Interview Poem

It is not a detriment to be old,
     It's a blessing.
Someone asked me once,
     how do you get to be an old timer?
And I said,
     you just have to live long enough,
but every day is a challenge,
     and if you meet it with a smile on your face,
it's to your advantage.
     So I try to present a smiling face to the world,
and perhaps that's why I've lived a long time.

I think it's good for older people to have an outlet.
The world is full of older people,
     and they're not getting any younger.
And if you don't come
     to something like the senior center,
you're apt to stay in the house
     and I don't think it's a good idea.
Maybe you live alone.
     Maybe you don't knit.
Maybe you don't read.
     There's only so much TV you can watch.
And if you can keep your mind busy
     and do something challenging,
you'll live longer.

Index Card

About the Interview

Since my field working is focused around the elderly, when thinking about where to go for my interview, the first person I thought of was naturally my grandmother. It is very different to interview someone that you already have established a relationship with, but even so, it was definitely a unique experience for me. I conducted the interview in my grandmother's living room, a place where I had sat a thousand times before, but this time it was different. This time, it was all about her and what she had to say. I can't say that I've never heard her talk about her life before, and the time that she spent at the senior center, because I can assure you that my grandmother is one who loves to share her stories, but I have surely never heard them like that. The interview opened my eyes to just how relevant her life experiences still are, and how important it is to listen to the stories of those who came before you. Our difference in age obviously leads to some major differences between us, from the way we were raised to the societies that we grew up in. For example, back in her time, women rarely strayed from the jobs where society had them believe that they belonged, like being a nurse or a secretary. She was raised in an era where the men worked and the women kept the house and raised children, and maybe had a small job on the side. It's interesting to see how that affects the way that she views the world today. Regardless of the age difference though, my grandmother made it clear to me just how important it is to keep yourself active and interested in the lives of those around you. For her, that's what makes the senior center in Needham so important. It is a support system and a place to be a part of her community and be social with her friends. One thing that I have always admired about her is just how active she is. Before her hip injury, she would take a walk every single day, and you couldn't walk into her living room without seeing a stack of books from the library. She is an active member of the senior center, a volunteer at the local hospital, and a vital part of her church community. Seeing the way that she lives has helped me to see how you can keep yourself young even at the old age of 92, and that maybe aging isn't such a negative thing after all. As my grandmother said, being old is a blessing, especially when you can view each day as a gift. I can only hope that if I ever get to be as old as my grandmother that I will achieve the same amount of wisdom and understanding that she possesses today, and be able to keep up such an active lifestyle and positive attitude.

New Field Site

As far as research at Salvatore Mancini senior center is concerned, I have come to a bit of a dead end. After trying multiple times to contact them a couple of weeks ago, I have still received no response, and thus given up on any hopes I had of doing research about that place. So, for a field working site, I have chosen to do an inclusive look at the elderly in Providence. Throughout my research, I have discovered that there are actually quite a lot of places where seniors can go to get help or to be a part of a community. The website http://www.providenceri.com/senior/senior-centers gives a comprehensive list of websites where seniors can go in order to find out more about these places. Examples of places for seniors to go to feel included in a community are the many senior centers that I was unaware even existed in Providence. There is also a list of nursing homes, adult day care facilities, and places that provide assisted living. These could be very useful to families who are looking to find places to care for their elderly parents, or even elders who feel that they need help. For seniors who are still mostly independent, there are links to help with meals, such as Meals on Wheels sites, or information about the RIde program or RIPTA passes for seniors. This website impresses me, because it truly shows how much Providence has to offer in terms of care for the elderly. There are far more options for seniors than I had initially imagined, and it is clear that the people of Providence truly care what happens to their elderly. Seeing this website is what made me want to choose Providence as a field site, because it really shows how many options are available to seniors, and it is a field site that is easily compared to the broad spectrum of senior care throughout the country. I also found out quite a bit of interesting information recently while researching scholarly sources for my literature review. One of the books that I read was the story of a woman, Ruth, and her journey through aging. She spent time in assisted living, a dementia unit and a nursing home, just to name a few, but it really helped by giving me a look into what it is truly like to experience these things. I also read another very interesting book that talked about many different aspects of senior care, like the importance of having a community of people to tell your story to and relate with, and also some therapeutic activities. This was also confirmed later by my interview with my grandmother, whom I learned quite a lot about through the course of the interview. When talking about what it was like to be at the senior center that she volunteers at, she told me that seniors love nothing more than to tell their story to someone who wants to listen. One specific moment that made me feel happy was when she told me that being old was a blessing. Compared to everything I had been reading about nursing home life, and living in total dependence, seeing someone so happy and hopeful at the age of 92 was a real blessing. Even though I don't have a physical field site, I am overall quite happy with the way that my research is going, and I am learning a lot, especially recently from the books I have read and from talking to my grandmother.  

