Late Adulthood Observation Doris Essay - 642 Words

For this observation assignment I chose to observe Doris. Doris is a seventy-six year old volunteer at the day care I work at. I have been observing Doris over a course of ten weeks and have spoken with her on many occasions. Doris lost her husband fourteen years ago after a short illness. The anniversary of his passing is coming up within a few days of Thanksgiving. When we began speaking of him, I observed the change in Doris’ demeanor. She is still grieving over this loss. Her three children are grown and married with children of their own. They all live a distance from her. Two daughters live in Colorado and one son lives in New Jersey. Doris recently underwent surgery on her arm and both daughters came to help her during her†¦show more content†¦Late adulthood in Erikson’s life stage theory is the difference between in integrity versus despair. (Ashford Lecroy, 2013, p. 99) Doris has found her life to be very satisfying. The only thing she wishes could have been changed is the passing of her husband so early. She is content and proud of the way her children have turned out and where her life is currently. We have talked much about how things were as she raised her children and even that of when she was a child. Cappeliez calls this the reminiscence bump, the ability to recall memories from adolescence through young adulthood. (2008, p. 1) She appreciates the life she has been fortunate to have and enjoys sharing the memories she has. I observed the way her face lit up as we talked about her as a child and her children. Another area of observation is the effect of losing her spouse. Many of our volunteers have lost a spouse prior to coming and volunteering at the day care. There are many benefits to volunteering for the late adulthood individual who has experienced a loss of their spouse. According to Li some of the benefits include: a positive impact on well-being, social support and interactions, reduces stress, and promotes healthy behaviors. (2007, p. 2) Death of a long time spouse can have the opposite affect if left to grieve and mourn on their own without a support system. According to Li, â€Å"Older bereaved persons face many physical and psychologicalShow MoreRelatedMy Interview With An Older Adult I Interviewed A Man Named Herald1476 Words   |  6 Pageshis family he described himself as an only child, with a mother and a father of European dissent. Herald was married to a woman named Doris for 45 years until she died in early 2000 of an inoperable brain tumor that was thought to be caused by the traditional radiation treatments for acne she received as a child. He has four living children from his marriage with Doris, two sons and two daughters, each of which still live in the state of Georgia and two who still live in Griffin where they were bornRead MoreEvaluation Of The Boot Camps2381 Words   |  10 Pagesadditionally glaring issues confronting the children of this generation. At present, the quantity of juveniles everywhere throughout the world has developed into disturbing extents. Adolescent misconduct happens amid pre-adulthood, a period which is set apart by a move from adolescence to adulthood. At this phase of their lives, they begin to end up distinctly free and far from the direction of their folks. In spite of the fact that the young is recognized as the holder of the way to the future, most teenagersRead MoreInnovators Dna84615 Words   |  339 Pagesorganizations with their behaviors. For example, Jeff Bezos personally excels at experimenting, so he helped create institutionalized processes within Amazon to push others to experiment. Similarly, Intuit’s Scott Cook shines at observing, so he pushes observation at Intuit. Perhaps not surprisingly, we discovered that the DNA of innovative organizations mirrored the DNA of innovative individuals. In other words, innovative people 100092 00a 001-014 INT r1 go.qxp 5/13/11 9:53 AM Page 8 8 Read MoreThe Social Impact of Drug Abuse24406 Words   |  98 PagesThe devastating effects of AIDS are seen most clearly in the developing world. 15 When... estimates of AIDS cases are considered along with available data on the distribution and spread of HIV infections worldwide, it is estimated that as of late 1993, over 14 million adults and over 1 million children have been infected with 1-HV since the start of the pandemic (10). Two-thirds of the AIDS cases, adults and children, are in Africa, where the primary means of spread is heterosexual contact