Hi, my name is Kandice Dinkins and I am a senior at GSU in social work. I love to read, paint and exercise outside of school. I want to answer each question in my own view and I hope this give you guys, who are reading my post, an insight to how I view aging.
What is one thing you would like to share about yourself?
I’ve always had a passion for painting. It’s my way of expressing my emotions and capturing the beauty of everyday life.
2. What is your experience with older adults, personally and professionally?
Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time with my grandparents, who have taught me invaluable life lessons. Professionally, I’ve volunteered at a local senior center, organizing art workshops and engaging activities, which has deepened my understanding of the challenges and joys older adults face.
3. What do you hope to gain from taking this class?
I hope to gain insights into the physical and emotional aspects of aging, learning effective ways to support older adults in maintaining their dignity and quality of life.
What do these terms mean to you now in your life?
“Older adulthood” and “later life” signify a phase of reflection and growth. I see it as a time when one can draw on life experiences and wisdom while also facing new challenges.
5. What do you imagine when you hear these terms?
I visualize a serene landscape where individuals are embracing their past while still dreaming of new adventures. It’s a time for cultivating relationships and pursuing passions without the pressures of earlier life stages.
6. What will your chronological age be when you consider yourself as an older adult?
I think I will consider myself as an older adult around 65 or older, that’s when I plan to retire and focus on my interests and hobbies.
7. Overall, how do you envision yourself?
• How will you look and feel?
I hope to look vibrant, with silver hair, and feel content and fulfilled, radiating confidence from the experiences I’ll have had.
• How will your health be?
I envision myself maintaining good health through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and a positive mindset.
• How will you spend your time?
I plan to spend my time volunteering, painting, traveling, and taking classes to keep my mind active.
• What things will bring you pleasure?
Engaging with family and friends, creating art, and exploring new places will bring me joy.
8. Is there a particular “problem of aging” that you fear?
I fear cognitive decline, particularly dementia.
9. What is it – and why is this situation or condition concerning you?
This concern stems from seeing my grandmother struggle with memory loss and the profound impact it had on her and our family. It worries me to think of losing my sense of self and the ability to connect with loved ones.
Hey Kandice!
I really enjoyed your post! We have pretty similar views on aging. I also see it as a time to slow down, enjoy life more, and spend quality time with family, traveling, doing the things we love, and truly enjoying the fruits of our hard work. I think your future self will definitely thank you for the work you’re putting in, and for setting these intentions and priorities now.
Hi Kandice, I enjoyed reading your post. I also love to paint, and my medium is watercolors. I am comforted by visual beauty. I am glad that you were able to bring your passion into your volunteer work, deepening your relationships with, and understanding of, older adults.
The emotional aspects of aging are interesting, and I like that you linked them to wanting to find ways to help older adults to maintain their dignity. This is such an important part of care in general, especially for older adults, and it is too often overlooked. I resonate with your definition of later life as a time of reflection and wisdom. I agree, and as an older person, I am grateful to have many experiences and successes over time to draw upon when faced with difficult choices. I also liked how you talked about pursuing passions without the pressures of earlier life stages. You described that well.
Dementia is scary and an unknown, especially when you have had personal experience within your family. It is hard and heartbreaking for everyone, losing yourself in time and place. It sounds like you have great insights on your future health that I hope will serve you well.
Looking forward to learning more about you and thanks for sharing!
Hi Kandice,
I really enjoyed reading your post, which I was drawn to by the artistic vibe of your chosen photo. Speaking of artistry, I also enjoy painting—though more as a way to de-stress with paint-by-numbers, paint nights, and even home interior painting. I’ve also had the chance to run painting workshops as part of a support group for mothers of children with special needs, and it was such a rewarding experience to see how creative expression can be both relaxing and healing. It’s inspiring to hear how you’ve been able to use art in your volunteer work with older adults. There is real power in creativity across the lifespan.
Many of our classmates have shared cognitive decline as their greatest fear around aging. It makes me curious to learn more about how prevalent that concern is within the general population and how it shapes the way people plan for and experience later life. Since you’ve seen firsthand how memory loss impacted your family, do you think your passion for painting could play a role in helping you, or others, maintain connection and identity even if cognitive challenges were to arise?
Hello Kandice! Thank you so much for sharing! It’s super intriguing hearing you’re into art and painting. I have always admired people who are good at art because I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. I noticed that we had a similarity in what we would look like when it comes to aging. We both shared that we have gray hair and are in good health. I think your fear of cognitive decline is very valid, seeing as how that is something someone in your family has also experienced. I hope this does not become your reality and that you may continue to share those soft moments with your family later.
Kandice,
Thank you for sharing about yourself and your experiences with aging. We all appreciate it. it gives me a chance to see where each of you takes your vision of aging. I love that you paint, and use your artistic talent to support older adults. That is awesome. I have become enamored of Zentangle (a meditative art form) and it has helped me believe even I can be artistic.
I think you are pretty realistic about the realities of aging, but are hoping for that mystical, magical aging where everything comes together. Believe me, you aren’t alone. We will spend some time talking about how society sees older adults and how that contributes to the negative ways older adults see themselves. I think you will enjoy the texts and articles, as well as the podcasts with professionals in the field.
Just one piece of advice – when you write these blog posts, think about it more as an article, or a blog post. If you write in a narrative or paragraph style that includes the information asked in the questions, you will find that you will expand your thinking on the questions. You will let yourself write more, which in turn means you will think more about the questions and share more in the post.
Looking forward to more conversations.
Dr P