Hi everyone! My name is Morgan McCaslin, and I currently live in Raleigh, NC, and am enrolled in the Advanced Standing program. Something about me is that I love music! I sing and play guitar, mostly for myself, but I have played at a couple of Adult Day Centers. I recently got a microphone, so I am excited to maybe expand my musical reach. I have worked directly with older adults experiencing cognitive decline in Adult Day Centers for about a year and eight months. In addition, as a younger teenager, I lived right beside my great-grandmother while she was experiencing health issues and cognitive decline. I was somewhat involved in caregiving during that time. Personally, I love older people and find it extremely important to keep close relationships that differ generationally, especially with older women. I grew up living right beside my grandma and my great grandma, so they were very strong role models throughout my life before they passed. I was excited when I saw this class as an elective because something I hope to do in the future is advocate for older people who are mistreated by society, insurance companies, and living facilities/caregivers. In addition, the treatment and payment awarded to caregivers in North Carolina specifically, and the entire country, is something that needs to be addressed. I hope to learn more about policy related to aging and how to advocate in everyday life. In addition, I want to learn more about dementia and cognitive decline, why it happens, and how it impacts the brain.
As a teenager, I found it very hard to picture older adulthood. I lost multiple older relatives during this time in my life, and that heavily impacted my perception of “being old” and death. However, as I have grown up and worked directly with older adults, some of whom have passed, I have learned to process these terms with a lot more nuance now. Older adulthood, though scary, does sound a lot more exciting to me now because I am excited to have more life knowledge and to be able to give that knowledge to young people. I have anxiety around growing old and dying; I think everyone does, but that is natural, and it is definitely something I work on daily in this field of work.
When I think of being a senior or older adult, I do not think of a specific age, because it depends on where that person is in their life and how “old” they feel they are. However, to give it a number, I would say around 70 is what I consider to be an older adult. Improving your health is always important, and that is something I have definitely been thinking about. I see myself being active and hopefully being able to travel and experience new things. Hopefully my health will be better. I imagine myself having good health. Music and writing are things that I want to fully enjoy and commit to at an older age. I also want to work with younger people in order to pass on any knowledge that I gained throughout my life. Speaking with older mentors who are nearing the end of their lives is something so valuable that I have experienced. I am scared of getting dementia, especially early-onset Alzheimer’s. There is no way to know if someone you love or you will experience cognitive decline, which is something I have thought about after working closely with people experiencing that. Hopefully, in the future we will know more about dementia and its causes.
Hi Morgan!
I also grew up with my grandma being a strong role model for me, as she lived with us and we spent so much time together. Similarily, it was hard to imagine my future and how I would be when I was older because the idea scared me so much, and it was hard to imagine how different things would be. Dementia runs in my family, and I have an aunt and uncle who both struggle with it, thankfully, they moved to Spain with their daughter. Spain’s lifestyle is more relaxed and community-based compared to the USA, and although there is a resource gap, it has been more helpful for their treatment. Dementia is a sad disease that strips your independence and sense of self, and I hope the science to help continues to grow. I think it’s really cool that you worked in adult day centers, and I believe this class will enhance those skills even more!
Thanks so much for the comment and for understanding. Dealing with grief, especially when someone is still with you, is something that dementia often brings. It is great that your aunt and uncle are doing well in Spain. The slower pace and strong community that is there to support them is definitely beneficial for those experiencing cognitive decline.
Morgan,
Your experience working in Adult Day Centers gives you a valuable perspective on Aging Practice. Sometimes I think that knowledge and experience can help us approach our fears more realistically. It doesn’t mean we don’t have them. It just means we know more about them and can manage them differently.
I really like your thinking about intergenerational connections. Not only are you thinking about that at your age in interacting with older adults, but you are also looking forward to that opportunity to share with younger people when you are an older adult. That is a perspective we desperately need.
I can’t promise you that we will talk at length about the causes of dementia and the effect on the brain, but we will definitely talk about the social and familial effects of dementia. I also learned from Jim Fox, the professional in the podcast episode on dementia, that it takes a toll on the body.
We will be talking about social policy and older adults. Probably not as much as I would like (since I also teach social policy here), but definitely in relation to ageism and support for older adults. We have developed an out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality about older adults, and it has resulted in our lack of effective public policy. I think you will enjoy both Cruikshank and Aronson on these issues.
I look forward to the conversations.
You are expected to add a featured image to your blog posts. In the video on the blog and in my latest email, I explain how to upload your featured image. If you scroll down to the bottom on the right side of your post window, you will find “Set Featured Image.” I walk you through this in my video on using the blog. This information is about halfway through. You might find it helpful, and it will place your image right at the top of the blog post. Here is the link to the video.
https://gastate.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/lessons/3694485/topics/77644126
Dr P
Thank you so much for the comment! And I will make sure to add the image and add one to my second blog post. Thank you for the feedback. I am very excited for this class, and the readings so far have been great.