To understand the process of aging, and what it essentially entails for a person to be considered an adult, I interviewed with a sixty-seven-year-old man by the name of Mark. Mark is a sixty-seven-year-old gentle white man and the youngest of his two sisters and a brother lived in New Jersey. I knew him when he was still working in the making money in California where he runs he had a variety of businesses and worked for the mail company.
Both of his parents passed on before his thirtieth birthday, the mother passing away at an early age because of tuberculosis as she lived in a sanatorium. The question of aging to Mark he stated that “aging is a natural progression that is laid down by God as he is not scared to die and looks forward to each day as a gift. He does not perceive aging as either positive or negative but as a normal, natural process”. He concludes by adding the dread aches of pains, which do come with age advancement but so does advancement in opportunity and wisdom to continue learning about one's growth from the reflections. As the conversation progresses, I noticed he has concerns regarding aging which is more apparent in hi references to the financial matters as well as the poor job which he indicates he has done to keep up with a healthy lifestyle.
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Interviews main issues
When Mark is asked whether his thinking has been revised about aging in the past twenty-five years, he mentions, “Financially wrecked. Twenty years before, I was in a better financial position and now I have been left with nothing. I can barely rent a decent apartment and pay rent, no retirement and I am scared for that reason”. Mark was in a marriage and divorced twice as he condemns the second divorce mixed with his own “detrimental decisions and decisions that were bad” which left him in the situation he is in today. Mark began conversing on how he is unhappy because of the lack of effort to take good care of him. He currently works more than twelve hours a day, smokes heavily, drinks alcohol excessively and sticks to what he calls “a wrong diet” which are usually full of fast, easy foods, which are often composed of high-fat levels and low nutritional value. Furthermore, Mark has had a heart attack and is ailing from diverticulosis, is overweight, suffers from irritable bowel disorder and blood pressure because of his stressful life. In addition, he has his teeth removed altering his oral health over the previous three years.
Now, Mark is honest with his answers to my questions as I impose a question on what his thoughts are concerning healthcare professionals and the nurses who can assist people with conditions just like him to reach the goals of living a healthy lifestyle. His response was, “ well, one cannot blame the doctors as there is plenty of information available that people rely on to judge others consistently, but it depends on an individual to take up responsibility for their wellness.” He says there is an opportunity to become healthy but is held back by “one essential thing that is the need for the care as people are not to be made to feel they are being rushed from one nurse to the next doctor in the line without asking questions which are essential in the conversation.”
He provides details of the medical practitioner who he regularly visits who he “does not overload his schedule with the sick and has patience” and concludes that a little more time spent with the sick goes a long way in determining the outcomes of the patients. Mark emphasizes the important nature of enhancing independence and autonomy in people with advanced age, as he perceives that “as soon as one ends up in a nursing home and is informed on where and when to do stuff, they become lonely and lose self-conceptualization tribute which rapidly deteriorates their health.”
Erikson’s Developmental analysis model
Erikson’s model of integrity vs. despair is a final psychosocial stage that occurs during the old stage. It is focused on reflecting back on the life one has lived. The model is reflected in the interview with John as it asked him to identify strategies that he used in promoting his health aging although it proves to be difficult as most of the conversation was majorly on his feelings of failure to improve his wellness (Cloninger2004). One point I asked him the strategies he uses to promote his healthy aging, and he responded with “terrible example” as he is very disappointed in himself with what he has done with his heath. He claims “the opposite of heathy in all possible ways”; Mark is disappointed with himself as he shifts his attention to bikes and tennis items, which he mentioned in initial interviews.
He agrees to consider exercises as a strategy to promote his heathy aging as he admits despite his smoking addiction and overweight nature; he has the previous record of engagement with moderate exercises regularly for the better part of his life. The only time he lost weight he had given up drinking and actively participating in rehab programs as he mentions, “I lost weight and felt good about it, I would participate in sporting activities every day, and no one believed that an aged geezer like me could thrash them, but I did.” If Mark received guidance and was influenced to be involved in the social networking or centered on both mental and physical activity, he might have found it easier to make changes in his lifestyle. However, he is currently on bed rest and does not exercise often, and wishes to integrate more activities in his daily routine to change his current lifestyle.
Generativity and stagnation is a psychosocial stage in adult hood where individuals build their lives as they focus their efforts on their careers and their families. The ones who are successful in this phase show contribution to the world by being active in their community and their families whereas those who failed to attain the skill feel unproductive and uninvolved in the world. This is evident in Mark’s interview as a theme relative to anxious nature of the old adults start feeling when they think about the possibility of requiring the services of a nursing home care. Mark referred to how he is divorced and single, and the fact that his kids are not close to him while at the same time expressing fear of being lonely in his years as an old man. Mark is not only concerned with the loss of autonomy whenever one enters the nursing homes, and their mental health deteriorates as the professionals are dictating in their practice.
Mark mentions of blowing it financially as twenty years of enjoying great financial position and regrets to have been left with nothing as he can barely pay for his apartment and does not have retirement, which does not give him peace of mind. Mark regrets his second divorce as he attributes it to his detrimental behavior and bad decisions, which left him in his current state. He is unhappy with the sorry state he is in not being able to take care of himself as he works for more than twelve hours a day, is overweight, heavily smokes and subscribes to a wrong diet that has high-fat content with low nutritional value.
