Module 10:Aging Well

Module 10 Forum example

Below is an original post submitted by a former EDL 555 student. This student did a very good job in the Module 10 forum. I hope this example will give you an idea about how to complete this assignment.

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First, I want to start off by saying this forum was too fun, and interesting. I chose my maternal grandmother, Alberta Bruster, and my paternal grandmother, Deloris Bell to do the graceful aging scale assignment on, and again it was fun/interesting. Please see below for a quick review.

Upper Half of Scale 8-15: Deloris Bell (paternal grandmother)

Deloris Bell (paternal grandmother), resides in Vidalia, LA., which is located across the river from Natchez, MS. She is the mother of my father, Eric Bell Sr. Ms. Deloris is what the community calls her, and as she informs everyone she isn't married, so she is single and ready to mingle. Laugh out loud! Ms. Deloris is the middle child of three sisters, which go by the name "The Old Lady Gang" because they stick up for one another, and where you see one sister you see the other two as well. She has six grandchildren, and had six kids; however, one of her sons passed years ago. My paternal grandmother is currently a retired cook, who loves to party with her "New Orleans Zulu Group." She love her deep red colored lipstick, and pouty pink blush, no matter what color she wears. Ms. Deloris is very social at her age, 68, but isn't as close to her eldest son's kids (my brother, and myself) as she is to the rest of her grandchildren. She makes sure she is very healthy, so she can attend those "New Orleans Zulu Group" parties, but she still manages to attend church every Sunday with her sisters. My paternal grandmother ranks in the upper half of the graceful aging scale because she scored a total of 13 points, and I believe she ended in the upper half of the scale because she still has her mobility and doesn't let the little things she can't control hold her back from living. Although, she should work on relationships with her grandkids, she lives freely, which keeps her active and lively. Both scores from the graceful aging scale and the summary scale for my paternal grandmother can be found below.

The Graceful Aging Scale: 1. Maintains social utility, open to new ideas, cares about others (within the limits of physical health) 2

2. Eriksonian Integrity, accepts the past and can take sustenance from past accomplishments. 2

3. Maintains other Eriksonian skills: Basic Trust (hope in life), sensible Autonomy, and Initiative. (In old age Industry, Generativity, and Intimacy are not always possible) 2

4. Enjoys life, retains sense of humor, capacity for joy and play. (Since "old age is not for sissies," happiness may be possible) 3

5. Cheerful acceptance of "indignities of old age," graceful about dependency issues, takes care of self, and when ill becomes a patient that a doctor would want to care for. 2

6. Cultivates relationships with surviving old friends and is successful in making new ones. 2

Summary Scale:

13-15 = Unusually vigorous aging. Meets almost all of the criteria for successful aging and beloved by physician and grandchildren.

Lower Bottom of Scale 0-7: Alberta Bruster (maternal grandmother)

Alberta Bruster is my maternal grandmother, which is my mother's mother. She resides in Ferriday, LA. and has four children; three girls and one boy. Carla, Sharon, Lamone, and Janeshea are the names of her children, with Carla (my mother) being the eldest of the four and Janeshea being the youngest of the four. Ms. Bruster is the youngest, at age 66, of seven children. She is the matriarch of our family and when she wants anything, her children and grandchildren come to her aide. She worked many years in the retail industry, and finally retired and became anti-social to the outside world. She loves to sing church songs, and will not cut her hair because she still thinks it is growing. Laugh out loud! She is known as Bert in the community. She doesn't travel, never goes to any stores for herself, only calls when she needs junk food, and doesn't like to go out in the public. Simply put, my maternal grandmother is not as active, and lively as my paternal grandmother. She scored a total of 7 on the graceful aging scale, which put her at the lower half of the scale. I believe she ended in the lower half of the scale because she is very reserved and at her age she has experienced her body give out on her due to the many years she has worked in the retail industry. She has fear and sadness that plagues her lifestyle and ways, which has left her on a walker with a messed up back and arthritis. I believe embarrassment of being on a walker, and not being mobile at will also placed her in the lower half of the scale. Fear prohibits us all at sometime in life to not achieve the things we want, or be the person we want to be. Both scores from the graceful aging scale and summary can be found below for my maternal grandmother.

The Graceful Aging Scale: 1. Maintains social utility, open to new ideas, cares about others (within the limits of physical health) 3

2. Eriksonian Integrity, accepts the past and can take sustenance from past accomplishments. 0

3. Maintains other Eriksonian skills: Basic Trust (hope in life), sensible Autonomy, and Initiative. (In old age Industry, Generativity, and Intimacy are not always possible) 3

4. Enjoys life, retains sense of humor, capacity for joy and play. (Since "old age is not for sissies," happiness may be possible) 0

5. Cheerful acceptance of "indignities of old age," graceful about dependency issues, takes care of self, and when ill becomes a patient that a doctor would want to care for. 0

6. Cultivates relationships with surviving old friends and is successful in making new ones. 1

Summary Scale:

7-9= Real strengths, but some serious limitation.