Report on Embracing the Golden Years: A Comprehensive Portrait of a Resilient 73-Year-Old

My interviewee was a 73-year-old widow, my grandmother, who currently lives with her daughter and one grandson. The three of them live in a modest apartment like the majority of middle-class citizens in the neighborhood. At 73, my grandmother is at the last stage of Eriksen's developmental stage of integrity vs. despair. Cognitively, my grandmother can be regarded as good since her mental status is still intact, and her mood is stable as usual. She still has memories of the past when she was still a beautiful young lady.

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In terms of speech, my grandmother has no verbal or non-verbal problems since she can hear and communicate normally. She has a high-pitched voice good eye contact, and maintained an open-ended body during conversations. Except for her blurry vision at night, she can now read without eyeglasses after a successful surgery. Well kept and clean, she baths once every morning and does not need any assistance when dressing or using the toilet. Her appetite is normal and has no allergies, but sometimes she needs a snack before the main meals. She wears dentures due to her swallowing problems but does not require help with eating. Mealtime is critical because of taking medications, and meals must be in front of a television. She once fell in church but does not need walking assistance.

My grandmother needs help when shopping. She cooks and cleans for herself, and typically uses taxis and buses when in need of movement. She takes insulin since she has diabetes, as well as Cholesterol and hypertension medications. My interviewee organizes the medications by herself, and she has no medication allergies.

For hobbies and leisure, she cleans and goes to church, where she used to teach Sunday school kids. She usually spends her time with family and church friends. According to her, the older adults in the community learn about their matters mostly from the church.

During her youth days, she used to run track and field, and she remembers she once won the Jamaican house track trophy. Despite her long history of hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol issues, she still regards herself to be in good health. At night, her sight is foggy, and sometimes suffers from imbalance when walking. Regardless of her age, she still hopes to come to the United States to see her family. To me, strength and health are the essential features that are most important during old age.

Conclusion

To conclude, my grandmother is a healthy, devoted Christian, with no age-related issues. Her short-term and long-term memory was great, and despite being a widow, she did not worry or stress since she had a relationship with God. She goes to church and cooks for the neighborhood during Easter. With her daughters and grandchildren safe, she feels she led a satisfying life since she had maintained her respect as a community church leader. In terms of technology, she needs to learn how to use apps such as WhatsApp to text her family members rather than call every time. From her experience, I learned that she is resilient since she led a meaningful, healthy life despite complications. Her glaucoma issues surprised me, but I learned that one could lead a meaningful life during old age, even with chronic illnesses. From my experience with several geriatric patients and my grandmother, I believe that a happy life in old age can be attained through a healthy lifestyle during youthful days.