Article 26

This article was the most interesting article we have read all semester. I don't think it's so much that I enjoyed reading the article, I just found all the information to be very important. When I do think about dying I don't normally think about emotional side of things or even the legal side. I mostly just think about where you go after you die. But this article really made me think about all of those things. Before reading this article I never really thought about the downside of pain medication; when a person is in pain the first thing you want to do for them is to just get rid of it. The article pointed out important points. I know that when I'm dying I would want to spend as much time as possible with my friends and family. I would not want to waste my last day’s unconscious from pain medication. I was surprised when the article stated that many people embrace death easily. I can only hope that when my time comes, I’m able to make the most of the moment and make it an easy transition. Doctors really have a hard job when it comes to dealing with dying patients. It must be extremely hard to have to tell someone of any age that they are going to die and there really is nothing left they can do about it. It must be one of those things that no matter how many times you do it, it never gets easier. The article explained that some patients continue to hope that they will get better; they stay in a state of denial. That has to be so hard on the family because they know that their loved one is not getting better but it’s too hard to tell their loved one they only have false hope. It must be hard because they want to accept it and come to terms with their family member dying but its hard when the one dying won’t even admit it. I agree that when a person talks about what fears them the most, especially in the case when they are dying, talking about their fears will only make them feel more at ease. I also agree with the fact that many people try to avoid everything related to death, even when that means avoiding a family member that is dying. As hard as it is to see someone you love die, I think the guilt of not being there and not saying goodbye would be a lot worst. I think it’s very important for ever person to decide what happens to them when it comes to designing their care. Obviously there are times when a person can not make those decisions for themselves, so it’s extremely important to choose someone you trust and can confide in to make those decisions for you. It’s scary for any person to have to make their living will or decide who their surrogate should be but it really is in their best interest to do it before it’s too late. The last thing I would want to have to worry about when I’m dying is if my wishes are going to be followed or not. I personally feel that assisted suicide should be legal in more states. There obviously should be restrictions to it but if someone has been fighting their illness for a long time and is in extreme pain, they should be allowed to make the decision if they want to die or not. It’s absolutely ridicules how expensive health care treatment is. People should not have to worry about the costs of their health care when they are dying. A lot of people do want to die in the comfort of their own home but because their insurance doesn’t cover it or it’s just too expensive for them they don’t get their wish. It just is very sad that someone who is dying or the family members of that dying person have to worry so much about the cost of the treatment, as if they don’t have enough to deal with already. I’m really glad we had to read this article; it was very interesting and made me think about a lot of things.

Article 25

Before reading this article I did not realize how important grieving is to a person after the death of a loved one. I also didn’t realize that there was such an important distinction between grief and the grieving process. The article pointed out how important and complex the process of grieving is. I just thought grieving was a way some people coped with death. I find it very interesting that grieving can help a person restore their sense of autonomy and not be such a “disease like” process. The article talked about seven stages that a person will progress through when dealing with their grief. The first stage they talked about was shock and denial. I always knew that it’s very common for people to be in denial after they lost a loved one but I did not understand that denial can help protect a person from the realities that face them in the social world. It does make a lot a sense once I think about it. I always looked at denial as something negative because it’s only postponing the pain someone will eventually have to face. But after reading what the article has to say, it can protect a person until they are ready to deal with all the ugly realities of losing their loved one. When the article talked about disorganization it stated that disorganization is a normal emotional experience for someone who is going through the grieving process. Before I read that I also thought that if a person was starting to become disorganized that was a sign of a mental illness that was triggered by the death of their loved one. It does make a lot of sense that it’s only natural for a person to experience confusion and social disorganization after their social identity has been destroyed by the death of their spouse, because many peoples identity will revolve around their husband or wife. So it does seem very practical that once their spouse dies, they face a period of identity confusion. The article also discussed guilt as another normal stage of the grieving process. To me this is the one stage that makes the most sense. I have seen it time and time again when someone blames their self for the death of their loved one. What I did not know was that a person is actually encouraged at times to feel guilt because individuals in our society tend to blame the victim of bereavement. I can not believe that is the cause of a person’s guilt after the death of their loved one. They already have to go through enough and on top of it to feel the guilt for their loved ones death has to be terrible. The last thing society should be doing is blaming the victim of bereavement, that only adds to the stress they are already facing. The article also talks about the four tasks of mourning. To me all four stages seem extremely important. I feel like unless a person completes these stages successfully they will not be able to mourn their loved one. This means they will never really be able to move on with their life. Each stage seems critical to the whole process. Without accepting that their loved one is really dead a person can not truly experience the pain of grieving. They then will not be able to form new relationships and form a new identity without their loved one which means they will not be able to reinvest in new relationships that will actually make them happy and allow them to feel complete again. After reading this article I realize that grieving is not a negative experience but actually a positive life experience that everyone needs to go to after the death of someone they love. Each stage is very important because with each stage comes progress towards moving on with their lives. I realize that through grieving a person can cope successfully when death happens.

