The Elderly (Scarlett Shaman)
Fact-Checked Source:
Personal Interview, Sabah Shaman (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020)
On April 2, 2020, I interviewed my grandfather, Sabah Shaman, about how he is coping with the spread and progression of COVID-19.
Figure 1: This image illustrates the virtual interview that I conducted with my grandfather via FaceTime (author picture).
Looking Deeper: Five Facts Checked
To have a better understanding of the claims made in this op-ed, I have done research to verify that these five facts have been further supported by high-quality and reliable sources."It is very hard for me to travel anywhere because I might carry the disease to my wife" (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
I think that this claim is important because I know that the elderly have a weaker immune system than younger individuals, so I wanted to research more into how greatly the elderly have been impacted by the spread of this pandemic. This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it; likewise when I asked my grandmother how the spread of COVID-19 challenged her daily routines, she said that “I cannot go anywhere to do anything; I am used to always seeing my grandchildren everyday, but because of this, we have to keep distance” (N. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
I wanted to look more into this claim because of my curiousness in how the elderly are coping with being in isolation for a long duration of time. Since my grandfather and my grandmother live by themselves and are in isolation, they sometimes tend to argue; thus, a scholarly article that I researched into helped me learn about how physical activity helps distract and lessen the amount of arguments that the elderly husband and wife may have. This primary source is accurate because of a high-quality source further supporting it aside from the consequences of COVID-19; likewise; the scholarly article stated that the the elderly need to maintain physical activity by being active to develop a good quality-of-life relationship within the home (Rejeski, 2001).“Since the numbers are getting larger, me and my wife are just staying home and haven't left the house in over one month”(S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
“I miss my family” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
I believe that this fact is interesting to me because of the emotions of anxiety and fear that they are feeling due to them being in isolation from being exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic. This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it; likewise; the CDC stated that the elderly “may feel increased stress during this pandemic. Fear and anxiety can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions” (“Older Adults.”, 2020). Additionally, I think that this fact is valuable in many ways because of how this connects to how other elderly psychologically feel while in isolation. Since I am very curious about how other elderly are feeling about being separated from others during this contagious pandemic, I have conducted an interview with my grandmother, and her response surprised me. This fact is further supported by my grandmother's claim, “I don’t feel the same anymore because I’m not used to being in isolation” (N. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). Furthermore, I think that this fact intrigued me the most because of how the CDC and my grandmother's claim (my secondary interviewed source) supports how emotions such as fear and anxiety can change a person on how they see the world as a result to the spread and progression of COVID-19.
“Me and my wife are now just watching the news and hearing from doctors all day everyday” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
I think that this claim is essential to know in the perspective of someone who is elderly because of their isolation and that they heavily rely on the news that the doctors relay back to them. Also, this fact is significant evidence in showing that the elderly greatly trust doctors and the news, which have more valid and effective information to inform the world about the spread and progression of COVID-19. This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it; likewise; my grandmother claimed that “COVID-19 has for sure affected me as a person. Me and my husband are just watching the news and hearing from doctors all day now.” (N. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
I believe that this claim was valuable to hear because this was my grandfather's response after being asked if COVID-19 has impacted his life. This serves as an effective fact for understanding that this pandemic has changed many people in this world including the elderly. This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it; likewise; the CDC stated that the elderly “Take everyday precautions to keep space between [themselves] and others (stay 6 feet away, which is about two arm lengths)” (“Older Adults.”, 2020). From the CDC further supporting this fact, I investigated what other elderly were doing about their precautions for the COVID-19 pandemic.“Yes. Now I will be cautious whenever I go anywhere making sure that I’m not in crowded places and that I’m going to be extra sanitary as a person from now on” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
Analytic Essay
Fear, Stress, & Loneliness: The Elderly’s Perspectives on COVID-19
I am interested in exploring the perspectives of the elderly and how they are coping with this pandemic. I think that they are very scared, worried, and nervous about the paths that COVID-19 is traveling towards people and when this pandemic will reach its peak of reported individuals that have tested positive for this disease. I am motivated to research the perspectives of the elderly because of hearing from their perspectives on coping with this pandemic; my grandparents whom I interviewed on 04-02-2020 have a history of health issues, so I am interested in learning more about their changed daily routines and emotions. Hence, I believe that the perspective of the elderly is valuable to understand due to the elderly’s fear of possibly testing positive for COVID-19. It is necessary to consider how dramatic and worse the consequences are for the elderly than other people who may be younger, have stronger immune systems, and are healthier.
