Running head: INTERVIEW A SENIOR CITIZEN 1
Interview a Senior Citizen
Name
PSY/375
Date
Professor
, INTERVIEW A SENIOR CITIZEN 2
Interview a Senior Citizen
Older individuals still have a lot to offer to their community if others simply took
the time to listen. I had the privilege to sit and talk with a 69-year-old woman. For the
purpose of this paper, I will call her Rose. This paper will reflect on the most notable
aspects of our conversation. I will look at how Rose responded to the questions, I
asked. I will talk about anything I found surprising in our conversation. I will also reflect
on my feelings about how Rose functions overall and whether I would recommend any
changes. Finally, I will discuss what I learned from my conversation with Rose.
Rose is a woman with whom I would have small conversation with on my daily walks. I
pass her house and see her gardening from time to time. We discussed the weather or how we
were doing. When the time came to do this paper I could think of no one batter then Rose to
talk to, though admittedly I was not sure she would fit the age requirement. After I mentioned
the paper and Rose assured me she was above the required age she said she would be
pleased to answer some question. When I arrived at the time we scheduled, Rose took me to
the back of her home where she had a beautiful rose garden (this is why I decided to call her
Rose). She offered me tea and was very eager to start the interview. Her openness and candor
were very notable and filled me with great admiration for her. I realized that before meeting
Rose I was guilty of ageism. This is when we judge someone based on his or her physical age
(Berger, 2011). I always believed old meant an individual did not have all their faculties. Rose
proved this very wrong.
I was very surprised at how open Rose was about the fact she still had an active sex life.
Like many, I figured older meant less desire for sex. Rose put that stereotype to rest when she
mentioned her sex life in our interview. More surprising was how her eyes seemed to light up as
Interview a Senior Citizen
Name
PSY/375
Date
Professor
, INTERVIEW A SENIOR CITIZEN 2
Interview a Senior Citizen
Older individuals still have a lot to offer to their community if others simply took
the time to listen. I had the privilege to sit and talk with a 69-year-old woman. For the
purpose of this paper, I will call her Rose. This paper will reflect on the most notable
aspects of our conversation. I will look at how Rose responded to the questions, I
asked. I will talk about anything I found surprising in our conversation. I will also reflect
on my feelings about how Rose functions overall and whether I would recommend any
changes. Finally, I will discuss what I learned from my conversation with Rose.
Rose is a woman with whom I would have small conversation with on my daily walks. I
pass her house and see her gardening from time to time. We discussed the weather or how we
were doing. When the time came to do this paper I could think of no one batter then Rose to
talk to, though admittedly I was not sure she would fit the age requirement. After I mentioned
the paper and Rose assured me she was above the required age she said she would be
pleased to answer some question. When I arrived at the time we scheduled, Rose took me to
the back of her home where she had a beautiful rose garden (this is why I decided to call her
Rose). She offered me tea and was very eager to start the interview. Her openness and candor
were very notable and filled me with great admiration for her. I realized that before meeting
Rose I was guilty of ageism. This is when we judge someone based on his or her physical age
(Berger, 2011). I always believed old meant an individual did not have all their faculties. Rose
proved this very wrong.
I was very surprised at how open Rose was about the fact she still had an active sex life.
Like many, I figured older meant less desire for sex. Rose put that stereotype to rest when she
mentioned her sex life in our interview. More surprising was how her eyes seemed to light up as
