Health and Wellness for the Elderly Elderly Citizen's Health and Wellness

Elderly Citizen's Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness for the Elderly

Interview Transcript

The aim of this interview is to identify the health and wellness of an elderly person with the aim of providing knowledge on areas. These are areas that social health workers and the government services can develop to improve the overall public health of the community. The program first focuses on the elderly population since it is the most neglected of the general population in terms of public health programs. This is especially necessary for the population not living in elderly and assisted living homes. The interview is confidential, with information purely meant for academic and policy makers.

Can you tell me what you consider in your daily activities are physical activities or physical exercise?

In your opinion, is your current physical regime different from when you were younger?

If not, would you say that you are active elderly person who has maintained an active lifestyle?

4. Often, people consider games like "Bingo," "Gardening," or "Knitting Clubs" as hobbies for the elderly. Of the milliard of activities like reading, crossword puzzles, card games, or reading, what activity would do you consider as challenging and your motivator?

5. What are your reasons for participating in this activity? Do you engage in it for the challenge and learning purposes?

6. What activity, social or individual, do you participate in for leisure, for the fun or for enjoyment?

7. Away from the fun side, which activity or activities give your life meaning? I mean activities like teaching the young, probably your grandchildren, church or religious activities, probably some community or social work.

8. Is it an activity you have participated in for a long time? For how long?

9. Do you think this meaningful activity stems from your talent, or did you create it to remain actively engaged?

10. Who or what would you consider comprises your social circle? Let us talk about social groups, probably a club, community program, business, and friends, along those lines.

11. How would you rate your social life? are you more active...

The interviewee is a 68-year-old mother of two, and grandmother five living by herself in her matrimonial home. She divulges that her husband died fifteen years ago in a car accident. Her children are grown up, living and working in different states.
The interviewee responds to each question well and as fully as possible. What came as a surprise in the interview is her insistence that "old age doesn't have to be a drag." This is because I had made the assumption that since she was living alone and miles away from her children, she would complain of loneliness. The interviewee indicates that she lives by her life philosophy of "loving life and loving it to the fullest." She chooses to remain active, social, and appreciative of reaching her age, without dragging her emotions down with a weakening health or physical strength. Interestingly, she divulges that her children being miles away are not a bother, since she believes she raised them well and blessed them to prosper wherever they go. She maintains a strong communication link with the children and grandchildren, who she visits, or they visit as frequently as possible. The open relationship implies that their visits are not limited to holidays or to family emergencies.

The interviewee has an active life and maintains an active physical regime comprising of yoga classes, walks, and aerobic classes in the gym, twice a week. She also swims, especially in the summer with her three close friends. Since she has a full time gardener who also acts as her driver on occasion and house help, she does little housework, and prefers spending time in social and outdoor activities. Therefore, she participates more in physical activities including swimming and walking, and less of the washing and cleaning. However, she indicates that her physical work out is less aggressive as activities she engaged in when she was young. In her youth, she jogged every morning, visited the gym thrice a week, swam over the weekends, did more cleaning, gardening, and housework. She participated in neighborhood catering and cooking activities for parties, as she loved making and baking…