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2021-02-21
Mini Oral History Assignment
This week, you're going to practice oral histories, a form of field research. You'll conduct two mini oral histories with two adults aged over 60 years old. The oral history must obtain informed consent from the person being interviewed, or it cannot be included in the archive. The mini oral histories are on: christina-wocintechchat-com-LQ1t-8Ms5PY-unsplash.jpg 1. Silver linings. Here is the prompt to read. Here is an example from the archive (Links to an external site.). First, identify two people you want to talk to and record. Ask them, if they will participate. Set a time to record. You may record an audio/video file using Zoom or another application. I used Rev on my phone to record my mom. Steps to process the mini oral history (here's a video overview (Links to an external site.)): 1. Read the informed consent statement and record the interviewee's response. 2. Read the prompt. 3. Record the response. 4. Thank the interviewee for their time. 5. Create a transcription of the oral history. Follow this template. (You can manually type it out or use a program like Otter.ai- please check the transcript for accuracy). 6. Submit the audio file & copy and paste the transcript into the description field. 7. Share the story with this individual once it has been curated in the archive. Tag the story with HST494, Arizona State University, and SilverJOTPY Submit the link to both your submitted stories in the archive. Your submission should 1) include verbal consent 2) An Mp3 file 3) a txt or doc transcript that has been edited for accuracy. 4) Title your story "Mini oral history with (interview first name and last name), date" -
2020-03-01
COVID through the eyes of others
Going through the pandemic myself has had a lot of highs and lows. Despite having to be relatively locked down and isolated from most people until vaccinated, I was able to pick up a lot of hobbies and overall just learn a lot more about myself. As I look back, I can't help but think about how this experience has been different for others, with one of these groups being the elderly especially. There's one couple that is friends with my family who are both just over sixty years old and starting from March 2020 has been on complete lockdown. They order their groceries, don't see anyone outside their immediate family, and rarely leave the house. While COVID for me has its positives and negatives, I can't imagine how different the experience has been for them, both out of isolation and fear of getting sick. Thankfully, they have been vaccinated and have extended the bubble of people they see slightly. I just can't get over how while some who are skeptics of the pandemic run around carefree, others are locked away in their homes fearing for their health. -
2021-04-03
My dad’s COVID-19 vaccine story
“As a frontline essential worker the COVID-19 journey has brought on a mix of experiences, emotions and impacts. The rollout of vaccines has been a welcome scenario as it brings some optimism to an otherwise bleak two years. If nothing else it signals a move towards turning the tide in the pandemic and enabling us to chart a course to recovery and reopening returning some sense of normalcy to our lives. Having been vaccinated certainly gives me more confidence in being able to fulfill my duties without constantly worrying about the possibility of infection from others and worrying about bringing the virus home. It by no means makes me think I don’t have to still be vigilant in employing proper personal protective measures, but does allow me to move forward.” My dad currently is working as a CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) officer in Calgary, I recently asked him to write down his experience of being vaccinated and ultimately how he feels about the whole ordeal. I’ve chosen this article for the archive as it represents the reality of being vaccinated. That while you may no longer be susceptible to the virus, you can still carry and transmit it. Meaning while a small amount of anxiety certainly disappeared, the threat of infection, and the practices used to mitigate it did not disappear with the rollout of the vaccine in Canada. -
02/07/2021
Jo Ann Richey Oral History, 2021/02/07
This is an interview with Jo Ann Richey about her COVID-19 vaccination experience in January of 2021. She talks about how pandemic restrictions have affected her work and social life. She also speaks about where and how her vaccine was conducted. She includes personal insight into how she hopes the vaccines may change her life and society as whole in the future. Contributed by Clinton P. Roberts, HSE, for Arizona State University for the #RuralVoices and #VaccineStories collections -
2021-01-24
Anxiety, confusion remain over COVID-19 vaccine rollout at mass vaccination site at CCSF
This article discusses the confusion over how vaccines are being rolled out to eligible individuals in San Francisco. A vaccination site is allowing individuals to get vaccinated without an appointment if there are extra doses at the end of the day. However, while texts are being sent out to let people know they are eligible, without an appointment there is no guarantee they will receive a vaccine if they go to the site; this is leading to people arriving, hoping to receive one of the leftover doses, only to be turned away. This is just one example of how confusion and misinformation about the vaccine is leading to anxiety and disappointment, and a desperate sense of hope that the kinks will be worked out soon so that the vaccination process will improve. -