During the interview that I conducted with my grandfather, it was his perspective that he shared with me about his thoughts on COVID-19. His position in society in the present is a retired Chrysler worker with existing health problems (diabetes). When I asked him how the spread of COVID-19 challenged his daily routines, he said that "it is very hard for me to travel anywhere because I might carry the disease to my wife" (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). The viewpoint of this issue from my grandfather’s perspective is feeling scared; he claimed that “I’m very scared because if I get it, I know that I will suffer from this because of my health issues with diabetes” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). The elderly would gain an understanding that they are not in this battle alone, but they could potentially lose their lives if they test positive for COVID-19. My primary source supports that the elderly trust physicians and the news, and their goal is to stay home safe and healthy. This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it; likewise, when I asked my grandmother how the spread of COVID-19 challenged her daily routines, she said that “I cannot go anywhere to do anything; I am used to always seeing my grandchildren everyday, but because of this, we have to keep distance” (N. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020).
The intended audience of my primary source is the general public, and the context of this source is universal to many individuals who fear testing positive for COVID-19. The context of this source can be found on the news or popular internet websites who are curious about the results of COVID-19. The emotions of fear have been established because of the increasing number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19. The facts that matter to my grandfather are staying cautious and sanitary; for example, he explained to me that “I will be staying home more often and traveling less so that I lower my chances of getting sick or catching anything” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). The elderly acknowledge that the doctors and the news on television are where they are gaining knowledge of this disease. It was revealed through the interview that my grandfather stated, “I miss my family” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it; likewise; the CDC stated that the elderly “may feel increased stress during this pandemic. Fear and anxiety can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions” (“Older Adults.”, 2020).
Additionally, some course material that we have covered in class that I think connects to this perspective is an interesting colloquium presentation that has resonated with me greatly. During an interesting colloquium that Dr. Megan Halpern presented to my peers and I, I was intrigued by her thoughts and experiences in science communication and how feminist standpoints were elaborated through understanding who the expertise were for the case study of vaccinations (Halpern 2020). Her presentation helped me understand that the experts are those who have studied what vaccines are and how they will impact one's body and immune system (ie. health care professionals, scientists, researchers). Moreover, the vaccination example that Dr. Halpern utilized in her presentation was served as a model to her discussion on expertise within the vaccination case study, and I think that this colloquium presentation was an effective example of how this model further supports a different perspective and contains more valid information. I believe that Dr. Halpern's colloquium presentation is important about the elderly's perspective because of understanding that the experts are either health care professionals, scientists, or researchers, and they are who the elderly heavily trust during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The primary source that I studied confirmed that the elderly as a whole trust the doctors and news, and they distrust social media because of the false and exaggerated information. The factors above bring the elderly into collaboration with others because of them knowing that every individual is in the same position as them; by staying home, this allows everyone to stay safe and healthy by decreasing the chances for testing positive with COVID-19. It is important to include this perspective on our website to collaborate and include many ideas for future scientists to learn from. During the interview, I noticed that my grandfather noted that “since the numbers are getting larger, me and my wife are just staying home and haven't left the house in over one month”(S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). This primary source is accurate because of another source further supporting it aside from the consequences of COVID-19; likewise, the scholarly article stated that the the elderly need to maintain physical activity by being active to develop a good quality-of-life relationship within the home (Rejeski, 2001).
In conclusion, the various perspectives that arise from the spread and progression of COVID-19 establish learning outcomes for future scientists. Hence, it is important to consider how dramatic and worse the consequences are for the elderly (if they test positive for this pandemic) than other people who may be younger, have stronger immune systems, and are healthier.
References
Halpern, M., Colloquium Presentation Discussion, April 3, 2020.