Furthermore, he laments about changes in his oral composition, his high blood pressure and high stress in life. He is scared for his life after contracting a nosocomial infection, which was because of an infected wound, which was left open after an operation on his foot, which keeps him out of work for a long period. His complains and lamentations are because of his failure to invest and enjoy life, his old age as he suffers from a combination of diseases and does not seem to find any help whatsoever as he can only reflect on his previous lifestyle, which allowed him to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.
Vygotsky’s Developmental analysis model
Vygotsky’s model of cognitive of cognitive development is essential in the analysis of Marks advanced age crisis as he finds instructions to be dictatorial instead of being helpful. Vygotsky shows how one's culture influences his mental development as historical forces in his culture influence the individuals thinking. Social interaction in Vygotsky’s theory makes use of social interaction to affect psychological development as it is aided by interacting with peers that are more advanced or adults who transmit more developed psychological tools. This model takes into consideration how instructions can alter mental development as formal guidelines have taken the space of spontaneous concepts with scientific concepts. According to Vygotsky, instruction and development of the proximal development where there is the difference between what children can do on their own and what they are likely to accomplish when they are offered some assistance.
Scaffolding is used to offer support to learning during early periods, and as students continue increasing their capability of working the support independently, they are offered withdrawn as they now being directed by well-designed instructions, which are directed ahead of what the child knows and can do (Hayes 2000). This theory mostly does not relate to Marks life story, as it was meant for children who were growing up before maturity as they are exposed to help to perform specific tasks. When they have matured when they are left to make their own decisions and rely on the information they are subject to regarding instructions as a guide to arrange to remedy the situation they find themselves. The interviewee’s situation relates to his woes of being old and his neglected nature as he lives in a sorry state without retirement money and lacking the ability to sustain himself through his tough financial times.
Case management and social services interviewee might need in the near future.
Marks sickly nature and hospital rest will necessitate his movement to a nursing home although it makes him anxious by the beliefs that once a person enters the nursing homes his heath begins to deteriorate and their physical health is in the shaky ground as it depreciates over time. He associates the heath deterioration in patients confined in nursing homes to the nurses and healthcare practitioners who are less caring and more dictating in their mode of operation, which makes the old patients lose autonomy as they are told what to do without indulging them in what their individual choices and preferences. Institutions such as the nursing home are developed to promote social, mental and physical opportunities for engagement while supporting the lifestyle of individuals and their decision-making ability. Basing on the act that nurses found in these institutions are drawn from different training and educational programs, the system is to incorporate a program in healthcare institutions to teach nurses several styles of communication, which are essential in the conveying of information effectively to an individual so as not to scare them away. Nurses are to realize the unique nature of everyone, which is a basis for offering a variety of different methods of handling issues of disease and wellness when they are being discussed.
Not everyone can be reached similarly as various people respond to the same situation in different manners and this should be the basis of nurses to realize their connection with patients and make the most out of the moment. Helping Mark understand his strengths and facilitating change in his life would make a big difference in his lifestyle and health status. However, the challenge is founded on limited time, and limited resources as nurses are not often in positions where they can offer intensive, in-depth care, as they are not likely to hold a person’s hand the entire way as the responsibility shifts to the individual to take initiatives to better themselves. A distinct line separates provision of sufficient care to help people progress towards being well without going above the reasonable interventions that can be taken to remedy the situation.
Analysis of views and feelings experienced.
The interview with Mark brought into perspective the importance of good communication skills with patients as this interview was difficult as he described how he has disappointed with himself and how he did not treat his body with the dignity it required. There is fear in his voice as he makes concerned facial expressions when conversing on issues to do with his loneliness, his struggles financially and other ailments and struggles, which have affected his quality of life at his advanced age of sixty-six years. Throughout the interview, I maintained an empathic, realistic and understanding outlook on matters he was telling me so that he may feel a level of comfort and reassurance towards him.
Lessons about human older adulthood and their relevance.
Interviewing an older person confirms the belief that people bear unresolved emotions regarding the aging process and what retirement age will look like for most of them. Most of the concerns emanating from Marks words were explicitly focused on nutritional health, loneliness, lack of autonomy and financial hardships. To address his interests and concerns of other old people about the aging process, nurses are to be trained on better communication skills and knowledge. They are also to be a source of insights, educational resources, and tools for the old individuals to facilitate their transition to retirement and the changes that occur in their lives as they begin aging. The interview brought to light the importance of taking adequate amount of time with patients to provide sufficient care to give them an opportunity to ask any arising issues and share information, which comes into mind as they form relationships with their patients.
Mark is left to seek his wellness by himself, as the nurses are likely not to make a significant impact on changing his life as does not trust them. Most of the work towards rehabilitating his own life is to be taken by himself to exercise and take meals, which are rich in essential nutrients opposed to what he is taking now.
Reference
Cloninger, C. R. (2004). Feeling good: The science of well-being . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Eliot, J. (1987). Models of Psychological Space: Psychometric, Developmental, and Experimental Approaches . New York, NY: Springer New York.
Hayes, N. (2000). Foundations of psychology . London, etc.: Thompson. London, etc., Thompson, 2000.
Kozulin, A. (1990). Vygotsky's psychology: A biography of ideas . Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Schmidt, M. G. (1975). Interviewing the “old old”. The Gerontologist , 15 (6), 544-547.
