For this week’s meeting, our assignment was to complete a “debunking ageist stereotypes” presentation with a topic of our choice, and I decided to address the misconception of prevailing loneliness among older adults. The reason I chose this topic was due to the stories shared in the book we are reading: Happiness is a Choice You Make by John Leland. There, anecdotes are given about how older adults foster social interactions, including instances of finding love after their partners had passed away and participating in games with fellow apartment residents. This is in stark contrast with the typically depicted lack of friends or vibrant communities in old age that is shown and propagated by popular media. However, the book also provides examples of older adults who do not have as active of social interactions and portrays their lives as fulfilling regardless. Both of these cases were incorporated into my presentation, as the myths were how older adults were usually lonely and how if older adults were not, they had aged “successfully.” The idea of “successful” aging is one of greater importance, as this stereotype could be applied in many fields, including health and wealth, and it could be easily propagated. It may seem like a good idea to compliment one’s life in old age but doing so may inadvertently put down another’s life in old age. The way one ages is primarily determined by their surroundings and upbringing, and it should not be treated as a measure of success. I created an infographic for this presentation, as that was the format I was most familiar with. Overall, this assignment was interesting, and it helped me to express ideas about aging that I had held for a long time, especially with prior courses.
Throughout the first few weeks of Spring Quarter, the assignments and discussions held in USP141B have drawn my attention. Continuing on from the previous quarter, we are now starting our Healthy Aging Proposal assignment and bringing these proposals into a realized program or event. In my case, I am working with several other students to produce several short videos that consist of interviews of older people. These interviews will consist of perspectives surrounding the past, present, and future, which corresponds to three videos, with shared questions being asked and an overall reflection being provided. Right now, the most difficult aspect of the project has been gathering older adults who are willing to conduct these interviews. Because of the pandemic, I would not feel comfortable visiting various communities for older adults, so they must be conducted through Zoom calls, creating a barrier to access. Right now, I am awaiting responses from these communities via email, but I am excited for when we do bring this project together. In addition, I have also completed the assignment for a current event presentation, in which I discussed a student-organized group at Tuffs University that aims to connect with older adults when they may be struggling with loneliness during the pandemic. I find that their multi-disciplinary approach, such as with contacting other organizations that focus on medical issues or public health, to be a valuable aspect to learn from. Lastly, for the book club this quarter, which is on Happiness is a Choice You Make by John Leland, I find that the ideas brought up, which include unique perspectives on memory loss, wisdom, and the love lives of older adults, all greatly contribute towards combating the narrative that aging brings harm. The book instead conveys the complexities of not only the process of aging, but also living a day-to-day life in old age, with both positives and negatives. Overall, I am eager to have discussions in the near future of this class.
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Martin NguyenMartin is a Biochemistry/Cell Biology major from Garden Grove, CA. A fun fact about Martin is that he played tennis in high school. Archives
April 2021
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