Name: Kimberley Ann Omae
Age: 52 (53 in 2009)
Currently: working as a Director of Design
Mom: I was on the train today, coming home, and a girl was about to sit down. I looked tired and when she saw me she said, 'Oh no you can sit, I'm young, I can stand.' I said to myself, Am I really that old?
Reiko: Are you uncomfortable being called old?
Mom: Yes, I didn't feel too happy about it.
Reiko: Do you consider yourself old?
Mom: No, I don't.
Here she seemed to be getting a bit angry. Is it because we give old people a stereotype as being people who can't do anything, they are worthless, they cannot contribute to the community, etc. I don't think she wants to feel useless or unwanted.
Reiko: What age do you consider to be old?
Mom: 70.
Reiko: What do you think of nursing homes?
Mom: Nursing homes seem convenient but it wouldn't be my first choice.
Reiko: In your opinion, what % of old people live with their family? Live in a nursing home? Live on their own?
Mom: 60% with family, 20% in homes, and 20% on their own.
I looked these numbers up at http://missourifamilies.org/quick/agingqa/agingqa7.htm and found, according to the "U.S. Bureau of Census slightly over 5 percent of the 65+ population occupy nursing homes...and about 4.2 percent are in nursing homes at any given time." According to the AARP website: Nursing Homes, in the "1997 National Nursing Home Survey, there were 1,465,000 residents age 65 and older in nursing homes."
Reiko: What did you think about putting your parents in a nursing home?
Mom: Well, first of all I did not choose to put them in a home. My mother and father went in themselves because they thought it would be convenient. But I think they went in too early. My other siblings, your aunts and uncle helped make the decision for them, I think they pushed them into making the decision to live in a nursing home.
(Follow-up question: Why do you think your siblings wanted to put your parents in a nursing home? What does this say about the way U.S. citizens treat/think of they're elders? i.e. your siblings)
Reiko: You said 70 is considered to be old, What % of old people are still working at 70? Retired? Living in poverty?
Mom: 20% working, a balance are retired, 10% poverty.
(Follow-up question: What do you mean by a balance? Do you have a specific # in mind?)
Feb 10, 2009
Feb 9, 2009
2/9/09 10-30 Questions
1) What is the most interesting thing you've done lately?
2) How bad is it to live in a nursing home?
3) What is it like to live in a nursing home?
4) How often does your family visit?
5) What do you do now that you didn't do in your youth? Vise versa?
6) Is this how you saw yourself when you were younger?
7) What % of old people live with their families?
8) What % of old people live in a nursing home?
9) What % of old people live on their own?
10) What % of old people volunteer?
11) What % of old people work for money?
12) What % of old people live in poverty?
13) Do you enjoy your life now?
14) What do you wish you could do?
15) What % of old people are in good shape?
16) What % of old people are obese?
17) What % of old people are depressed?
18) What % of old people happy?
19) What % of old people content?
20) What % of old people can't walk?
21) Who are some role models for old people? Who do they look up to?
22) What is an average day like for someone who can't walk?
23) What % of old people considers them to be "young?"
24) How often do you think about your health?
25) How often do you think about death or dying?
26) What is it like to not be able to do things on your own?
27) Do you like having assistance to complete everyday activities?
28) What % of old people have control over their bodies? What % of old people do not?
2) How bad is it to live in a nursing home?
3) What is it like to live in a nursing home?
4) How often does your family visit?
5) What do you do now that you didn't do in your youth? Vise versa?
6) Is this how you saw yourself when you were younger?
7) What % of old people live with their families?
8) What % of old people live in a nursing home?
9) What % of old people live on their own?
10) What % of old people volunteer?
11) What % of old people work for money?
12) What % of old people live in poverty?
13) Do you enjoy your life now?
14) What do you wish you could do?
15) What % of old people are in good shape?
16) What % of old people are obese?
17) What % of old people are depressed?
18) What % of old people happy?
19) What % of old people content?
20) What % of old people can't walk?
21) Who are some role models for old people? Who do they look up to?
22) What is an average day like for someone who can't walk?
23) What % of old people considers them to be "young?"
24) How often do you think about your health?
25) How often do you think about death or dying?
26) What is it like to not be able to do things on your own?
27) Do you like having assistance to complete everyday activities?
28) What % of old people have control over their bodies? What % of old people do not?
Feb 3, 2009
5 Questions 2/3/09
1) How have you been? What do you like to do during most of your days? Do you find it difficult to complete daily activities because you are of an older age?
2) As you get older do you feel like you are running out of time to fulfill your life dreams? or You'll be missing out on an important part of your life if you don't do something soon?
3) Do you think you have had a good and meaningful life so far? What is something positive you would tell a teenager or someone at least 35 years younger than you? from your life experiences.
4) If you feel that your life has been a huge waste of a human life, what is keeping you from dying or killing yourself?
5) If you had 1 minute right before you die to give someone close to you an important message that could change their life, what would it be? why?
If the for some reason you were able to leave your body like a spirt and saw the reaction to the person you had just given the message to, wear instead of really appreciating your message they completely ignored the message, how would you feel? Would you feel like your whole life was a "waste of time" and meaningless? or would that one moment just make you feel bad but you still feel that you lived a good and meaningful life?
2) As you get older do you feel like you are running out of time to fulfill your life dreams? or You'll be missing out on an important part of your life if you don't do something soon?
3) Do you think you have had a good and meaningful life so far? What is something positive you would tell a teenager or someone at least 35 years younger than you? from your life experiences.
4) If you feel that your life has been a huge waste of a human life, what is keeping you from dying or killing yourself?
5) If you had 1 minute right before you die to give someone close to you an important message that could change their life, what would it be? why?
If the for some reason you were able to leave your body like a spirt and saw the reaction to the person you had just given the message to, wear instead of really appreciating your message they completely ignored the message, how would you feel? Would you feel like your whole life was a "waste of time" and meaningless? or would that one moment just make you feel bad but you still feel that you lived a good and meaningful life?
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