Student Writing Exercise/Activities
Late Adulthood

Physical and Cognitive Development

Project: Aging and Societal Change

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The goal of this project is to encourage you to think about ways the society in the United States will change as the population continues to age. How will various facets of life be different when 1 in every 5 or even 1 in every 4 persons in the United States is over age 65?

Your instructor may ask you to investigate one, several, or all of these areas:

Education
Medicine Foods and Restaurants
Working/Retirement Transportation Marketing and Advertising
Television, Movies, and Radio A Typical Shopping Mall

Gathering Data:

Survey books, articles in magazines, journal, and newspapers, and items on the internet to find predictions and indications of future changes. A good place to look might be in magazines that publish serious predictions around the beginning of each new year. Magazines targeted for older adults may also make suggestions for the future.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in an 4 - 6 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. Introduce the topic of the aging population in the United States. Give statistics to show how the population is 'graying.' Also introduce the topics you will be covering in the paper.

  2. Try to give many specific ideas as to how daily living will change in our society.

  3. Conclude with a consideration of how these changes will affect younger citizens.

Specifics of the paper:


Project: Dietary Needs After Age 70

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Using your text book and other sources on nutrition and aging, design a diet for the individual over age 70 who has minimal health problems.

Research:

First, research the dietary needs of a relatively health 70 year old person. Look specifically for foods a person over 70 years old should increase or decrease and why.

Secondly, plan seven days of meals and snacks. Should the person over 70 years old eat three times a day? Should the person eat more or less often? Is snacking okay? Make a very specific plan for seven full days of nutritious and healthy eating.

What do I turn in?

  1. A paper 2-3 pages long: Summarize the dietary needs of a person over 70 years old. Highlight the foods an older person should increase or decrease because of his or her age. Explain how the diet you have chosen meets those specific needs.

  2. A planned diet for 7 days in outline form. Include all meals and snacks

Research: The Fountain of Youth

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Collect data:

For this assignment use all the resources you can think of to find advertisements for products designed to make or keep someone young and healthy. Check in books, magazines (particularly check the advertisements in the back of the magazine), newspapers, the internet, the television, and even local stores, such as stores that sell vitamins and herbs.

Whenever you can, cut out or photocopy the advertisements or the articles. You will use these to make an appendix that will be attached to your paper.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in an 4 - 6 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. Introduce the topic of the aging population and the ways in which people are trying to look and feel younger and healthier.

  2. Highlight the most interesting and the most unusual advertisements you have found.

  3. Report on any scientific findings or warnings about products that claim to keep a person younger.

  4. Conclude with your opinion on the number, variety, and apparent quality of products that claim to keep a person healthy and younger looking in old age.

  5. Attach an appendix to your paper. This will be regular sheets of typing paper with advertisements stapled on.

Specifics of the paper:

Field Trip: Nursing Homes and Retirement Centers

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Make an appointment:

Call to make an appointment to visit a minimum of three nursing homes and/or retirement centers. Be honest that you are doing this for a college course. Ask if you can have a brief tour of the facility and get some literature about the facility.

Observation:

  1. What is your overall impression of the facility? Do you like it? Would you be satisfied if one of your loved ones lived there?

  2. What types of activities were available for the residents?

  3. What types of support services were on-sight (i.e., physician, nurse, therapists, equipment, ambulance)

  4. If you were able to learn anything about the cost report your findings.

  5. What were the most and least satisfying aspects of the facility?

Record these observations and any others you feel are significant.

Write a Paper:

  1. Begin by describing the assignment and the reasons why you chose these three facilities to focus on.

  2. Discuss each facility individually and summarize your observations.

  3. Compare and contrast the three facilities. Which of the three would you choose for your loved one and why?

  4. Conclude with your general impressions of the facilities.

The paper:

Research: Comparing Wisdom

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This project is designed to give you the opportunity to consider two viewpoints on wisdom and to consider ways of measuring wisdom.

Gathering Data::

You will need to find articles written on two views of wisdom proposed by Robert Sternberg and Paul Baltes. Because these authors write psychological research articles the best place to look for their work is in the most recent volumes of Psychological Abstracts or the electronic version called PsychLit. You will also find books written on wisdom that contain discussion of their work.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in a 7 - 9 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. Introduce the topic of wisdom and the dilemmas involved in trying to find wise people and then trying to measure their wisdom.

