Assignment: INTERVIEW WITH AN OLDER ADULT
This assignment involves an interview with an older person. There are two parts to the assignment: conducting the interview, and summarizing the content in a 2 to 3 page paper. Quotes and details make this paper stronger.
I. Conducting the Interview
1. You will need to interview an older adult (aged 65 or older) who you do not know. It can be a neighbor's friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend's relative, or a friend of an older relative. Make sure of their age!
2. Before starting the interview, give a brief orientation to introduce yourself and tell the person the purpose and the duration of the interview. The interview will consist of ten questions and take about a half-hour. YOU MAY DO THIS OVER THE PHONE or Skype or Facetime; it does not have to be in person.
3. Take good notes, because these interviews are NOT to be recorded.
4. You are to ask the ten questions listed below during the course of the interview. You may also add other relevant questions, as they arise during the interview.
II. Summarizing the Content
1. Write a 2 to 3 page paper (double-spaced) summarizing the responses to the questions from your interview. Use 1" margins, DOUBLE SPACE, and put name in upper left hand corner, preferably in the header. No Running header or cover page needed. No citations needed unless you quote Santrock or another source.
2. You may organize your responses any way that you wish, but the summary should read like a paper, not just a series of answers to your questions. All ten responses should be incorporated into the paper. Don't use the person's name in your paper; use another (made-up) name.
3. You may use the first person ("I") when summarizing. Please make this paper fresh and creative and personalized; you are introducing the person, so include observations, unique details, and other info that makes your person "come to life" on the paper! But please DO not pretend you are the person themselves; you should be writing about the person you interviewed and summarizing and their answers to your questions. Your reactions are welcome as well, as needed and relevant.
4. At the end of the paper, put in one conclusive observation to sum up your interview, and list one question that you still have after writing about the person you interviewed. It should be a reflective question that you think about AFTER the interview. Make sure this question is set apart and clear and distinct within your text or you won't get credit for it.
III. Ten Questions
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself. What is a typical day like for you?
2. What do you like best about your days? Dislike?
3. Looking back at your life, what are two of your favorite memories?
4. How has COVID-19 affected you over the last two years? How have you coped?
5. What are two things you would like to accomplish right now or in the near future?
6. Tell me about your friends and family members.
7. Do you participate in some sort of physical activity each week? What kinds?
8. How important is physical health in your well-being and quality of life today?
9. What is one message you would give to my generation, if you could say anything?
10. What other sorts of things are important to you right now that I may not have asked?