The Importance Of Grandparents In My Life

Decent Essays
Grandparents are extraordinary individuals, but they are not invincible. However, when I was younger, I was convinced that there was absolutely nothing that my grandparents could not do. They arranged spontaneous day trips to parks, exemplified unconditional love, and provided a seemingly unlimited supply of sweets and candy. As I grew older I noticed that, though my grandparents continued to be very involved in my life, they were beginning to slow down. As time passed, they were not able to walk up and down the stairs as quickly they used to, and glasses soon became regular companions to their faces. These changes made me realize that there is one thing that grandparents cannot avoid: aging.
The truth is that aging is inevitable, but it can
…show more content…
Clark is already succeeding, she listed possible services that could improve her life. One of the primary services that my grandmother would like to have is a recreation center. She envisions the recreation center as a place where she can “get together with people [her] own age and do activities.” Her desire for a recreation center affirms that it is important for the elderly to have a sense of community amongst themselves. Besides the recreation center, she also mentioned assisted living homes, food banks, meals on wheels, counseling centers, and transportation vehicles as services she believes would be helpful. She stated, “I don’t need those services right now because I can do for myself, but it is good to know that they are out there.” Services that improve the daily lives of the elderly by meeting their social, emotional, mental, and physical needs are essential. Nonetheless, the activities and hobbies that my grandmother is currently involved in are a great supplement to her life. One of her favorite hobbies is reading. She also likes going to historical museums. Her passion for such activities shows that learning is a lifelong process. Church conventions and convocations are other activities that my grandmother enjoys. She explained, “I get joy and consolation from being a part of the church. I draw strength from worshipping with others and the fellowship is great and uplifting.” Clearly, the church has been a supportive factor in Mrs. Clark’s life because …show more content…
She stated, “I don’t fear death. We are all going to die.” Her faith plays a big role in her perspective of death. She believes, “if you are saved, death can almost be a welcoming experience…life with Christ, you can’t beat that.” While my grandmother is living, she says she is trying to appreciate the time she has and spend it wisely. Her advice about life shows me how she feels I can spend my time wisely. She advised “whatever you have learned in life that has helped you, pass it along to someone else so that it might help them also.” This is a principle that my grandma lives by herself. Whether she finds a newspaper article, or even has a certain skill, she always passes it on if she believes it will assist someone. In this way, she exhibits self-transcendence because she is passing down a legacy of wisdom and knowledge. My grandmother also recommended that I develop a healthy lifestyle in my youth. She said, “While you are young, eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, and exercise your mind as well as your body. Living a long life is not very meaningful if you are not healthy.” This represents self-transcendence because she is focused on how she can and help me adjust to the concept of dying. She stresses that living a healthy life will cause me to be less daunted by the idea of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Summary of 47th Mary McMillan Lecture Stop for a just a second and think about yourself in the next 40-50 years. Imagine what your life looks like as an elderly person. Can you imagine yourself traveling the world, seeing sights you’ve never dreamed of and being able to keep up with your grandkids at an amusement park? If not, how do you get to that vision you see? What if I told you that Physical Therapist may be the answer.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My grandma, even being a closed-minded, stubborn person, helped me because a more independent and strong person during her decrease of life. Iris was a very relaxed woman, she spent the last ten years of her life working in the gardening section of Wal-Mart. She would come home to my grandpa and they would sit at their dining room table watching T.V. and talking. In the summer my grandpa would work on the garden and my grandma would sit on the back porch admiring the humming birds on the feeders.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Loma Lima Blue Zones

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages

    On Track to 100 Stress is one of the leading causes of heart attacks which can lead to death; however, adapting to a positive lifestyle can reduce the risk? Considering the length of time one has to live, we examine the centenarian. Centenarians are individuals who live to the age of 100 and beyond and those living beyond the age of 110 are known as supercentenarians. Several regions of the world, known as The Blue Zones have been researched to identify the areas which have the highest recorded number of centenarians. The locations of the zones are The Sardinia Blue Zone (Italy), The Loma Lima Blue Zone (California), The Okinawa Blue Zone (Japan) and The Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone (Costa Rica), but why are these areas highly populated…

