Living Funeral

I noticed that having a living funeral for myself makes me forget about the social status of some of the people i would invite. If I am going to die, what does it matter anyways? My train of thought overall for this excercize though went from uplifted to discouraging. At first, the prospect of thinking about all the people who's lives I had touched and would have something good to say about me made me feel very sure of myself and happy. However this made me upset too because the idea of death has always been the one thing that truly scared me. Knowing that everybody was only saying these things to me because they knew I was going to die, even hypothetically like this, made me question my life and think seriously about my own mortality. As for thinking about who would invite me to their living funeral, I was happy again. I thought about how these people knew me well enough and were affected by me enough to want me there at the end. I thought that even though it wasn't talking about how I affected them in this second instance, it still made me think about the impact I have on others and overall the impact that everybody has on each other that makes us constant streams of change.

10-15 Old People Questions

1. 1. 1. 1. What percentage of the elderly have dimensia?
         • 15 percent of the elderly suffer symptoms of mental illness.
         • http://healthyminds.org/mentalhealthofelderly.cfm

          

         2. When will somebody not be resuscitated?
         • When the odds are that it will not work in the situation.
         • http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/HealthServices/AccidentsAndEmergencies/DG_10029742

          

         3. What is the top fear of the elderly?
         • The top fears are (in order):

         ·      Arachnophobia (spiders)

         ·      Social phobia

         ·      Aerophobia (flying)

         ·      Agoraphobia

         ·      Claustrophobia (enclosed or confined spaces)

         ·      Acrophobia (heights)

         ·      Emetophobia (vomit)

         ·      Carcinophobia (cancer)

         ·      Brontophobia (thunder)

         ·      Necrophobia (death or dead things)

         • Note* These are overall for all ages, no survey have been conducted that specifically target the elderly
         • http://blogs.webmd.com/anxiety-and-stress-management/2007/08/fear-and-phobias-top-10-plus-one.html

          

         4. How long does the average person live?
         • On average, men live to be roughly 75 years old and women live to be roughly 80 years old.
         • http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html

          

         5. What percentage of the elderly take pills?
         • 30 % of prescribed drugs are prescribed to those 65 or older and 40 % of all over-the-counter drugs are purchased by that same demographic.
         • http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/meds4old/697_old.html

          

         6. What age is considered “old”?
         • The AARP accepts members who are 50 years old and up to join.
         • http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/aarp_overview/a2002-12-18-aarpmission.html

          

         7. What percentage of the elderly are sexually active?
         • 50 – 75 % of people aged 57 – 85 remain sexually active.
         • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/22/AR2007082202000.html

          

         8. How many old people commit suicide every year?
         • Out of every hundred thousand elderly citizens, 19 people will kill themselves, translating to 0.0019%
         • http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0DE3DD1039F931A25752C0A960958260

          

         9.  

          

          

          

         I think that these findings show that society does not give the elderly the same care that is given to others. The elderly are given care, but it is often more like they are just trying to prolong the inevitable and that the elderly are not given the same opportunities to thrive and improve as those younger than them. I think that this is possibly harmful to our culture, because though the elderly may not be as contemporary as the modern generation, there is a lot to be gained from their experience and by paying attention to their pasts and our history as a whole we could thrive forward.

Medical Issues of Old Folks

Why does the immune system weaken?

What percentage of old folks have dementia?

How have medical advances affected the way that old people live?

How does aging affect one's perspective of the world and overall mindset?

Is it possible for an old person to be as fit as a young person?

What is the most feared thing for old people?

When won't an old person be resesitated?

How much money is spent on a person with 2 weeks to live?

How much money is spent on old folks?

How long does the average person live? Are their last years good or bad?

What percentage of old people are on anti-depressants? Pills? Viagra?

My Grandma's Perspective on a G & M Life

Interview with my Grandma

1.What was the main value that was told to you by those older than you as a teenager?: 

The difference between between right and wrong. Honesty was good, and to look at what I had and not what I didn’t have, and that would make me really happy. For example, thinking that I have beautiful parents and that I’m healthy, instead of wishing  I have a million dollars would make me happy. Also, thinking that nothing is impossible, the impossible just takes a little longer to achieve. Finally, to never to give up.

 2. What determines a good life? A meaningful life?

Happiness determines a good life. Happiness is determined by being content with what you have and looking at the glass as half full rather than half empty. A meaningful life is being able to help out other people and to put others first. If you can think of other people before yourself, you are living a meaningful life.

 3. . Do you think that kids today have the potential to live a G & M life? If so, how?

Yes, but I think that it is harder to live a good and meaningful life because there are more temptations around and it was easier for me to be a good person with what was around me. The expectations are also higher for your generation.

 4. Does technology affect a G & M life?

It doesn't really affect it directly, but there is less interaction between people now, because when I was your age we had to go hang out instead of calling people and talking online.

5. Do you think that the average teenager from your teen years had more of a G & M life than somebody from our generation of the same age? 

I wouldn’t say that, because you can have a very meaningful life in both eras. Things are harder now, we were more naïve back then. Kids today are exposed to a lot more than we were and have a wider understanding of the world than we did.

5 Questions for "Old Folks" on the G & M Life

1. What was the main value that was told to you by those older than you as a teenager?

2. What determines a good life? A meaningful life?

3. Do you think that kids today have the potential to live a G & M life? If so, how?

4. Does technology effect a G & M life?

5. Do you think that the average teenager from your teen years had more of a G & M life than somebody from our generation of the same age?