Hi everyone!
If you aren't already on your way home, I know you're thinking about it! I want to pose a challenge to you all while you spend time with family, and most likely some older adults. Please use the comments to post your answers/experiences to the following:
1.) How has this course changed the way you view some of the older adults in your life? Are there any aspects of later life that you are now noticing that you hadn't before?
2.) Talk to someone who fits in the "adult in later life" category about at least one of the following: their view on getting older, how they see their social life, their plans for extended care, etc.
3.) Discuss some of the issues in later life that we have talked about in class with someone you would not classify as in later life themselves. How might their thoughts be different from what we've discussed in class?
I'll work on these as well and report back with my experiences.
Have a great break!
Megan
Hey Megan, great questions to ponder. My mom's side of the family celebrated Thanksgiving this past Friday and I definitely saw myself looking at my grandparents from a different perspective. Instead of the usual "I'm good, school is good, work is good" reply I give them, I felt more willing this time to share with them things I thought were "inappropriate" before. For example, never in a million years would I think I would tell my grandmother what a camel toe was or that I was one for Halloween. She thought it was hilarious, and for some reason I felt some sort of bond between us... that we could laugh about some funny word and its meaning. Why I thought it would be inappropriate before taking this class? Maybe I thought my grandparents were too mature for such a joke. I'm glad I have a more optimistic mind about older adults in general, and really happy I can grow a stronger bond with my grandparents.
ReplyDeleteHey Megan, after spending time with my family I again, took a look at your questions and what I came up with was that, I really don't spend that much time with my family. I usually spend it with my girlfriend's family (who are like my own) because they are wayyyy more family oriented than my actual family is. So, not only has my view of the older adults changed but my view on my family as a whole and even myself has. However, I looked at both to see if I've noticed any changes in either of the elderly people in these families and found that there isn't really anything different or new that I've noticed. If I had to choose one thing I would say that the older folks in my families were very thankful and sweet and really enjoyed the time and having everyone together.
ReplyDeleteThe older person I decided to talk to about later life and everything was already there and they also seemed to have everything figured/planned out. They had their health plan and retirement all worked out and have an awesome social life (we talk and see each other just about everyday)! It's great and I hope to be just like him when I start to enter the "later life" aspect of my life. To go along with this, we've also talked before about this class and things that we've talked about and he didn't necessarily disagree with anything but said that it depends on the person and that he's not like the dependent or boring type of older adult but different and does a lot of things and breaks a lot of the "trends" we talked about in an later life adult.
This was a really good thing to talk about over thanksgiving break and it was something that he and I really had a good time talking about and it brought us to different conversations as well. So, thanks Megan, I owe some of this to you with the great questions and all.
Tone
Hi Megan, I am glad you posted this question because I was actually able to see my grandfather over Thanksgiving break. He lives in Florida and we don't see him often, but he decided to make the trip this year. I definitely noticed more things about his aging than I have before. As soon as he got to my house he has to put his insulin in the fridge and I noted that he seemed to walk slower than I remember. However, he is still able to travel and does so about twice a year. I also started to think about his relationship with his wife differently than I had before. She is a second wife for him and when asked about her is is open about admitting that he married her for companionship. We talked about this a lot in class and he admitted that he didn't want to be alone and feared there would be no one there to help him if he were sick.
ReplyDeleteWe also got to talking about his social life, which has not faltered in his old age. He told me that he plays golf with 4 of his friends every Tuesday and Thursday, and even enjoys a beer or two on the course with them. He remains very social because he lives in a retirement community that focuses on active lifestyles so he has met a lot of other seniors with similar interests. I really enjoyed asking him about his social life because I just assumed it decreased over time, but as we have talked about during class, it sure doesn't!
I also talked to my dad about my grandfather (his dad) and how he felt about his future and living situation. He admitted that he and his siblings have talked about what the future holds when he is no longer able to care for himself. They want him to move closer to us so he has more family close by. However, when I asked my grandfather how he felt about moving he didn't like the idea, because he is so used to the warm weather in Florida! I forsee some conflict arising between my dad and grandfather when that time comes because he is veyr stubborn and thinks he can do more than he can actually do.
It was very interesting to talk to my grandfather and father about some of these aging issues. We didn't talk about finances which I think would be a good topic to bring up next time! This was a great exercise, Megan!
Hey Megan,
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the questions you posted I spoke with my family over Thanksgiving break. I talked to my Grandma about her social life and what she thought about it. She said that she thinks her her social life is still great. She goes out to lunch every week with her sister in law. She goes out to dinner every weekend with my aunt (her daughter). She loves to get out to do things and visit people.
I also talekd to my parents about these topics. It was funny because they actually agreed with everything that we have talked about in class. I thought that they would disagree and put up a fight but they really had similar feelings about what we have learned about in class this year.
So I talked to one of my crazy grandfathers about getting older and well, he is certainly not sad about. The grandfather I am referring to has excelled in his career, has seven children, was once a widow yet now is remarried and, well he is a very active individual if I say so myself. I think he is still living as though he isn't aging. My grandpa still cooks, in fact he loves cooking the most delicious meals I have ever had if I say so myself! And no, he isn't a cook. He is an active member of his church, in fact he is a part of the Christian Motorcycle society. And yes, he constantly wear a leather motorcycle outfit out on his bike (complete with the bandanna). As a side note, I do come from a very conservative family, my grandpa is just now getting wild and free. Perhaps when my grandmother died he lived more freely. Now, it's just become a way of life.
ReplyDeleteHe isn't sad about aging, because he knows his time will be up when the Lord says it's up. I really look up to my grandfather, because he still has such a good heart. He lives life as it comes, and I love how he lights up when family and friends come around. He stays in tune with movies and our lives, and I think I am really lucky to have him around.