Life Stages Interviews and Reports
Unexpected Loneliness: Bobbi Hoskins Loneliness is a common issue in any stage of life, however the elderly are more susceptible to it for several reasons; the sudden loss of a spouse, retirement, moving to a new location, and health problems. Loneliness is defined as an unbearable feeling of separateness (Mind infoline, 2012). Loneliness can cause feelings of anxiety, depression, being unloved, and insecurity. There are three basic degrees of loneliness which are, circumstantial, developmental, and internal.
Circumstantial loneliness is caused from retiring, moving, losing a loved one; the list goes on and on. Some people retire and they want to be on their own, this is the case for Bonnie. She has always considered herself a loner and she is happy being by herself for several reasons. She likes her freedom, she does not like people telling her what to do, and she does not agree with how some people handle getting old. “They do not like to do stuff.. they just sit on their butts and wait to die.(Appendix B)” These are the people that loneliness takes a hold of and they just want to die, because they feel there is nothing left to do.
Developmental loneliness is caused from being in a state of constant despair, and not fully being active in daily affairs. Some people develop loneliness because they do not have anything better to do. As long as the person is doing something they stand a better chance of not getting lonely. In some assisted living housing there are always things to do with the group wanting to go is a big issue with some people. They just seem to sit back and wait for death to come, which causes depression. In an interview (appendix C) Ms. Mina she mentioned that, “ I try to go to some of the activities of the groups they have on site, and if I need help with transportation I let them help me with that.” She is keeping herself from being lonely by asking for help from time to time.
Internal loneliness is an issue that deals with how the individual deals with being alone. I think there for I am type of situation. If the elderly individual believes that there is no hope for them to shed this feeling of loneliness then they start to believe that this is the way it is and there is nothing they can do to change it. In the interview (appendix A) the question was asked what one thing that scares you is and two answers were, “losing my mental abilities.” When older people feel like they are not capable of mentally taking care of themselves they give in to loneliness.
By doing research on this topic and reading the interviews this writer was not surprised by some of the answers in comparison to the research. Most people do not like to be alone, and most know how to cope with this issue in a healthy way. This writer discovered that there were many misconceptions about getting old, because we as humans tend to stereotype individuals. One misconception about being lonely was that older people want to be left alone when in fact most of them do not.
Housing
As individuals reach late age adulthood, determining their housing is a critical issue and can be very stressful. Deciding whether one will move out of their home where they have resided in for many years or even finding a place that will assist them with their needs can be a scary process.
Housing that meets the needs of aging adults are important. Some common housing for aging adults include retirement communities, assisted living facilities, board and care homes, skilled nursing facilities, age restricted retirement homes and supportive housing. At some point during late stage adulthood, individuals will utilize one of the before mentioned housing options.
One of the interviewers of this paper had a opportunity to interview a individual who has experienced the process of moving out of her home and relocating to supportive housing. Living in supportive housing, individuals can work with the staff to assist them with getting their needs met. Some needs may include food, counseling and transportation. During the interview with Ms. Mina, she shared some of the benefits of living in supportive housing. “I tried to go to some of the activities of the groups they have on site and if I need help with transportation I let them help me with that. When they bring food in, I do grab a basket or two” (see appendix C-7).
In Ms. Mina’s situation, she does not require as much assistance as others. Other late age adult individuals require more attention. Ms. Mina was kind enough to share with the interviewer some of her observations of her peer’s experiences in supportive housing that have reached late age adulthood. “When I look around and see my peers declining health and have to have strangers come in the house to clean for them and feed them and that is one of my biggest fears” (see appendix C-13) .
Besides food and transportation, some late age individuals require additional needs when considering housing. Some issues that should be considered are affordability, neighborhood, and accessibility. “As our elderly population increases, so does the need for housing that is adequate, low cost, easy to maintain and designed to assist them in avoiding accidents or injuries” (Kastenberg & Chasin, 2004). Once these variables have been determined, other assistance may be required such as assisted living programs. Some of the services that assisted living programs include: memory care, emotional care, respite care and behavior health disease services to name a few. These programs are designed to improve the quality of life for individuals.
Nursing facilities is the most common options for late age individuals that are not able to care for themselves due to medical illnesses. These facilities are geared to cater to the medical needs of the individual. Nursing homes work hard to make the stay for individuals as comfortable and home like as possible.
Whether late age adults reside in their homes, relocate to supportive housing or reside in nursing homes is based on the individual’s needs. The most critical piece to housing for late age adults is ensuring that their needs are met so that their quality of life is improved.