2020-12-11
Interview with Jean Kechely
Interviewee: Jean Kechely Interviewer: Kelly Lindemann Date of interview: 12/11/2020 List of acronyms: JK = Jean Kechely, IN = interviewer Background: Jean Kechely is my grandmother, an avid tennis player who spends the winter months in La Quinta, California. The purpose of this interview was to gain insight into how the retired population has responded to COVID-19, and to get her personal perspective on how COVID has affected her life. IN: Hello Grandma! Thank you so much for participating in this interview about your experience during COVID-19. I appreciate your time, and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the pandemic. Before we get started, could you tell me about where you’re living now, and maybe a bit about what your life there was like before the pandemic started? JK: I’m staying in La Quinta, at my home that I spend winter months in. When I came down this season, of course we were in the thick of it. It actually started last season when I was here. January and February were kind of normal, and then we had one large event - I think about 20 or 25 thousand people come to it annually- called the La Quinta Arts Festival. I do volunteer work there, and it was a lot of fun, but that was the very last event where there were large numbers of people. The following day - [the festival] was March 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th- they made an announcement that the big tennis tournament, called the BNP, was going to be cancelled. That meant all the world class players, like Roger Federer and all of the big ones, would not be coming. That was totally unexpected, and they felt they had no choice, that they would be endangering their health, if they came. A lot of people were inconvenienced tremendously because they had come from all over the country, and had hotel or Airbnb reservations made ahead of time and had spent a lot of money just buying their tickets. And of course the community in this area of the desert really loses out on a major event. That event, over a period of two weeks, generates a crowd of 450-500,000 people, which is a huge economic impact to a relatively small geographic area. So that was pretty amazing, but you had to take it in stride. However, things went on, but there were no big get togethers. I live in a community that likes to have social activities -there are two hundred and eighty eight home in my area- and we have a wine party every months, the ladies get together for ladie’s luncheons once a month, and those events were all cancelled at the beginning of the year and are still cancelled. We don’t have any idea when they are going to be resumed. IN: It sounds like being surrounded by people who have similar interests and social circles is a really valuable source of contact. I’d like to hear a bit more about what it’s been like to have those circles somewhat shut off from you- how have you perceived the change, and what has the pandemic meant for you and your friends as far as how you can socialize? How have you adapted to social life during the pandemic? JK: Well actually, I would have to tell you that I feel very minimally impacted due to being a retired person and in excellent help, which enables me to engage in the normal activities that I enjoy, which I would describe as healthful recreation. I still play tennis three times a week, and my tennis club had to make a couple of changes. They require all of us members to wear a mask when we enter the property, but once we’re on the court and actually playing then we can remove our masks. Another big change was that we could not invite any guests to the club; that was something that we all enjoyed doing, but they felt that they couldn’t allow that. So, that’s how it still is right now. IN: As far as your companions in the club, are you all fairly like minded in your reactions, or are there differences in people’s opinion on how to respond to the virus? JK: Oh, there are many, many differences. Some people feel that they just don’t know what to believe about it. They don’t know what advice to follow, so anything that is actually mandated by the government, then we have to follow that to be good citizens. Several of the women with whom I play would have an adult child tell them “Well Mom, I don’t think you should be playing any longer because you have no control over where those people are going, or with whom they’re associating”. So, I’ve had a couple of players that I know stop playing, though now they’re back. There are a lot of people from Canada who are members of my tennis club. As soon as this started happening, I’d say around February, they left quickly to return to Canada because they were afraid that the borders would be closed down. This year almose none of them have come back, and the composition of our membership is greatly reduced and very changed. There is one Canadian couple who did fly down, quarantined for two weeks and had their car shipped down, which they’d never done before. Around here, a lot of the women are middle aged, fifty or older, and I am considerably older. Some of them didn’t even feel comfortable visiting each other’s homes, but some were so bored and needed socialization since they couldn’t do their regular activities that they were willing to go