Life Review Paper
1425 Words
Jun 20th, 2014
6 Pages
Life Review Assignment
Lutricia Le
The University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of
N3261 Nursing of Older Adults
Denise Cauble RN, PhD (c), CWOCN
July 3, 2013
Life Review Assignment
After learning of this opportunity to interview an elderly adult, I already had a candidate in mind. S.F. is the grandfather of my boyfriend and this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about his family roots. It made for an easier interview because I was able establish more intimate connections by interviewing the grandfather of someone so close to me. S.F. is an 80 year old Caucasian male living with his wife of 59 years in Mineral Wells, Texas. Born in Brazos, Texas, he is the middle …show more content…
Lutricia Le
The University of Texas at Arlington, College of Nursing
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of
N3261 Nursing of Older Adults
Denise Cauble RN, PhD (c), CWOCN
July 3, 2013
Life Review Assignment
After learning of this opportunity to interview an elderly adult, I already had a candidate in mind. S.F. is the grandfather of my boyfriend and this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about his family roots. It made for an easier interview because I was able establish more intimate connections by interviewing the grandfather of someone so close to me. S.F. is an 80 year old Caucasian male living with his wife of 59 years in Mineral Wells, Texas. Born in Brazos, Texas, he is the middle …show more content…
100). It also provides us with a chance to learn from the wisdom of those who have been around longer than we have. While interviewing S.F., I noticed that ordinary remembering occurred whenever questions regarding factual information were asked, such as “Tell me about your brothers and sisters” or “Tell me about your work.” The answers to such were very straightforward and concise. Questions that required more in-depth and thought out answers such as “What was the proudest moment of your life?” or “What kind of life do you think you have lived?” took more time to process and respond to. These questions allowed for more exploration of feelings from each event.
Erik Erikson described life in a series of developmental stages – the last of which is ego integrity vs. despair which commonly occurs within those who are near the end of their life. Erikson’s philosophy was that one has achieved happiness if he/she successfully fulfilled every stage. If this has been achieved, older adults should be able to reflect back and feel a sense of accomplishment and of integrity. Conversely, if older adults felt displeased over their accomplishments and/or their life, then they would be filled with despair. If one has lived a life of integrity, then one has achieved “a sense of completeness and cohesion of the self” (Davis & Clifton, 2005). If older adults haven’t felt like they have lived a life of integrity, then they may
Erik Erikson described life in a series of developmental stages – the last of which is ego integrity vs. despair which commonly occurs within those who are near the end of their life. Erikson’s philosophy was that one has achieved happiness if he/she successfully fulfilled every stage. If this has been achieved, older adults should be able to reflect back and feel a sense of accomplishment and of integrity. Conversely, if older adults felt displeased over their accomplishments and/or their life, then they would be filled with despair. If one has lived a life of integrity, then one has achieved “a sense of completeness and cohesion of the self” (Davis & Clifton, 2005). If older adults haven’t felt like they have lived a life of integrity, then they may