Verified Document

Interview With Mrs. N --: Term Paper

' She said she preferred to eat in the middle of the day, which seemed to help with her digestion, and only ate sparsely at night. On Sundays, when she did not see her children, she often dined with some of her neighborhood friends, mostly Italian-American women who were also widows, and also occasionally with some friends from the town, people she had met from back when her children were in school, at the hairdressers, and so forth. While not an immigrant per se, Mrs. N -- was strongly identified with the Italian-American community most of her life, and it has been observed that the support of a community, and mingling with ethnic "cohorts" can ease the developmental transition into old age, defined as "1) letting go of the children, (2) retirement, (3) grandparenthood, (4) loss of siblings and peers through death, and (5) declining physical health and anticipation of death" (Akhtar & Choi 20004:183).

She used to own several dogs that she walked regularly in the evening, after the shop closed. She continued to keep dogs and to maintain her own property until she lost mobility her left hip. Before the interview, it was notable that she walked with a walker. However, this was not due to the natural process of aging, but the fact that when visiting one of her daughters, while getting out of a taxi, the cab pulled away before she had alighted, pulling her for several feet. She had never been able to walk normally since, and said that the accident had substantially shaken her confidence, and harmed the quality of her life. She was no longer able to have dogs or take care of her own property. Now she had a 'woman' come to the house once a week to help her with cleaning and a gardener for the exterior of her property, which she had never indulged in before. Only because of her strong confidence and belief in her past accomplishments was she able to maintain a strong sense of self.Her health insurance felt that her rehabilitation was complete, and she had elected not to prosecute the cab driver, although she expressed bitterness that a freak accident and the driver's inconsideration, rather than her decrepitude now limited her lifestyle.

Mrs....

N -- defied a number of stereotypes about the elderly during the interview, and also one research study which noted: "Gerontologists have long noted that people tend to disassociate themselves from the category of being old" (Jones 2006: 79). Mrs. N -- did refer to herself as old, saying that she had experienced a loss, mainly because of her accident, and she blamed herself to some degree for the accident, saying that if she had been as sharp as she had been in her youth she would never have been caught by surprise. However, her refusal to go to an assisted living community because she did not want to only be around old people all of the time, or told when to eat and sleep -- 'being around a mix of old and young, children and people my age is natural, which you don't get in one of those senior places' -- did show some defiance of the aging process. Overall, while her positive memories and portrayal of her struggles as a young woman could be read as a positivity bias, typical of older adults who want or need to remember the past as 'better' or fulfilling when gazing upon the next life stage, Mrs. N -- seemed to have a strongly realistic yet positive view of the world and her future years as an 'older person' that might be comforting to many people facing old age (Quinn, Mather, & Carstensen 2004:208)
Works Cited

Akhtar, Salman & Lois Wonsun Choi. (2004). When evening falls: The immigrant's encounter with middle and old age. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 64(2), 183-191. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Medical Library database. (Document ID: 642260381).

Jones, Rebecca L. (2006). 'Older people' talking as if they are not older people:

Positioning theory as an explanation. Journal of Aging Studies, 20(1), 79-91. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, Mi. Accessed April 18, 2008, Document ID: 1037872581

Kennedy, Quinn, Mara Mather, & Laura L. Carstensen. (2004). The role of motivation in the age-related positivity effect in autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 15(3), 208-214. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Information…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Akhtar, Salman & Lois Wonsun Choi. (2004). When evening falls: The immigrant's encounter with middle and old age. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 64(2), 183-191. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Medical Library database. (Document ID: 642260381).

Jones, Rebecca L. (2006). 'Older people' talking as if they are not older people:

Positioning theory as an explanation. Journal of Aging Studies, 20(1), 79-91. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, Mi. Accessed April 18, 2008, Document ID: 1037872581

Kennedy, Quinn, Mara Mather, & Laura L. Carstensen. (2004). The role of motivation in the age-related positivity effect in autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 15(3), 208-214. Retrieved April 18, 2008, from ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, Mi. Accessed April 18, 2008, Document ID: 653090661
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Interview With a Business Owner
Words: 1301 Length: 3 Document Type: Interview

Her husband helped her with a bit of the amount required for capital but the she was forced to take loans from a few of her relatives, which she did not want to do at the beginning, so as to get the business on its feet. Being a sole proprietor is difficult for her as all the decisions rest on her shoulders. There are jobs she has had to turn

Interview: Health United Coordinator Working
Words: 817 Length: 2 Document Type: Interview

Glenda finds interactions with others to be one of the most difficult parts of her position, although she mainly communicates with other medical professionals. While she does not use any special communication skills, she has taken medical terminology classes to help her understand medical jargon. Because she is in charge of supply monitoring, she has a duty in her job position to report suspicious drug usage and prescribing by the

Interview With a Representative of
Words: 999 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Another important component of the Unit's functions is to assist victims in creating Victim Impact Statements. "Victim input is solicited in the form of a written Victim Impact Statement, however witness input is verbal. The needs of the victims and witnesses are relayed to the appropriate persons" (Victim/Witness, 2013, Office of Monmouth County Prosecutor). This data may be used when deciding to prosecute a crime or in sentencing. One of

Interview With Substance Abuse Counselor: Mr. Smith
Words: 959 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Interview with substance abuse counselor: Mr. Smith For my interview, I selected Mr. Smith (not his real name), a substance abuse counselor who approaches his practice from the point-of-view of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT has become one of the most popular therapies for treating substance abuse. When I asked why, Mr. Smith replied: "because it works." Substance abuse has long been regarded as one of the most intractable problems in

Interview a Purchasing and Supply Management Professional
Words: 532 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Interview Supply Chain Interview with a Supply Chain Manager The line of business, mission, and goals of the organization he/she works for. Describe these briefly. The purchasing manager that I talked to worked for Aerojet Rocketdyne. It is an extremely high tech business that operates in a competitive industry. The company's mission is as follows (Aerojet Rocketdyne, N.d.): Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense,

Interview Entrepreneur Owns Operates a Business Conduct
Words: 1182 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Interview entrepreneur owns operates a business conduct a critical analysis company. Include elements report: Housing Rehabilitation Property Management type nature business (products/services offered) scope business (local nature, national, international scope) person decided business, proceeded business's form (business operated a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation -- individual form a corporation -- a franchise, Interview: Housing rehabilitation and property management X is an entrepreneur, the owner of a construction company that currently engages

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now