  2. Summarize the work of Robert Sternberg on wisdom. Highlight the data Sternberg collected to formulate his theory.

  3. Summarize the work of Paul Baltes on wisdom. Highlight the data Baltes collected to formulate this theory.

  4. Compare and contrast the two theories and methodologies.

  5. Conclude with a discussion of the usefulness of these theories and the need to search for and research wisdom in general.

Specifics of the paper:

Psychosocial Development

Research: Longevity and Your Life Expectancy

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Gathering Data:

Survey the msot recent books, journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, and the internet to find out what variables are related to increased longevity. Consider the influence of certain variables on longevity, such as lifestyle, health habits, activity level, illnesses, ethnic group, geographic region, and genetic heritage.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in a 6 - 8 page paper which gives the following information:

  1. Introduce the topic of longevity.

  2. Summarize the results of some of the key research studies, such as the Duke Longitudinal Study.

  3. Summarize your findings from other sources with an emphasis on the variables that increase life expectancy.

  4. Conclude with a consideration of your own personal lifestyle and background. Based on your research, what is your life expectancy?

Specifics of the paper:

Interviews: Worries and Coping Mechanisms

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Preparation:

Be prepared to ask 12 people two questions in an interview format. You will need to write down their responses or use a tape recorder. The questions are:

  1. What do you worry about the most? (they can name as many things as they want to)

  2. How do you cope with those worries?

Gather Data:

Give your interview to the following 1 male and 1 female in each of the following age ranges: 20 - 30 years old, 30 - 40 years old, 40 - 50 years old, 50 - 60 years old, 60 - 70 years old, and over 70 years old.

Analyze the Data:

  1. What were the most frequent worries? What were the most unusual worries? What was the average number of worries?

  2. What were the most frequent coping methods? What were the most unusual coping methods?

  3. Were there any differences in the age groups in terms of number of worries, types of worries, or types of coping methods?

  4. Were there any gender differences in terms of number of worries, types of worries, or types of coping methods?

  5. What other interesting observations did you make?

Write up Your Report:

  1. Introduction: Introduce the topic of worry and stress across the life span.

  2. Participants: Give the age and sex of the twelve participants.

  3. Methodology: Explain the interview and how you administered it.

  4. Results: Give answers to the questions listed under Analyze Your Data.

  5. Conclusions: What did you from these interviews? Include any other observations you made while conducting this research and/or analyzing the data.

Specifics of the paper:

Evaluation: Your Chosen Career

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

For this assignment you need to choose a career option that you would like to pursue in the future. Even though you may not feel fully committed to this career, by researching an area you may find information that will help you choose your future path.

Gather Data:

  1. Search for organizations that serve people in your career. For example, a psychologist can look to the American Psychological Association for career information. Often these organizations have internet sites. Once you find the appropriate organization, call, write, or e-mail for career information.

  2. Interview people in your area.

  3. Search through magazine articles, newspaper articles, and internet sources for more information about your career choice. The career development center at your institution would be a great place to begin your search.

Analyze the Data:

Using the three sources listed above, find out the following information:

  1. What are the advantages to being in this career?

  2. What are the disadvantages to being in this career?

  3. What do people in the career say are the most enjoyable aspects?

  4. What do people in the career say are most frustrating aspects?

  5. What preparation and/or education is needed to begin in this career?

  6. What is the average starting salary?

  7. What is the average retirement age?

  8. What organizations serve people in this career?

  9. What is the long term outlook for this career?

Write up Your Report:

  1. Begin by introducing your career choice.

  2. Summarize your findings to the questions listed under Analyze the Data

  3. Conclude by giving your overall impressions of this career choice and what you find most attractive about it.

Specifics of the paper:

Volunteer Work: Helping the Elderly

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Arrange to spend some time working with older adults. You can do this through a volunteer office at your college or university, a local library, or by calling various agencies you can find listed in a phone book. In addition to nursing homes and retirement centers, you may find volunteer opportunities at hospitals, senior centers, local churches, and community centers.

Write About Your Experience:

This paper will be written in stages. It is designed to help you process your thoughts about your experience.

  1. Before the Experience: Describe what you think the adults and the environment will be like. Obviously you are just guessing, but how do you imagine the location, the supervisors, and the adults to be.

  2. After the Experience: Describe the physical environment in which you volunteered. Was it a pleasant place to be? Describe the adult(s) you worked with. How did the adult(s) respond to you? Do you feel like what you did was worth your time?

  3. Your Impressions: Did you enjoy yourself? Do you think you will ever try something like this again? Would you encourage others to do this? Is there anything the agency or the supervisors could have done to make your experience better?

The paper: