One of my biggest fears about aging is losing my independence because of a major health condition. Since I am an independent person, I would describe this situation as emotional, social, and physical. I can see myself struggling with everyday activities and having to ask others for help. Emotionally, I would definitely feel scared and anxious about losing my autonomy. I would also be worried about being a burden to my family or friends. Medical expenses could also affect my quality of life. This situation would change my idea of life as an older adult. I would picture myself being 60, healthy, and spending time with my family; I would also want to enjoy life without working. If I were to develop health conditions, I might have to change these plans. Regardless of what happens, I would still want to figure out how to enjoy my life while maintaining some independence.
The CARA model and GRRs could help me foster more resilience by supporting my independence. My family, friends, and community services could all give me support. My experience working with older adults also allows me to understand that someone getting assistance doesn’t mean someone has lost her independence.
There has been research that supports the importance of individualized support for maintaining independence. Research by De Vriendt et al. (2016) found that I would guess that resilience would mean being able to adapt instead of allowing my health condition to control me. Instead of worrying about what I can’t do, I would focus on what I could do. Get help when needed and still make my own decisions. I think this experience being something that changed my view of independence, from doing everything alone to having control over choices in my life.
De Vriendt, P., Peersman, W., Florus, A., Verbeke, M., & Van de Velde, D. (2016). Improving Health Related Quality of Life and Independence in Community Dwelling Frail Older Adults through a Client-Centred and Activity-Oriented Program. A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 20(1), 35–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-016-0673-6
I really enjoyed reading your post because I can relate to your fear of losing independence as you get older. I think many of us imagine ourselves aging while still being able to make our own decisions, take care of ourselves, and enjoy the things we love. Having a major health condition could definitely change that picture and bring feelings of fear, anxiety, and even concern about becoming a burden to family or friends.
One point you made that really stood out to me was that receiving assistance does not necessarily mean losing your independence. I think that is an important distinction. Independence does not always have to mean doing everything by yourself. It can also mean continuing to have a voice in your care, making your own decisions, and having control over how you want to live your life. Accepting help when it is needed can actually allow someone to remain independent longer.
I also liked how you connected resilience to focusing on what you can still do rather than only focusing on your limitations. As future social workers, I think this is especially important because we will work with individuals who may need additional support while still wanting to maintain their dignity, autonomy, and sense of purpose. Your post reminded me that aging successfully may not mean avoiding every health challenge, but instead learning how to adapt to changes while continuing to find meaning and enjoyment in life.
Koen,
I really enjoy your photos. I would appreciate it if you could review my comments on your previous post, where I explain how to upload your featured image.
I understand your fear of losing your independence due to a physical condition. It would have helped to know a bit about what you think will cause that condition. I say that because I think some of you believe that the simple fact of growing older will automatically make you less independent. Plus, understanding what creates dependence helps us discuss what supports we can build to help us keep our agency.
We had a good start on GRRs, but I think the point is to talk specifically about how General Resistance Resources can help create resilience. And I am not at all clear on what “individual supports” the article referred to and what it showed. If you reference it, you need to give us more than that sentence.
So if you would focus on what you could do, what is that? A bit more detail would have helped. Expand your thinking a bit more in these posts. Consider them mini papers, not discussion boards.
Dr P