    • 1373 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    TIn her last years, my grandmother Jean Coleman VanDieren was cared for by skilled professionals at St. Joseph 's Bluffs Nursing Home in Jefferson City, Missouri, and I am so thankful and appreciative for the outstanding care the staff provided. I am also deeply grateful for the spiritual care and guidance given by Chaplain Mueller as well. My grandmother´s battle with Parkinson’s Disease was not easy, and the care and attention required was demanding. I have a newfound appreciation for those who work in this capacity and will always remember this particular nursing staff at St. Joseph’s Bluffs. Before my grandmother came to live at St. Joseph 's Bluffs, she lived in Leawood, Kansas, where she worked.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As people live on to be 70 to 80 years old they carry memories from their childhood days till they die. Many memories can shape them in a high-minded way or in an inadequate way. “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Flannery O 'Connor, Granny Weatherall faced multiple hardships in her lifetime up that she cannot forget. The results she received made Granny Weatherall not rely on anybody to help her out because she took control over her life. While in “A good man is hard to find” nameless grandma came from a childhood where all people gave and received “respect”.…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many older adults recollect their lives with fond memories, allowing them to have hope and preserve their integrity (Berger, 2010). I would like to leave behind a sense of accomplishment for me and my family, to show them that life is more than what we have currently made it to be, which is living for the weekend. That the younger generation can do better than the older generation in regards to health, emotional health, financial stability and enjoyment of life. To “live a good life” would involve me being able to assist the people I love with their dreams and aspirations, whether that be with money, inspiration or just someone to talk to when they have joyous or devastating news. I want enough time, intelligence and compassion to do for others in ways that will affect their lives in a positively.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Both older adults and young children experience changes in development, need companionship, and have that inner desire to be understood. People within these two groups are connected by those at middle age bracket. In the contemporary society, we segregate or society buy age, this makes every generation to see itself as a separate entity. Intergenerational programs have the capability to bridge these perceptions. The number of aging people in this country is increasing at unprecedented rate.…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.” I found much greater significance to this quote by Andy Rooney after volunteering at Morning Pointe through the United Way’s Volunteer Center. Through this experience, I was offered one-on-one/small group time with seniors in an assisted living facility in Chattanooga. This opportunity was a deep and meaningful one to me; I was able to converse with people who possessed an abundance of life experience and wisdom and brighten their day in the process. Assisted living facilities are the fastest growing long-term care resource for senior citizens because of their modern approach to senior care.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Workplace Observation

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Last week, when I went to Adult Day Care Center, I got confused that with senior center. Thanks to Candace last week for explaining me the difference. Moreover, this week I got an opportunity to differentiate them based on their structure and services. I got an overview of senior center, their services and funding sources. Among all of yesterday’s class I loved the tour of senior center.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Aging: A Cultural Analysis

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout the process of aging, different cultures perceive aging in their own individual ways. Culture can play a huge role in which one ages and how society is to view those who age. However, each culture has its own beliefs about growing old and what specific roles older people play in the society they are a part of. With a rapid increase in the older population, society has changed to meet the needs of the elder population. The rapid increase in the older population is due to the fact that people are living longer.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    For this report I interviewed my great grandmother, Margaret Westphal, about the changes she is encountering within each domain throughout late adulthood. Last April she celebrated her 76th birthday and appears to be aging successfully according to John Rowe and Robert Kahn (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 462). Rowe and Kahn define successful aging as maintaining physical health, cognitive abilities, being involved in social and productive activities, and being satisfied with life. (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 462). When asked questions regarding the physical domain, several things my grandmother mentioned are common changes that occur in late adulthood.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Jade Peony Grandmama is the protagonist of this story, “The Jade Peony”, and she stands out as a dynamic character through her actions and words, which make her a unique individual. We learn about her life before she dies, and about all her different beliefs. To start off, Grandmama is and 83 year old Chinese-Canadian who is an immigrant to this country along with her family. She is very old and physically aging, and her body trembles constantly revealing that she is about to die. Grandmama refuses to go to the hospital and believes in using traditional remedies.…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Geriatric Interview Essay

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For the geriatric interview, I interviewed my grandmother, Minnie. She is 85 years old, widowed, and lives alone. Overall, she is in good health. Her medical history is pretty fair for her age. She takes daily vitamins and one pill for hypertension.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Introduction The family as a primary source of social support is very important in promoting active and healthy aging. Increased life expectancy may create multigenerational kinship networks to provide family continuity and emotional support when needed. These multigenerational families are characterized by cross-generational reciprocity and interdependence – grandparents and grandchildren sharing over three decades of life and bond (Hooyman & Kiyak, p.345). Grandparenting is an evolving role affected by social changes such as “women in labour force, distance, divorce, remarriage, reconstituted families and international adoption that have seriously altered the classic family structure and the challenges of grandparenting” (NACA, 2005. p1).…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Great Memories of My Grandmother First of all my Grandmother raised me and was a great provider she was a caring Grandmother to all her grandchildren. She loved to cook and was willing to go out of her way for others. She had a great smile and loved to watch her soap operas on TV. No matter how the passage of our destination I learned from her.…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays

Related Topics