to somebody else’s house here in the neighborhood. I have a couple of friends who come over once a week to play Rummikub or Scrabble. One of my good friends has been volunteering for eleven years as an usher for the McCallum Theatre. They get top entertainment for very short runs, maybe only a weekend or an evening, but they have top entertainers like Rhonda Fleming, for example. She is dreadfully missing the wonderful entertainment that she got to see, and misses the people with whom she used to work as an usher. There’s still no idea of when they will be able to resume, since entertainment contracts like those are created at least a year ahead of time. That’s been a big loss for her to not have that. She’s someone who comes over and plays Rummikub or Scrabble with me. IN: It seems quite valuable to have a close circle of friends that you can get together with. Our social lives are very important and have a significant impact on our mental health. JK: And especially as you get older, they say that socialization is very important to help maintain your psychological health. I feel very fortunate that I can do this, and am very happy that there are some women in the area willing to go out and go to somebody else’s house. But I know there are a few who still don’t feel comfortable leaving their own homes, and it must be very difficult to them. IN: I’m interested in your perspective on the relative levels of safety and comfort that people have around protecting themselves from the virus. From what I’ve heard, the virus is more dangerous to people who are immunocompromised or older. I’ve seen a few submissions to the Journal of the Plague Year that center around older people who have a lot of apprehension of the virus, and many of them have taken drastic measures to protect themselves. As someone who is older, do you consider yourself to be vulnerable to COVID, and what is your attitude towards the virus? JK: Well age-wise of course I am vulnerable, but fortunately I do not have any underlying immune problems and am grateful for having such good health. I realize how difficult this pandemic has been for so many American families- parents are trying to keep an income stream, many of them have school-aged children at home and have to supervise their schoolwork, and try to keep the family engaged in outdoor activities. It’s almost too much to expect of a great many families, especially when it’s gone on since February or March and accompanied by harsh lockdown measures. A lot of people that I talk to are not certain that the advice they were given at the beginning [of the pandemic] has been accurate. They feel that a lot of the advice handed down by government bodies has been inaccurate. But you can’t blame them, since this is the first time such a thing has happened in our lifetimes, and everybody is having to go carefully and listen to what is advised. If you are a responsible person you listen to the advice, since these are the people who are in the NHI and the CDC and we should listen to what they think is best. A lot of people say, “We’ve been misled and don’t know what to believe”. I think with the mask thing there’s been a lot of resistance, and of course when you have your president so often appearing in public without his mask, that sends a poor message. I think that wearing a mask is a very small thing to ask of a person, whether it’s going to help other people or yourself- it’s such an easy thing and we should all be willing to do it. IN: I think so too, and on that note would like to bring up how the virus has been politicized, especially as it’s occurred during an election year, and how our governmental bodies have taken strategic stances on it. If you recall, back in March there were conflicting news articles about the subject of wearing a mask- some of then claimed that wearing one would increase your chances of getting it, or make it harder for medical workers to get the masks they needed. There was so much conflicting advice in the news, and I think that really impacted people’s perception of the virus and made it much harder to for them to know how to respond. Living in a community where people are from different areas and backgrounds must have given you an interesting view into the different ways that people perceive the virus. JK: I do hope that we can have this vaccine soon, but even with that there are many people who say that they won’t get the vaccine until its proven to be safe and effective. And I do understand that, but am glad that it will be made available first to healthcare workers and elderly people in nursing homes. IN: On that topic, some of the stories coming from nursing homes are heartbreaking, especially since they’ve had to be strict about limiting visitors. Living in isolation is hard for anyone, but living in a community away from your friends and family must make it a level of magnitude more difficult. JK: Oh yes. I have one of my friends whose husband is- was- in an Alzheimer’s care facility, and she would visit him every Tuesday and Thursday for over a year. When COVID-19 hit, the facility would not allow any visitors, even family. That was very hard for her, but they were able to arrange telephone and Zoom visits so she could actually see him. He passed away before I was abel to come down for the season, and I was very, very saddened for her. IN: The amount of suffering that people have had to endure is astonishing, and I hope that having a record of people’s experiences during the pandemic can help us to remember what people went through and maybe help us do better in the future. I sincerely appreciate that you’ve participated in this interview to share with the Journal of the Plague Year, and thank you so much for having this conversation with me. -
