It is funny to me how in our personal lives we call our
parents “old” but then we say, “Oh, but you aren’t that old”. In the book it makes this separation a little more
clearly. Hiller and Barrow (2011) state, “Recently, researchers have begun
separating old-age groups in their studies. As early as 1974, Bernice L.
Neugarten separated the older population into young-old (age 65 to 74) and the
old-old (age 75 and over)”. A person’s age determines how they see other’s
ages. Hiller and Barrow (2011) also say, “There is no clear-cut time at which
all gerontologists agree that one joins the “oldest-old” and clearly, how old
is “old” is relative to one’s own age. The six-year-old sees the 10-year-old as
being very old and sees himself as being old in terms of his baby brother”. As
social workers it is important to know where the client stands on their age,
and even how they perceive you and your age. For example, you do not want to
offend your client by calling them old, but also you do not want your client
thinking you are too young to understand and assist them. There are many
factors social workers must take into account when providing services to an
elderly person. First off is physical health which the book gives a great
survey to help assess that. Next is living arrangements and marital status
because these can be challenges in later life when dealing with the possibility
of losing a spouse, or in some cases, getting remarried. Overall life
satisfaction is critical for an elderly person to have. As social workers, we
can do our best to help them find this satisfaction by providing them ways to
self-efficacy.
I am glad you mentioned this part about what "we" think is old and how each persons opinion differs from the next. It's true that the younger we are, the older we think the older generations are, however, as we age we find ourselves re-thinking our initial opinion of what "old" really is. It's so important like you mentioned, what the individual sees themselves as, whether it's old, or perhaps young at heart. Caregiving to the older generations can become tricky when considering this. Some may not want the extra assistance, while other expect it. This is all much more involved when you're put in their shoes to really understand how they might be feeling about their age and capabilities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both you and Melissa. I like how you emphasized how different people percieve "old." What people think it is and what the actual term means and yes we do find ourselves thinking of what the term "old" really is. I think it is very important to know where the client stands on their age because if it is not very positive, as it is stated in the first chapter, that people should embrace becoming "older." It is important to accept it and live out their life to the fullest and not let the term "getting old" ruin it for them. And yes, there are so many accounts to take in with elderly clients such as health and living arrangements. It is important to let them know that we are here for them and are supporting them through what ever they need help with, yet not belittling them just because of their age. Great post!
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