Questions about Adulthood

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1

 

 

 

 

Elderly Interview (Part2)

09/21/2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date:09/21/2022

Name of Interviewer: Sheena

Transcriber: Douglas R.

 

I: Before we begin the interview itself, I’d like to confirm that you have read and signed the informed consent form, that you understand that your participation in this study is entirely voluntary, that you may refuse to answer any questions, and that you may withdraw from the study at any time, OK?

P: Yes ma’am

I: Do you have questions before we proceed?

 

P: No

 

 

I: What is your age?

P: Um 81 years old

I: Where were you born?

P: I was born in Manhattan NY

I: OK

 

I: What is your educational background?

P: I have a college degree a bachelor and business

I: OK

 

 

 

 

I: Where did you go to school?

P: New York University

 

I: What was school like for you? Please explain.

P: Oh, four years of education learning basic English, mathematics, geography. I guess school school was any other.

I: OK

 

I: Where did you live when you were growing up? What was your neighborhood like?

P: neighborhood was calm played on the streets with my friends came home when the lights came on lived with my family and my sister my brother’s dad come home working family I would say.

I: Ok

 

I: Tell me about your family. Do you have brothers and sisters? How many?

P: Two brothers one sister, I’m the middle child.

I: How would you describe your family when you were growing up?

 

 

I: How did your family earn money?

P: My dad worked in sales, my momma she did uh housework cleaning I don’t know what you call it running errands and uh doing stuff for the neighborhood.

I: How did your family compare to others in the neighborhood–richer, poorer, the same?

P: I’d imagine we were the same as everybody else in the neighborhood

I: OK

 

I: How did you feel about that growing up?

 

P: It was quick, I grew up pretty fast

I: OK

 

 

I: What was good about your teen years? What did you enjoy doing?

P: I use to enjoy going to the bowling alley it was this bowling alley down the road. I used to go with my friends and every weekend after school towards the weekend we go there listen to music go bowling and I had a blast.

I: OK

I: What was the worst thing about your teen years?

P: I lost my dog; I love my dog. Um he was a Labrador and umm it hurt my heart. It got ran over by a car that was very sad, best thing in the world

I: I’m sorry to hear

 

Questions about Adulthood

 

I: What’s different about growing up today from when you were growing up?

P: All this technology that you know you got these phones these smart tablets computers we had none of that. Heck when I made phone calls, I had a Rotary phone well don’t have all the fancy buttons but I say technology today it’s it was all easy back in my day.

 

I: Tell me about two or three meaningful or memorable events from your life—what about these events makes them memorable to you?

P: Oh, I say one of the biggest things was watching the moon launch seeing the astronauts go to the moon everybody eyes was on the TV. I think that was just so incredible of basically doing what we did back then even now we didn’t go back to the moon so that’s what I say was a chalk up for us as far as achieving good old technology and here sorts.

I: Any other memorable events?

P: Well not that I can really recall. Other than graduating from high school and getting that acceptance letter to college

I: OK

 

Aging Attitudes

 

I: What does the word “old” mean to you?

P: It means a lot of winkles, to be about my age you start losing count how many winkles you got how much hair you lost and how many teeth you can manage. but ah old is just one of life ways of saying your doing things right to be here another day and to be thankful.

 

I: Do people treat you differently today than they did when you were younger? In what ways?

P: Oh yeah nobody takes me serious anymore back when I was in my prime, I say I was listening to more taken serious more I’ve been lucky to ask for a glass water not get any heap of trouble whatever sort of.

 

I: Do you consider yourself to be old? How do you feel about these changes?

P: Oh, I guess being oldest is the way it perceived it sometimes I feel like I’m young other times I feel like I’m very old so I guess it really depends on the mood and time of day.

I: OK

 

I: What is the best thing about being your age? Can you explain your answer for me?

P: Best thing about being my age as the discounts on computer going to the movie theaters couple perks of here and there are food what sort take advantage of the discounts but other than that that’s really about it.

 

 

I: What is the worst thing about being your age? Can you explain your answer for me?

P: Back pain I feel all joints I feel like I got joints that I didn’t even know I had joints that’s how much pain I go through

I: wow

 

I: What do you believe are the best years of a person’s life? Can you explain your answer for me?

P: I say the best years of a person life is there 20s do everything you can in your twenties

I: OK

 

 

Activities

 

I: Are you retired or are you still working? (If still working, ask them why.) (If retired, ask them about their retirement—what is good about it, and what is bad about it.)

P: Oh, I’m retired

I: ok what is good about it and what is bad about it

P: Good about my retirement is I can get up when I whenever I want to and what bad about it is if I get up to late, I waste the day.

 

I: Was it difficult to adjust to retirement? If so, what made it hard to adjust? If not, what made it easier to adjust?

P: nah not at all it was pretty easy one day they told me I can’t work here anymore and I decided to retire.

I: ok

 

I: What is a typical day like for you? What do you do to relax? What do you do differently for relaxation than when you were younger?

P: I read my newspaper read my books try to move around

I: what did you do differently for relaxation than when you were younger?

P: I tried to listen to a little bit more music and watch a little more tv

I: ok

 

 

I: What, if anything, do you miss about working?

P: Just the accomplishments of feel like I’m doing something and helping people out.

I: OK

 

Meaning and the Future

 

I: Please describe two or three things that give your life meaning. (What is most important to you.)

P: helping people making them smile and just overall being a better person than I can.

 

I: What advice would you give me about growing older? Please explain.

P: Stop worrying about tomorrow and live for today

 

I: What concerns if any, do you have about dying?

P: That I haven’t accomplished enough

 

I: If you could choose to be any age, what would it be? Please explain your answer.

P: I say if I had to choose any age, I would have to pick the age of 23 and the reason behind that was the year I graduated college I felt like it was one of the best highlights of my life and to relive that moment would just be very incredible

I: OK

 

END OF INTERVIEW

 

I: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

P: No not at all.

I: Well, thanks for taking the time to talk with me today. I appreciate it.

P: Well, thank-you very much you have a very good day.