Wow, what an awesome retreat! The location was absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t have expected more. It’s always a treat to be able to interact with Professor Bussell and Professor Lewis on such a personal and casual level. The pressure of classrooms can inhibit learning (I believe) in subconscious ways. I have higher levels of anxiety in lecture style classes. I think I learned a lot today, simply because I was more relaxed in the given environment. I attached a photo of my favorite orange flowers that I enjoyed while we were here. It was really exciting when Patricia put my response on the powerpoint and commented on how it was “brilliantly written.” That made me feel really good, and her commentary was helpful as well. She emphasized that my focus on context of differences is a good beginning position. My purpose is to interview my dad to understand why his views have been shaped into what they are.
When interviewing my dad, I plan to focus on specific photos to prevent tangents, the way that Patricia described. My parents had many trips to Europe before I was born and I’ve seen many of those pictures. I hope my dad chooses to elaborate on those. My parents were married for almost 10 years before they had my sister and me. There are many opportunities for stories of times that came before me. I’m looking forward to hearing about those. From Professor Lewis’ mini lecture, I learned that many of the current issues presenting the aging population involve society’s denial of the need for increased resources. There are also series of misrepresented and mistold truths/lies about the real needs of aging populations. Many elders don’t need someone to do the caring for them, many just need more resources to care for themselves. We underestimate the capabilities of our seniors. In turn, there is an increased frustration and negative energy with the aging process, only making the solving of these issues more difficult. We need to create environments in which everyone can flourish. If we keep the aging population in mind, we can also find opportunity to help everyone.
When interviewing my dad, I plan to focus on specific photos to prevent tangents, the way that Patricia described. My parents had many trips to Europe before I was born and I’ve seen many of those pictures. I hope my dad chooses to elaborate on those. My parents were married for almost 10 years before they had my sister and me. There are many opportunities for stories of times that came before me. I’m looking forward to hearing about those. From Professor Lewis’ mini lecture, I learned that many of the current issues presenting the aging population involve society’s denial of the need for increased resources. There are also series of misrepresented and mistold truths/lies about the real needs of aging populations. Many elders don’t need someone to do the caring for them, many just need more resources to care for themselves. We underestimate the capabilities of our seniors. In turn, there is an increased frustration and negative energy with the aging process, only making the solving of these issues more difficult. We need to create environments in which everyone can flourish. If we keep the aging population in mind, we can also find opportunity to help everyone.