The aging brochure states, "Older workers, however, are more dependable, have lower turnover rates, have fewer absences and accidents, show better judgment, and are as productive as younger workers" (Schmall and Pratt, 1996, p. 8). His most productive time in promoting his cause came in his 60s and 70s, and he is still doing it at nearly 81 years of age, illustrating that older workers and older people in general, still have plenty of capabilities to work hard for what they believe in.
Exercise Awareness
This exercise helps the student become more aware of the great gift of growing old and learning from your experiences. Dr. Kevorkian did not begin his work with PAS until well into his career, another indication of older adults being able to change, and his dedication to his cause is inspiring and educational at the same time. At age 80, he still travels the country to enlist support for his cause, and he is a living reminder that you do not have to slow down and take it easy after you retire. I think this exercise has given me more respect about the lives and importance of aging adults, and it will give me more patience and admiration of them when I work with them in a healthcare-related career. Older adults are often dismissed from society and left to live out their lives in institutions, but they have a lot to teach people if they will only listen, and I think that is important to know as we work with them.
Another thing this analysis and the Aging Awareness Timeline has pointed out is that young people often forget how much aging adults have seen in their lives, and how much they have learned from it. Kevorkian was born in 1928, a year when one of the greatest accomplishments was Charles Lindberg's flight from New York to Paris, something so commonplace today it is almost laughable. He graduated from high school the year World War II ended, and throughout his life, he has seen everything from the birth of commercial air transportation to man walking on the moon and the invention of the computer. That is a pretty incredible timeline, and it indicates how adaptable humans are to change, not just aging humans. We adapt to change, even revolution, our entire lives, and Kevorkian clearly illustrates this.
Conclusion
Dr. Kevorkian may not be a hero to many people, and his practices are controversial at best. However, he is a shining example...
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