Growing Older
Browse online for stories and interviews with the elderly. For example, visit websites like the following:
The Listening Ear Project (https://www.thelisteningearproject.com/past-interviews)
Memory Well (https://www.memorywell.com/family.html), and the
Legacy Project (https://www.legacyproject.org/index.html)
Look for suggestions of questions to ask and tips for interviewing, such as this document: https://legacyproject.org/guides/lifeintquestions.pdf (Links to an external site.).
Step 2: Conduct Your Interview.
Conduct an interview. You may be as creative as you would like for this interview, but you must have permission from your interviewee. Remember to follow ethical guidelines and to be respectful during the interview. You may conduct a video interview, a recorded audio interview, or take detailed notes with questions and answers.
Be sure to let the individual know of your project and intentions from the beginning, and set aside a minimum of 30 minutes to conduct the interview. Be a good listener, and also a good facilitator. Be prepared with the questions you ask and be genuinely interested in their responses.
Step 3. Write and Reflect.
You must submit the following paper with your interview information addressed above:
The full name of the person you interviewed, with their age, and the date of the interview
A description of your relationship to that person
At least 15 of the questions you asked them, with summarized answers. At least three of the questions must clearly tie back to concepts you learned about in this module (ask about ageism, attitudes towards aging, etc.)T
type a 1-2-page reflection essay addressing the following:
A description of the stage of life the interviewee is in (young-old, middle-old, or old-old)
An understanding of how the interviewee perceives the aging process, including attitudes and perceptions about growing old
What did you find most interesting or informative about the interview?
What are your personal thoughts on growing old, in the light of this interview and the content you learned about in this module?
ANSWER
My interview was with Ann Stockmann, aged 81 putting her on the category of middle old and the interview was conducted on 2nd September 2020. I always knew Ann from her relationship to my grandmother when she was alive. They would sit by the porch reminiscing on their young years every chance they got. They were good friends and she automatically came to mind for this assignment. Ann is bubbly, a happy storyteller and from the interview, I gathered, an excellent author.
The Questions for the interview were as follows:
- What is the most favourite thing about being your age?
I have little to do. You people are always rushing everywhere, every day, falling asleep on desks because you are tired. I am happy that I am done with the rush of life. Now I can sit and watch you do the rush.
- What is so different about what happens now and what used to happen years ago?
Cell phones! Everyone, including some of my friends who are almost my age, is always on their cell phones. That bit is still strange to me. What are you people always doing on their phones?
- You mentioned technology, which bit about it to find most annoying?
My grandchildren are always taking photos of us and talking about putting them on the internet to share with their friends. It frustrates me that no one bothers to print them and stock them up in my albums for my friends who are not on the internet.
- Is there anything terrible about ageing you can share with me?
Watching your friends die. Its always someone, when you are my age. There is always someone who passed away, some of them we go way back and it is always so painful.
- Is there anything really good about ageing that you can tell me?
Yes! I love being old because everything is behind me. I do not have to worry about my career or love life because they are behind me. I know how everything unfolds and some of them are very beautiful memories.
- If you went back, what would you do differently?
I would gather even more experiences. I know I was quite adventurous when I was young but if I went back, I would even be more adventurous than I was. These are the moments that keep your smile when are old and can almost do nothing else.
- What skill did you find most essential in people and yourself?
Humour. It is very important to be able to make people laugh and you enjoy people that make you laugh.
- What lessons would you like to impart on younger generations?
Life is made of moments. You have to be in constant chase of these moments. I have a few left and you have very many of them left to look up to. Make them as breath-taking as you possibly can.
- What do you enjoy doing now?
Telling stories. Thank heavens I can still write. I write a lot because I have a lot of stories from my life. I also enjoy reading a lot, particularly from writers as old as I am or even older.
- What events most impacted you?
The passing of my mother. You never forget death especially when it is your mother.
- Have you solved the purpose of life?
Not really but the much I have solved could be summarised into three, to love and be loved, to be happy and to live.
- Do you still have things you want to achieve or do now?
I would have wished to have seen an alien, at least one. We have been watching them in films since I was a young girl, I am disappointed that almost a whole lifetime has passed and we are still yet to meet them.
- Do you think the world is better than it was back then?
Way better. Back then we had wars every time. We boiled everything we ate and illnesses like polio and malaria were scary enough to wipe out an entire population. Things have improved greatly even in merely the last 50 years.
- Do you have any last words?
Not really, this whole interview feels like last words to me.
- Are you afraid?
Of death? No. Not at all. I have been ready to die for a long time and it’s the beauty of old age, death does not scare you. Living too long that your body begins to fail in ordinary functions is the biggest scare.
I found it intriguing the optimism that Ann approached life even at old age. She is happy, she is bubbly and she has and still is living a good life. She still writes to date and it keeps her going because it is something that she loves doing (Cottle 2007). She has a story about everything and I enjoyed the interview that lasted hours. In light of this interview after a long time of considering old age a problem, I suddenly see that it is not. You have more stories when you are old and I love stories both to tell them and to listen. Your experience becomes an integral part of what you talk about out and the goal, therefore, has to be a fundamental goal to live a life full of moments and positive experiences. Similarly, I particularly enjoyed that bit about having everything behind you including the worry about being successful or finding true love.
References
Cottle, N. R., & Glover, R. J. (2007). Combating ageism: Change in student knowledge and attitudes regarding ageing. Educational Gerontology, 33(6), 501-512.
