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Aging Analysis

Assignment VIII

Introduction 

The American Sociological Association states that the mission of the section on aging and life-course is to provide “an analytical framework for understanding the interplay between human lives and changing social structures. Its mission is to examine aging over the life course as a social process and societies and groups as stratified by age.”   In this assignment you will apply these ideas and your sociological imagination to an interview you conduct with someone who is in retirement age (preferably someone over 55).

In this assignment you are conducting qualitative research through interviewing an elderly person. Please refer back to chapter two in order to “refresh” your brain about the benefits of conducting qualitative research.

You may change the sequence of questions or the phrasing but NOT the content for this assignment. You can also ask your own personal questions (but please add those questions as an attachment to your assignment).

On a separate page are the questions to use in your interview. 

Below are instructions for how to conduct this analysis.

This assignment requires:

1. Utilization of elderly chapter in this week’s folder (use 5 keywords/terms and make sure they are in BOLD in the essay).
2. Interview an older citizen.
3. Reflect on the videos “Oldest Old.”

**************IF POSSIBLE INCLUDE A PHOTO OF THE PARTICIPANT******************

Analysis and Essay Instructions: 

1. Discuss these key discussions in Chapter 15 in the first paragraph:
   1. Transitions and Challenges of Ageing (p. 385-390)
   2. Is the elderly a minority?

2. Introduce the person you interviewed in second paragraph. Provide the following information:

• Name, date of birth (decade is ok) and where
• Demographic data – race or ethnicity, and gender
• General description of family
  • Status of their parents (alive or deceased)
  • Number of siblings (alive or deceased)

3. Next discuss the person’s current self-rating of well-being:
4. Ask them what their greatest accomplishment is in life thus far?

1. Next, use the sociological imagination by analyzing the individual’s greatest accomplishment.
   1. How is this accomplishment related to broader aspects of society – meaning the political, economic, social and cultural context in which they have lived?

For Example:  Gender roles

If a woman states her greatest accomplishment was raising 4 children, talk about how she fulfilled the existing gender roles and expectations. If a woman states her greatest accomplishment was finishing her education instead of having children, describe how she deviated from the existing gender roles and expectations.

5. Next explain what you learned about the interviewee.

6. In your concluding paragraph address these points:

• WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THE “OLDEST OLD” VIDEOS
• As the United States becomes an aging society, what do we need to keep in mind about both the elderly’s needs and their impact on society as a whole?
• What you have learned about aging from this assignment?

INTERVIEW ABOUT AGING

Instructions:

All students should use these questions in their interview with a person who is of retirement age and is currently at least 55 (but the older the better). You can conduct the interview in person, over the phone or via the internet.

The most important questions are in bold.  So, if you start running out of time, cut to those questions.

You may have to ask follow-up questions to clarify what your interviewee has said or to get the information you will need for the essay.

TAKE NOTES on your interviewee’s answers since you will have to include information about this person in the essay part of this assignment.

Interview Questions

1. What is your marital status (married, divorced, single, widowed)?
2. Do you live on your own?
3. How do you think society view “senior citizens?”
4. Do you have a cell phone and/or social media?
5. What kind of work did you do as an adult?
6. When did you retire?
7. What have you learned about retirement?
8. What is the best part about growing older?
9. What has been the biggest change you have witness in society during your life time?
10. Looking back on your life, what was your greatest accomplishment?
11. How are you feeling today?
    1. How do you rate your health?
    2. Do you have any health concerns?
    3. Do you visit the doctor on regular bases?
    4. How would you rate your memory?

1. Who from your family, if anyone, comes to help you out?
2. Any “candid” advice for younger generations?
3. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about today?