“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,” said Pooh.
“There there,” said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
I choose to look at social supports in aging because of the importance of social supports through out the whole lifespan. As a child I had a wonderful relationship with my great grandmother. I think it is interesting the attitudes of some young people that I have experienced in the past, that older people are uninteresting and a chore to spend time with. I had several family members who did not want to visit my great grandmother because it was boring. On the other hand I loved spending time with her and hearing about her life and experiences. She would have me help her with her hair while we would talk and watch the Chicago Bears (she was a huge football fan). We experienced so much joy spending time with each other. I also see the importance of social support when it comes to my grandmother. She is living in an independent living facility and she loves the social interaction where she lives, there is always a card game to join, or an activity to attend.
I have included a video about college students working with elderly people, and their positive experiences. I selected the journal article because the community is the biggest social support elderly people can have. I selected the picture of the group of seniors because they look so happy, group activities and social interaction can facilitate good mental health. I picked the Winnie the Pooh quote because when I think about friendship I think about Pooh and Piglet. I thought it spoke to what social support looks like and can mean to the person seeking the support.
Journal Article:
This article talks about all the ways to build communities that support healthy aging, including public, private and non-profit situations.. These aging friendly communities help create environments where older people can interact with their community and one another.
Schariach, A. (n.d.). Creating aging-friendly communities in the united states. (2011). Ageing International, 37(1), 25-38.
Additional Information:
The following link explores many aspects of aging and social supports including inter-generational relationships, family supports and theories about social supports. This site also talks about long distance grand-parenting.
http://gero.usc.edu/AgeWorks/core_courses/gero500_core/family_lect/
The next link includes information from the CDC about the importance of social support and it’s impact on the health of the elderly population. The research includes physical and mental health along with mortality.
Personal and Social Issues of Aging 