2020-12-03
[GoTo」自粛キャンセル 13日までに申告で無料(2020年12月3日) - Cancellation of self-restraint of "Go To" Free of charge by declaration by 13th (December 3, 2020)
In order to reduce the risk of elders, Tokyo Governor is asking elders to cancel their trip and will make canceling fee free. However, like I have said in previous stories, Japan can never enforce rules on citizens. It has to be “we would like you to do it”. I doubt a lot of elders will cancel because using Go To travel allows traveling fee to be reduced, and some would definitely think that it's a waste to not use the government’s money. 東京都は高齢者たちが自粛の呼び掛けに応じて「GoToトラベル」の旅行を取りやめる場合、13日までに申し出ればキャンセル料は無料になると明らかにしました。 東京都は65歳以上の高齢者や基礎疾患を持つ人たちを対象に「GoToトラベル」の東京発着の旅行を17日まで自粛するよう呼び掛けるとしています。キャンセル料などに関する政府から都への回答によりますと、17日までに出発する旅行については13日までに申し出ればキャンセル料はかかりません。一方、キャンセルされた事業者に対しては解約された旅行代金の35%を国が負担するということです。また、小池都知事は1日に菅総理と会談した際、高齢者らへの「GoToトラベル」の利用自粛の呼び掛けについて、全国規模で行うことを検討するよう求めていたことも明らかにしました。 その東京都では2日に新たに500人の感染が確認され、重症の患者は59人になりました。また、都は50代から90代の男女5人が死亡したことも発表しました。このうち4人は高血圧などの基礎疾患があったということです。 The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced that if elderly people cancel their "Go To Travel" trip, the cancellation fee will be free if they apply by the 13th. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is calling on elderly people aged 65 and over and people with underlying illnesses to refrain from traveling to and from Tokyo on "Go To Travel" until the 17th. According to the government's response to the city regarding cancellation fees, there is no cancellation fee if you apply by the 13th for trips departing by the 17th. On the other hand, the government will bear 35% of the canceled travel fee for the canceled business operator. In addition, when Governor Koike met with Prime Minister Suga on the 1st, he said that he had requested that elderly people consider refraining from using "GoTo Travel" on a nationwide scale. In Tokyo, 500 new infections were confirmed on the 2nd, and the number of patients with severe symptoms became 59. The city also announced that five men and women in their 50s and 90s had died. Four of them had underlying illnesses such as high blood pressure. Video translated by Youngbin Noh -
2020-08-07
Health Insurance Providers mailing reusable masks for medical appointments
On August 7, 2020 I received a message from a relative that their health insurance company had mailed them a small envelope with a cloth mask. At the time in Oklahoma, masks were still fairly difficult to find in stores and reusable masks were still available mostly online at considerable costs. The elderly relative said that her and her husband were told to use these if they went to a doctor's appointment or to a hospital. The pamphlet also advised them on the best way to wash and dry the mask for further use. This is something that seems like a small cost to the company, but could benefit everyone if it helped prevent people from getting sick, especially from COVID-19. -
2020-04-03
Ms. Jones COVID Experience
Ms. Jones had Alzheimer’s and was living with others like her prior to the pandemic. When she was isolated because of the pandemic she became anxious and confused thus causing her meds to be increased. She was found on the floor with serious injuries due to a decrease of nursing oversight. Her family did not want to cause her anymore stress so moved her to a hospice house so they could visit and she died a week later. -
2020-04-02
Pennsylvania COVID-19 Cases Graph
Graph shows the percent of population in blue, percent of cases in yellow, and percent of hospitalizations in red for cases in Pennsylvania. All the bars from ages 0-24 are quite low in all three categories. However from ages 25-65+ increase in all categories. The percent of hospitalizations rises drastically for ages 50-65+. While their percent of population and percent of cases are low they are the age group more likely to need hospitalization. -
2020-09-30
Elderly in the Americas
Image shows two elderly people, one man and one woman, both wearing masks. These people are clearly not white but they do live in the Americas. PAHO, where the picture/article was found, states that the Americas are not doing enough for those who are over the age of 60. -
2020-06-25
Seniors Embrace the Arts During Quarantine
These images are so visually striking and uplifting. A lot of diversity is represented in the group as well. The seniors used their creativity and their imagination to take part in the challenge. These photos were taken at the Amenida Seniors Community in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Perhaps other museums can follow suit and issue “museum challenges” to ease the stress of Covid-19. -
2020-06-27
The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Examines Covid-19 Grief Among Elderly