Article 23

Before reading this article I never really thought much about retirement. I didn't realize there are so many different aspects to retirement, or I guess it's better to say so many options. I used to think that once a person retired it was all about relaxation and enjoying the activities they didn't really get to do when they were working every day. I can now see that is a misconception. I did not realize that Americans have six different lifestyles to choose from once they retire. I do realize that many people do love their jobs and the perks that come along with being employed but I also figured once retirement was an option for an older adult they would be more than willing to take it. I didn't quite understand why anyone would want to go back to work once they had retired and give up the satisfaction of finally be "free" from the stresses and headaches of working full time. But it does make a lot of sense that people need to feel productive and active and when a person retires that part of their life could diminish. I also see the social aspect of why a person would return to work because the loneliness could really get to a person. I agree with the article in which it’s very difficult to come up with one universal definition of work. There are so many different types of jobs in this world that don't always revolve around a business or money and the article I think does a good job of defining work in an economical and social way. The five motivations do seem very obvious and yet I really never thought about what really made a person want to work. The only aspect I thought about was that everyone needs to work to make a living. Obviously without a job you don't have an income and can’t survive in society. I never thought that social interaction would be such a high motivation to work. I also figured yes you would make friends at work but you would have your friends outside or work that you meant through out your life to socialize with. I was very surprised when the article stated that more recently men were entering the workplace later and retiring earlier and women where entering the labor force earlier and retiring later. I really find that surprising because in our economy or the stereotype is that men are the providers and the women are the care takers and yes that has changed through the years but it does still exist. Another thing I found interesting is that older workers who remain in the work force have been found to be just as productive as younger workers. I was happy to read that because it shows how wrong some of the stereotypes are of older adults. I was not aware that social security benefits are now encouraging people to work longer. I also was not aware that a reduction in pension benefits for those who retire earlier will go from 20% to 30% of their full income. That’s a significant increase. I believe that it will work in encouraging people to work longer which in turn means retiring later. Although many parts in this article surprised me the findings did not. I was not surprised that those who retired have higher scores of life satisfaction than those who are working full or part time. Working brings on a lot of stress to many people. I would think that a person who has retired but its still active in the community by volunteering or another form of community service would rate their life more satisfying. The data in this study concluded from this study indicated that those who retire and engage in volunteer or recreational activities are higher life satisfaction scores than those who have never retired. And that does not surprise me at all because I know I haven’t even started my career yet but I can say I’m excited to be able to retire and enjoy my self after many hard years of work.

