My name is Jasmine, and I would like to share my heart saddens when I see older people being mistreated. My experience with older adults is through personal and professional experiences. Earlier in my career, I attended courses to become a dialysis technician. Although, there are different people of different ages on dialysis, during training and externship, I spent a lot of time with the elderly. I also have subjective experiences with my own family members and friends of the family. I learned that a person who has direct contact with elders should be more patient than most. I knowledge that I hope to gain while taking this course is a more in-depth look on how their brain operates. My parents are getting older, so I would like to be more understanding and able to help them rather than be more snappy or standoffish because I don’t know how their brain operates. Older adulthood or later life to me means that this would be the last cycle before death. I know that we all must go someday, so the cycles of life from a baby to later life means life before death. Hearing these terms means ages sixty on up. In my later adulthood I imagine myself being a heavyset woman, with little to say, as I would have already expressed a lot of thoughts prior (Today). I imagine looking like my grandmother, not a lot of gray hair. I do not know how my health would be as I am currently trying to get myself on track now. I will more than likely spend my free time with my family, my children and grandchildren. My wish is to not ever be in a nursing home. Today, my mother lives with me and If I had to stop working etc., then I would to take care of my parents. The things that would bring me happiness would be watching my children live out their dreams and things that today we work so hard to build. There are a few issues that I am worried about as I get older; one is dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Another issue is the loss of my limbs or any health issues that will stop me from getting around as I used to. I am a person that heavily relies on my own brain and makes my own decisions. So, if my brain is not able to remember, or focus on things as I used to It would break me, I just know. Even though I would not be aware, it would break me. I am a fear that anything that hinders me from going, would hurt me in a major way.
Jasmine,
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. We all appreciate it. I find it fascinating that you are interested in how the brain works in older adults. You mention that you think you could be more patient (or less snappy) with your parents if you knew how their brain works and I think that is an interesting approach. In most respects, it is much less the brain and much more feelings and relationships that affect how we interact – no matter what age. But I like your thoughts about that.
I think you will find both Cruikshank and Aronson interesting in trying to answer your questions about brain function. Your fear of dementia is shared by most of your classmates, and most of our society. We have created a fear of dementia every time we mention aging – something we probably need to change. The podcast with Jim Fox, while difficult at times, will provide you with some insight into that reatliy.
I look forward to many more conversations.
Dr P