Critical reflection of the interview
Order Description
Step 1 of the assessment is done and pasted below.
1. Personal information (de-identified)
Age-72 yrs; marital status- Married; Cultural Background: Indian; Social and Family support: lives independently with wife; have a stable and loving relationship with both sons and 4 grandchildren. Weekly goes to senior citizen group to socialise.
2. Looking back over your life, what has been most important to you?
Insistence and interest to pursue higher education- thinks has rewarded him richly. Have 4 university degrees from 3 different universities. PhD in Maths, higher education has given power to implement his ideas for the cause of advocating for education in his town. He has received social respect, great job perspective and later promotion in the career. Overall, happy that he insisted of pursuing higher degree and now enjoying a pensioner life.
3. Do you think of yourself old? In what way’s or not?
Yes, he feels he is old. Reasons include: mental maturity- which resulted in thought process become mature. Feels he has become more responsible, careful with the way he interacts with others, tight money spending has he grew old. He can face and share his negative aspects of life with family and loved ones with ease. He takes his life as it comes and hence causes him to remain happy in this stage life. Overall even though he is old he is happy with his life.
4. In what way/s does your age affect how other people relate to you?
Family –Respects and loves me because he is independent and self-caring person
Relationship with other people his age- positive and understanding one. Easily communicate and make friends with other people from his senior citizen group.
Younger than him: treat him with respect and he does not criticise anyone and hence people take his advice seriously. Has been a school teacher and later school principle before he retired. Always tried to give positive feedback to everyone and given opportunity so that individuals improved themselves.
5. Is your age a factor in how you relate with other people? In what way/s?
No, because my positive personality allows me to relate with other people from different age group, ethnic background and personality with ease. I am willing to share my perspective of life and is eager to learn from other individuals. My view is that as I age my thoughts and mentality becomes more mature and hence age does not become barrier to communicate and relate with people.
My views regarding this person before and after the interview
The person that I interviewed was a man I knew since I was 4 years old. Before I started the interview I had a perception that this man is a strict old man with certain sets of principles he has implemented in his life. However during and after the interview I realised that even though he lives with his principles he is the most happiest and care free man I have ever met. In my own opinion he was the first man who was actually happy when he hit his 70s. He stills likes to travel and live independently with his wife in this age which was new news for me.
As I freely and easily received my education when I was young, I did not realise that he had to insist to his parents to let him studies further in his life. Even with financial issues in the household of 6 children, he being the eldest, he managed to studied doctorate and lived a better lifestyle than what his parents lived with. I applauded him for his perseverance.
You need to write task 2 of assessment using above information and assessment detail attached.