Article 16

While reading this article I can say that I was in complete shock. I can not believe that children can take advantage of their elderly parents like some did in this article. It is so sad that these older adults who have worked their whole lives to build up their savings can have them stolen from them in an instant from their own children. The article was very short but yet there were several instances where elderly adult's were abused in some shape or form by their own child. I really did not know that this kind of abuse was so common and all around us. I also find it so upsetting that attorneys know that abuse is happening but sometimes there is not much they can do to help them out. I see how it is hard to get seniors to make formal complaints against their children that are abusing them. Because when I try to put my self in their shoes and think about when I do have children what it would be like to be abused by them and then have to make a complaint against them its terrible to even have to think about it. I find it very hard to believe that legal aid is rarely awarded to seniors that need help. I don’t understand why that is, if anything you would think the government would be more willing to help them because most of the time they need more help than the younger generations. It is reassuring to know that there are shelters for older people who are being abused to go to but at the same time these shelters can only provide so much to them. I think it would almost be a better idea for the government to be the guardian to incompetent senior's rather than having a family member take the responsibility of being their guardian. But when I think about it there are a lot of family members out there that would never take advantage of their own parents or even think of abusing them. The one story at the very end of the article really caught my attention. I just couldn’t help but feeling terrible for the woman, I can't imagine how terrible it would be to be taken advantage of by your own child. The one quote in the article “senior abuse is about 20 years behind child abuse, both in terms of public awareness and government and police resources” really struck me because it seems very true. I feel so naïve to this terrible situation I really didn’t realize the extent and seriousness of it all. This article really made me want to do more to help these seniors that are being abused. It was a relief to hear that there is some improvement happening with the awareness of senior abuse but I wish more could be done. I can only hope that more seniors get the courage to follow these complaints on their children and get help.

Article 11

After reading this article it really got me thinking about how I view the elderly. I never really thought about the points that Mary Pipher made until I read this article. It's really sad to think about how our society looks at "old" people. I understand that everyone is scared of dying and losing the abilities we have but we also need to look at the wisdom they have and respect at all the things they have been through. It’s really disappointing that we as a society segregate the old and have a type of prejudice against them because we live in a "youth worshiping culture." Just because the old are "different" from us if you can even say that, does not mean that we should look down upon them or try to segregate them. I never really thought about the fact that our greeting cards aimed towards the older generation mostly poke fun of the aging process, but it really is true. It's very normal when someone is nervous about something they make a joke and that’s exactly what happens with our greeting cards. I know for my self that I do not want to get old and I guess you could say I do fear aging and when I do get into my fifties I will most likely be in denial about being "old" which I find very embarrassing. Even Pipher admitted it was hard for her to go rest homes because it forced her to think about her self one day living in one. I can say that I'm not that scared of dying per say but the process of getting old; losing my memory, losing my eye sight, etc. I completely agree with the statement that nothing in our culture guides us in a positive way toward the old. Everything around us conveys aging as bad, so obviously the younger generations are almost taught to fear aging and being old. I also think it’s sad that a lot of people in the younger generation do not have proper manners with the older generation. They are people just like we are, they may have lost some of their abilities but in reality they are still human beings. Another point I have extremely interesting is that when an older person gets in car accident it's blamed on their age because it’s very true. There are just as many younger drivers. I also agree with the fact that the media does not portray older people in the right way. They show them in the stereotypical way and if I have learned anything over the course of the semester it is hat we need to stop stereotyping people especially based on their age. To me the most upsetting thing I read in the article is the fact that older people are scared to be dependent on their family members because of how they fear they will be looked at. Just because they need help doesn't mean their family members should lose respect for them. I think the younger generation needs to start becoming more accepting so that older people don't fear becoming dependent and in a way embrace it. This article was an eye opener for me. It made me re think about how I should look at older people because someday I will be one of them. If our society could look at aging in a more positive light maybe we could stop fearing the whole process all together.