Mind Map

Here is my Mind Map for the project! Sorry it's sideways, I couldn't get my computer to turn the photo, and if I took it the other direction you couldn't see the whole thing.

The above image is a mind map, which shows all of the branches and directions that my project has taken. I included many different avenues about care and services, including food, transportation, and different ways of living. I also included many examples of specific sites that seniors can go to in Providence, like specific nursing homes and senior centers.

Gaining Access: Difficulties

Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way how important it is to have a plan B. As most of you probably know, my original intent for the field working project was to study a nursing home and investigate that subculture. After emailing the place I had chosen as my field site and receiving no reply, I decided to make a trip over and speak to the director in person. When I did so, she informed me that because of privacy reasons, I would not be allowed to observe there. Naturally, I was distraught. Up until then, I hadn't really had a plan B in mind that was in the same area of study as the nursing home, and after thinking about my project for so long, I really did not want to give up on the idea of studying the elderly. So, I turned to the only other thing I could think of: a senior center. This made more sense to me, once I thought about it, because I hoped that it was a place that would not have the same kinds of privacy rules, seeing as it is more of a place that members of the community can choose to go to for some time as opposed to a place where people live. With the due date for the field notes fast approaching, I cursed myself for waiting until the last minute, but immediately got to work on finding a new field site. The first place I thought of was a senior center in Needham, MA where my grandmother has volunteered in the past. I figured that maybe she could help me get my foot in the door, but after careful consideration and some advice from Dr. Cook, I decided to try for Salvatore Mancini Center. This is a better choice for me, because it's Providence location is far more ideal. I also liked the idea of studying someplace that is a part of the Providence community. Thus began the journey of gaining access to this new field site. That same Monday, I tried to call Salvatore Mancini Center, but being a holiday, they were closed so I sent them an email. I was petrified that, like the first field site, I would get no for an answer, but I was determined to keep on trying. I made a phone call on both Thursday and Friday, and left a voice mail with my contact information and a description of my project so that hopefully they would get back to me. After waiting over the weekend since they are closed, I decided to make another call on Monday and finally the persistence paid off, because I was able to get in contact with the director's secretary. Again, I laid out all of the information about my project for her, and she told me that she had to run it by the director, but assured me that she would get back to me, hopefully within the week. It's a slow process, because at a place like Salvatore Mancini Center there is plenty of other things going on that would put a project like mine at the bottom of the priority list but hopefully after a little more persistence, I will get the green light to start my research. But in the end, the most important thing to remember is how important it is to have a plan B, and that if you are planning something it is always best to contact the people that you need permission from as soon as possible.

Analysis of Digital Landscape

My digital landscape is all about the world of senior centers and their participants. While researching, the first thing that I noticed was the abundance of bright, colorful pictures. The search results included pictures of groups of seniors engaging in various activities, like exercising, quilting, dining and dancing. In all of the pictures, the seniors are smiling and look like they are having a wonderful time. To me, this represents the extensive variety of activities that senior centers supply, and the fact that all of them seriously enjoy being a part of the community and participating in these activities. Many of the websites I viewed were from various senior centers across the country, so that I could get a feel for senior centers other than Salvatore Mancini. The texts on the websites that I saw were all large and colorful, portraying a cheerful, welcoming feeling and oftentimes accompanied by photos of the centers themselves and calendars listing the many upcoming events. The general message of these websites seem to be that all are welcome in these places, and the bright graphics that display the upcoming events seem to beckon to the seniors of the community, begging them to come and take part in the excitement. There is definite evidence that in places involved in this subculture, there is always something going on to get the seniors involved. There is a general vibe of liveliness that seems to come from these web pages, which may be unexpected to some, considering that the intended audience is senior citizens, which many people may not expect to be so lively and involved. This leads me to another surprising fact that I stumbled upon in my searching. According to the National Council on Aging's website, 75% of senior center participants visit the center 1-3 times per week and spend an average of 3.3 hours each time they visit. This fact shows me that most of those who choose to participate in the activities at senior centers enjoy themselves so much that they keep on coming back. There were some other interesting facts on this web page as well, for example, about 70% of senior center participants are women and about half of them live alone. This makes me wonder why there are so many more women than men, but it also proves that it is very possible for seniors to be independent, and that senior centers can be a very helpful resource for who live alone. The website also states that "compared with their peers, senior center participants have higher levels of health, social interactions, and life satisfaction and lower levels of income". Judging by what I have seen on the websites that I investigated, I can definitely see how this is true. If a person is involved in such a healthy environment, it would definitely manifest itself in a positive way and could translate into the senior being healthier and more satisfied with their life by providing a community and a sense of purpose.