The topic of this chapter I found most interesting was the problems in relocation. The subcategories of the chapter are shortage of appropriate housing, uprooting, migration, and integration versus segregation. The subcategory that caught my eye the most was the uprooting and migration. About two years ago we had to uproot my grandparents from a home they had been in for over 50 years. Our book states that "relocation is difficult whether it is voluntary or involuntary, because it involves leaving close friends and associates as well as a familiar environment... Older people, like everyone else, have quite varied emotional experiences to forced moves; however, making a move that one has not fully chosen - moving with regrets- can have a particularly powerful emotional impact on elders" (Hillier & Barrow, 2011, p. 267). This was heartbreaking for my grandpa and was very stubborn about it at first eventually he gave in to the idea. Although he gave in and decided it was best to move, it still made a very powerful emotional impact on him. We never had him tested or anything, but once he was moved to an assisted living home we believe he became depressed. We can tell he missed his way of life at his home, but it was not possible for him to keep living here. He could barely keep his balance or take care of himself because my grandma had taken care of him for so many years, and since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's she was not able to do that anymore. For older people to uproot and migrate can be hard so I believe the best thing to do is to encourage and motivate them to do so, explain to them why they should do so, and make it a positive experience and give them a positive way of looking at it.
Hillier, S., & Barrow, G. (2011). Aging, The individual, and Society. (9th ed.). California: WADSWORTH
Flor,
ReplyDeleteI can understand what you went through with your grandfather because we did the same with my grandmother, but only after having taken care of her for about a year and a half. We decided to keep her at home and take shifts staying with her so she could stay in her own home. It was not easy but we felt it was best for her until she reached a state of needing continuous medical care which we could not provide. We then placed her in a nursing home. In our text, Hillier and Barrow state that "a home not only provides shelter, but also is a symbol of permanence and identity" (2011). Their home is a part of who they are and who they have become and they are not ready to leave it or give it up. Yes, finances and circumstances can cause us to have to make decisions we are never really ready for, but we do the best we can with what we have.