Personal Narrative: My Interaction With The Aging
I do agree that my approach to interacting with the aged is most like counseling. When I talk with the aged, I feel like we both leave with something valuable. As I listen, encourage and make suggestions, I am helping the person, but I am also learning as I perform each mission. When seniors lose friends, loved ones, and sometimes have no one to relate to, it is especially important to show them that we care. We can do this by listening and spending time with them, which gives them a reason to exist and not feel isolated.
The same way that we can be “stuck” in Erikson’s stages, we can also be caught up on psychological barriers. As in the case with Erikson’s stages, we must do a personal self-evaluation, figure out the problem, and take the
necessary steps to accomplish change. According to Hill, “Again, positive aging does not require that a person be free from chronic disease or always experience quality of life, only that the person can find hope and well-being through active coping with the challenges presented in life.” (p.95).
Reference
Hill, R.D. (2005). Positive aging; A guide for mental health professionals and consumers, Norton: New York
The same way that we can be “stuck” in Erikson’s stages, we can also be caught up on psychological barriers. As in the case with Erikson’s stages, we must do a personal self-evaluation, figure out the problem, and take the
necessary steps to accomplish change. According to Hill, “Again, positive aging does not require that a person be free from chronic disease or always experience quality of life, only that the person can find hope and well-being through active coping with the challenges presented in life.” (p.95).
Reference
Hill, R.D. (2005). Positive aging; A guide for mental health professionals and consumers, Norton: New York