerian Theory emphasizes on striving, purpose, and meaning could, by itself, lend useful perspectives on the needs and healthy developments of older people” (2004, p.5) She is very determined to be self-sufficient and does not like accepting help from anyone else. She has neighbors who try their best to help her in ways of yard upkeep and basic maintenance on her home. Doris still lives in the home she shared with her husband. They had been married for thirty-five years prior to his passing.

Through observing her interacting with the infants, I have seen how much her volunteer work means to her. She comes in on a weekly basis. During this time she will play with, feed, and rock the infants. She began volunteering a few years after the passing of her husband, outside of this volunteering; Doris does not socialize with others in her age range on a regular basis. The holidays are a hard time for Doris, not just the passing of her husband, but also with her chi...

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... 2013, p. 600) In order to continue in the role of a grandparent and parent of a grown child, Doris has overcome the fear of technology to remain active within her family.

Works Cited

Ashford, J., & Lecroy, C. (2013). Human behavior in the social environment. (Fifth ed., p. 99, 600). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Cappeliez, P. (2008). An explanation of the reminiscence bump in the dreams of older adults in terms of life goals and identity. Self & Identity, 7(1), 25-33. doi:10.1080/15298860600934281

Li, Y. (2007). Recovering from spousal bereavement in later life: does volunteer participation play a role?. Journals Of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences, 62B(4), S257-66

Penick, J. M. (2004). Purposeful Aging: Teleological Perspectives on the Development of Social Interest in Late Adulthood. Journal Of Individual Psychology, 60(3), 219-233.