Doctors Joseph S. Goveas and M. Katherine Shear anticipate an increase in prolonged grief disorder after the pandemic. They contend that this will hit older Americans particularly hard. Their research begins with an anecdote about Alice, a 78-year-old woman, who lost her brother Charles, aged 69. The two were very close. According to the article, Alice felt guilty that she could not be with Charles during his moments. After his death, she experienced loss of sleep and weight loss, although it was not severe enough to be categorized as major depression. Below is her story from the article. “Seventy-eight-year-old Alice lost her only sibling, Charles, age 69, to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Alice and Charles lived in different towns but were very close, speaking daily on the phone for hours. They were practicing Christians and had similar interests. He often drove to visit her. They enjoyed spending time with each other and doing things together. Despite having coronary artery disease and hypertension, Charles was independent and happy. Alice was shocked to learn he had been hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia and that he was intubated and on a ventilator. A bereavement coordinator reached out to her, which she very much appreciated. However, Alice declined an offer to visit Charles, frightened of contracting the disease herself. She understood that she, too, was at high risk for dying of COVID-19 because of her age. Although she tried to reach out to him via Skype, Charles died with only the bereavement coordinator and hospital staff at his side. Alice completed the funeral arrangements via Skype. Charles was cremated without her being present, and his ashes were delivered to her. Several weeks after his passing, Alice was plagued by remorse for abandoning her dying brother. She yearned to be with Charles and could not believe he was gone. She fluctuated between numbness, overwhelming sadness, and intense guilt. She could not stop thinking that she failed her brother during his last days. She was having trouble sleeping and was beginning to lose weight but did not meet criteria for major depression. She liked to reminisce about fond memories of Charles and knew he was with God. She had confidence in the religious belief that she would see him again one day. She also knew that she wanted to live and that she would carry Charles in her heart for the rest of her days. She continued to talk with the hospital bereavement coordinator weekly, an important source of solace. They often discussed the details of her plan to hold a memorial service in celebration of Charles’ life after pandemic restrictions are lifted.” -
2020-03-27
Potato Soup for the Soul
90-year-old Geneva Wood overcame Covid-19 despite a serious diagnosis. In her own words, she describes feeling grateful to hold her kids and enjoy time with them. Geneva said that anytime she was ill, all she wanted was potato soup. Jonathan Vigliotti reports that, “She says she was only one bowl of potato soup away from this story being an obituary.” Geneva’s story demonstrates the power of family, home cooking, and the hope of healing. -
2020-10-28
How to Cope with COVID-19
Prior to COVID-19 older adults or the elderly were prone to depression and isolation and now with community events cancelled those are rising. The CDC suggests not watching news coverage, care about your health, relax, ask for support if you need it, and take action if need be. If you know someone who is elderly make a virtual visit, send physical mail, encourage them to care about their health, and always be a helping hand if you can be. -
2020-05-19
Impact of COVID-19 on Elderly
COVID-19 hits eldery the hardest compared to other age groups. Group homes for the elderly are almost comparable to those in the hospital, not only risking other eldery but also workers. A common issue in homes are those who have dementia or alzheimers makes it difficult to stop the spread. Elderly are often being refused care in favor of those with COVID-19 as they can make more money this way. -
2020-04-07
COVID-19 Infographic for the Elderly
The image is an infographic that lists 10 ways for people to help the eldery during COVID-19. Such as checking on them frequently, visit them (social distanced of course), buy things they may need, and other ways you can easily show you care and can help. -
2020-07-21
Doctor's Testify at Senate Hearing on COVID-19 Racial Disparities Among Seniors
The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hears from doctors who discuss the racial health disparities among seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mortality rate for older African Americans is 3.6 times higher than for older white Americans. This racial health disparity is also apparent for Native American and Latino populations. Many of these people have no or little insurance and are in poverty, directly leading to poorer outcomes in their health and greater risk of dying from COVID-19. -
2020-06-29
Heroes Work Here
The Reutlinger is a senior living community, specializing in assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing, nearby my home. About a week into our shelter-in-place orders, this sign appeared near the main entrance to the facility. The sign reads "Heroes Work Here." Senior care facilities have been hit the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. When an outbreak of the virus occurs within these facilities, it spreads quickly and typically results in a large number of fatalities. Those working at the Reutlinger during this pandemic are working on the front lines and are heroes as they risk their safety to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. -
2020-06-12
Finding Care for the Elderly During COVID-19
I share my experience helping get my grandfather into an elder care facility from afar during COVID-19.