Article 17

I found this article to be extremely interesting. I'm only nineteen and I can say that I worry about getting Alzheimer's when I'm older. So I was very interested in reading the article to see what researchers are working on to help prevent the disease. It’s amazing that with the advancement of technology and the use of PET scanners and MRI machines doctors can spot and track the disease even before a person has had any symptoms. It's extremely reassuring to know that you may be able to do something about the disease. It's also amazing that that drug makers are now working on over two dozen treatments for Alzheimer’s, because unlike the treatments that are out there today these drugs will hopefully be able to stall the progression of the disease. I believe that with a disease like Alzheimer’s even if they can not find a cure for it any type of treatment to help people with the severity of the symptoms is remarkable. The article states that through decades the brains exquisite circuitry with mounds of sticky plaque and expanses of dead neurons. Even just reading that statement you can began to realize how devastating the disease is. It’s really unfortunate that there is no drug that could repair that kind of damage. And that’s why I think if drug makers are able to produce a drug that can slow down the process, like anticipated it would be a great achievement. When I began to read in to paragraph four I could start to see some of the negative outcomes that are possible with the advancement of early detection. It would be terrible if employers and insurance companies started abandoning people whose brain scans showed some type of problem. It also is scary if people do find out that they are at risk for this disease but can not cope or adjust to the idea. It’s unfortunate that PET scanning is not covered by Medicare because it would be a great benefit for older adults to get brain scans as part of their routine check ups. The earlier Alzheimer or signs of Alzheimer’s are detected the better. Hopefully there will be more a person can do about their diagnosis of Alzheimer because it would be a terrible feeling to know you are going to get this terrible disease and not be able to do anything about it besides take a drug to ease some of the symptoms. I obviously think getting the drug Memantime approved in the U.S is only another improvement we can hope for. I do not know much about the disease or the causes of the disease but Mematime seems like an opportunity that the U.S would be stupid to pass up. Reading this article made me realize that there are some things related to the aging process that you can not change, fix or help no matter what you do and that really scares me. But I can say I feel more at ease knowing that there are drug makers working on medicines that will hopefully slow the process and symptoms of the Alzheimer. It’s still extremely scary knowing that the drug treatments may not work and people may just have to live with the implications of the disease. We can only hope that these drug treatments will work and people will be able to find some comfort in knowing that if diagnosed there is some relief in sight.

Aritcle 28

This article made me really think about a lot of things. The first thing I thought about is how good of an idea the Eden Alternative really is. I know the thought of putting either of my parents in nursing home someday petrifies me. I'm really not sure if I could even do it but knowing that I could be putting them in a warm, loving, comforting place; a nursing home that models the Eden alternative would be a lot more reassuring for both my parents and I. I completely agree with Thomas that "Care for the elderly is not simply about health care or medicine or technology. It’s about creating the right environment and caring relationships that sustain an older adult in his last years." Knowing that my parents would be going into an environment where they would receive care and be able to give care as well would make the decision a lot easier. I also think the Eden Alternative is great idea because it has proven to improve overall health for elder adults and that is obviously a very positive thing. If we can make the quality of life better for the individuals that are put in nursing homes even a little better, we are doing a great thing. Just like we need relationships, so don't the elderly. And Thomas states that "Relationships are the foundation of good health care." Which is something most nursing homes seem to neglect and I think that’s a huge mistake. It should be a top priority of every nursing home. It should be a necessity for the nurses and doctors to form relationships with their patients. I also think bringing animals into nursing homes is a wonderful idea. Animals can bring so much joy into the patient’s lives; they could be their companions. As they say "a dog is a mans best friend" and I'm a firm believer of that. When I really thought about it I could definitely see how hard it would be to try and transform ever nursing home to fit the Eden model. Not everyone is open to change, which to me is very disappointing because I don’t see how anyone could be against this idea. According to the article, the Institutions that have adopted the Eden Model have only had successful and positive results, so my question is why aren’t there more and more nursing homes adopting this model? I really hope that within the near future all nursing homes will decide to adopt the Eden model. If we can make the quality of life better for the elderly why wouldn't we? I think Bill and his wife are doing a great job and I hope they continue to have success with their efforts.