Description
Interview someone who is over the age of 75. If possible, choose someone who is a model for you of “healthy aging”. It is fine to interview a member of your family. The goal of this conversation is to learn about their day-to-day experiences as an older adult. The goal of this interview is to understand their current life experiences (including how they spend their time, what they value in their lives, personal values and attitudes, what they worry about, what their goals are), their perspectives on what forces (personal, family, cultural, unexpected life experiences) that have shaped who they are now, and how they see themselves as having grown/changed /stayed the same throughout adulthood. The following questions may help guide your interview:
What relationships, interests, and experiences do individuals find satisfying and personally fulfilling in their lives during this life phase? What are the challenges they face? How is this similar/different than they had expected?
What were their life dreams/goals when they were young adults? How have these hopes and expectations played out in the course of their lives.
In what ways do they experience continuity between who they are now and where they were when they were younger? In what ways is their discontinuity?
What has surprised them about growing old?
What do they worry about?
What do they enjoy most about life right now?
What values are most important to them now? How have their values and priorities shifted?
In what ways have cohort-related experiences and historical/cultural events shaped their life experiences and who they are now?
- What role has work played in their life?
What role has gender, race, social class, etc. played in their life?
Sample Solution
