Gerontology Interview
Interview Paper
My grandfather recently passed away 6 months ago. So I have personally witnessed my grandmother go through the grieving process as well as deal with her own sickness. Unfortunately my grandmother will have to enter a nursing home because my mother can no longer tend to her needs. This is a difficult time for my family because my grandmother doesn't want to go into a nursing home, but she requires 24/7 care. For my interview I chose the neighbors mother who’s situation, age and lifestyle are very similar to my grandmother’s. Her name is Lucy and she is 82 yrs. old living with her oldest daughter. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome to the questions I asked her.
We conducted the interview in her home in two parts without her daughter being present, so there were no distractions. We spent about an hour on the first interview and occasionally she would be sidetracked and begin to tell stories from her past. I did find the stories most fascinating. Lucy kept stating “why do you want to interview me, I didn’t have an interesting life”. Lucy became more open to the interview process as time went on, so I did not struggle trying to gain her trust. I did mention to her that I would keep her answers confidential and that these answers would be used for educational purposes only. She was delighted to do this interview to help me gain insight into the views of an aging adult. During the interview process I managed to keep my opinions to myself, which proved to be a difficult task. The first interview came to an end and she thanked me for my time and for listening to her.
The second interview had the same setting with her daughter stepping out to get groceries while we chatted. Lucy was ready for me this time. It seems she prepared herself for questions I might ask. One question that continues to stay in my mind is when I asked her what was the highlight of her life and she said voting for President Obama. That was the very first
My grandfather recently passed away 6 months ago. So I have personally witnessed my grandmother go through the grieving process as well as deal with her own sickness. Unfortunately my grandmother will have to enter a nursing home because my mother can no longer tend to her needs. This is a difficult time for my family because my grandmother doesn't want to go into a nursing home, but she requires 24/7 care. For my interview I chose the neighbors mother who’s situation, age and lifestyle are very similar to my grandmother’s. Her name is Lucy and she is 82 yrs. old living with her oldest daughter. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome to the questions I asked her.
We conducted the interview in her home in two parts without her daughter being present, so there were no distractions. We spent about an hour on the first interview and occasionally she would be sidetracked and begin to tell stories from her past. I did find the stories most fascinating. Lucy kept stating “why do you want to interview me, I didn’t have an interesting life”. Lucy became more open to the interview process as time went on, so I did not struggle trying to gain her trust. I did mention to her that I would keep her answers confidential and that these answers would be used for educational purposes only. She was delighted to do this interview to help me gain insight into the views of an aging adult. During the interview process I managed to keep my opinions to myself, which proved to be a difficult task. The first interview came to an end and she thanked me for my time and for listening to her.
The second interview had the same setting with her daughter stepping out to get groceries while we chatted. Lucy was ready for me this time. It seems she prepared herself for questions I might ask. One question that continues to stay in my mind is when I asked her what was the highlight of her life and she said voting for President Obama. That was the very first