This is course material from a colloquium presentation that I was very interested in connecting towards the perspectives of the elderly. During an interesting colloquium that Dr. Megan Halpern presented to my peers and I, I was intrigued by her thoughts and experiences in science communication and how feminist standpoints were elaborated through understanding who the expertise were for the case study of vaccinations (Halpern 2020). Her presentation helped me understand that the experts are those who have studied what vaccines are and how they will impact one's body and immune system (ie. health care professionals, scientists, researchers). Moreover, the vaccination example that Dr. Halpern utilized in her presentation was served as a model to her discussion on expertise within the vaccination case study, and I think that this colloquium presentation was an effective example of how this model further supports a different perspective and contains more valid information. I believe that Dr. Halpern's colloquium presentation is important about the elderly's perspective because of understanding that the experts are either health care professionals, scientists, or researchers, and they are who the elderly heavily trust during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, my grandfather (primary source) further supports Dr. Halpern's discussion by him claiming that “Me and my wife are now just watching the news and hearing from doctors all day everyday” (S. Shaman, personal communication, April 2, 2020). Through this fact being supported by Dr. Halpern's discussion on expertise within the context of vaccinations, I believe that this perspective of the elderly is important to consider as a result to them heavily relying on the information of COVID-19 from doctors.
“Older Adults.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 21 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fspecific-groups%2Fhigh-risk-complications%2Folder-adults.html.
This is a governmental source that I was interested in learning from, and this high-quality source came from the CDC. This source helps gain an understanding towards the perspectives of the elderly because of their emotions that are explained throughout this page. The emotions of the elderly and how they are coping with COVID-19. There are also statistics that show how the elderly are placed at a much higher risk of dying from the COVID-19 than younger individuals who may be healthier. The CDC is an excellent, high-quality, and reliable source to gain information from, so I strongly believe that this is very accurate and trustworthy.
Rejeski, Jack, W., Mihalko, & L., S. (2001, October 1). Physical Activity and Quality of
Life in Older Adults. Retrieved from
https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/56/suppl_2/23/581103.
This is my scholarly source that interested me greatly in learning more about how aging is like in America (ie. importance of physical activity as a geriatric). The Department of Health and Exercise Science is the scholarly expertise of the author of this source. They provide contents such as Abstract, What Is Quality of life?, What Is Known About Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Older Adults?, Mediators and Moderators, Physical Activity in Older Adults: Guidelines for Enhancing Quality of Life. The thesis of this source is "From a public health perspective, understanding what may cause change in quality of life has significant implications for the design, implementation, and promotion of physical activity programs for older adults." The key ideas that were released from this source was to show how aging is like in America and how this shows the interests of the elderly aside from their fearful thoughts on COVID-19. I think that this high-quality source will provide additional insight into what aging is like in America: their interests and what they define as the "quality" of life.
Shaman, N., personal communication, April 2, 2020.
This is my secondary source, and it is shown that this is an interview that I conducted with my grandmother on April 2, 2020. I confronted my grandmother and asked for her thoughts on COVID-19. The main purpose of this interview was to see how impactful COVID-19 played a role into her life (ie. going to the grocery store). The main purpose of this interview was to see how impactful COVID-19 played a role into her life (ie. not seeing family and friends). She explained to me how difficult it is to go to the grocery stores, go to doctor appointments for check-ups, and go to families' houses. She said that it is "scary for me to leave the house because of how our immune systems are weaker than the immune systems of younger people, so we get hurt with the symptoms a lot harder than other younger people if they get this disease". I think that this high-quality source provides good evidence because of understanding and taking note of what an actual elder has to say about how COVID-19 has impacted their life.
Shaman, S., personal communication, April 2, 2020.
This is my primary source, and it is shown that this is an interview that I conducted with my grandfather on April 2, 2020. I confronted my grandfather and asked for his thoughts on COVID-19. The main purpose of this interview was to see how impactful COVID-19 played a role into his life (ie. going to the grocery store). He explained to me how difficult it is to go to the grocery stores, go to doctor appointments for check-ups, and go to families' houses. He said that "it is very hard for me to travel anywhere because I might carry the disease to my wife", so this disease will rapidly transfer from person to person. I think that this high-quality source provides good evidence because of understanding and taking note of what an actual elder has to say about how COVID-19 has impacted their life.