Hello everyone, my name is Ja’Maya Reed. I am currently pursuing my Master of Social Work degree at Georgia State University. My interests are advocacy, policy, and the connection between social work and law. I am currently completing my practicum at Emory University School of Law’s Barton Child Law and Policy Center.
My experience with older adults has been more personal than professional. I have older adults in my life who have allowed me to see the importance of family support and having people around you as you age. Professionally, most of my experience has been in behavioral health, child welfare, and advocacy, so working specifically with older adults is an area where I have more to learn. I hope this class gives me a better understanding of the aging process. I think about reaching a point where life hopefully slows down a little and you have more time to enjoy what you have worked for. I think about retirement, traveling, spending time with family, and enjoying life differently. I also think about the changes that can come with aging, especially changes in health and independence.
I would probably consider myself an older adult around 65 or 70. I hope I am still active, traveling, and enjoying life. I also hope I can look back at my career and feel that the work I did made a difference. The part of aging that concerns me most is losing my independence. I would have a difficult time adjusting to not being able to drive or care for myself. I think that fear also helps me understand why dignity and self-determination are so important when working with older adults.
Hello fellow Master’s of Social Work student! I had to stop in say thank you for your service in the behavioral health field. I too have worked in that field for the last 20+ years so I do understand how demanding that job can be. I felt drawn to your commitment to change through advocacy and policy restructuring. That is something I would like to do as well seeing how there are so many glitches in the language for mental health support as it stands. Also, I would like to say 65-70 is a perfect time to start taking an inventory of what you want the last parts of your life to look like. It seems as if you are already making a difference so I see your future more of the same. Looking forward to growing and learning from all of these brilliant young minds in this class. Godspeed on your success…
Ja’Maya,
I have to say, the featured image you chose is probably the best one I have seen yet! I commented on another post that I was the ED for a small nonprofit that provided educational programming for older adults. We brought them together for workshops and seminars, had lunch together, and enjoyed learning and talking. It always amazed me to be reminded of all the things the older adult in front of me had done in their life. It made me imagine all the people they had been and how they had combined to create the one I saw standing there. Your photo selection said all of that in a single glance. Thanks.
I find your professional work so far inspiring, and I am grateful you have chosen that path. As someone who teaches our social welfare policy classes (and loves the Barton Center work), I both appreciate and applaud your decision. I suspect you will have some opinions about the policy elements of aging as we move through the semester.
The interesting thing about aging practice, compared with other settings in which social workers practice, is that we will all eventually be there. Whether or not we have professional experience working with older adults, we all know some personally. And that can be either a positive or negative experience. And when you add the fact that we all have our own image of how we want to age, it becomes a field of practice that intertwines the professional and the personal more than some.
I think you will enjoy Cruikshank’s rebelliousness and Aronson’s challenges of the medical profession. I look forward to hearing more about your thoughts, particularly as we move toward policy and advocacy discussions.
Dr P