Interview of Older Adult

Instructions for Interview of Older Adult

Using the questions below, conduct an interview with a person who is at least 65 years of age. Feel free to add questions of your own whenever one occurs to you.

The report of your interview should meet the following criteria:

1. Typed and double-spaced

2. Include the questions in your report in a format that enables the reader to know what the person you are interviewing is referring to.

3. Discuss your personal reaction to the interview in three paragraphs at the end of your report.

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Sample Questions for Interview of an Older Adult

1. Please tell me about your childhood, family and school life.  What did your family value? (hard work, personal achievement, leisure, etc.)

2. Do you consider yourself old? At what ages (or stages) did you notice that you were getting older?  How do young people treat their elders today as opposed to thirty years ago?

3. What is the most important historical event or period of time that you have lived through?  How did it influence you personally?

4. What is the biggest change you have seen in how people conduct their everyday lives?
5.  Have American values changed since you were young?  How?  Which values?

6.  Do you think kids are spoiled today or do you think they value hard work?  How are young people today different from when you were their age?

7. What advice would you give young people to help them prepare for their old age?

8. Have you ever experienced any negative attitudes or discrimination because of your age?  Please explain.
9.  Do you think kids today are more disrespectful than when you were young? Do you have personal experience of this?

10. Student question. Based on what you've learned, ask at least one more question; what else would you like to know about this person's life?

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After you describe the interview, discuss your reaction (three paragraphs).

1. What did you learn? Did anything surprise you?

2. How did you feel during the interview?

3. What changes (if any) have occurred in your perception of older adults? (What did you think before? What do you think now?)