The purpose of this assignment is to reflect on different ethnic and generational perspectives on aging and disability as well as to consider their approaches to the care of the elderly and disabled.

This assignment is open to a variety of approaches. You may write an essay, conduct interviews, create a PowerPoint, or make a video.

Part 1

  1. What is your personal understanding of what it means to be “old”? What is your personal understanding of what it means to be “disabled”? Include examples in both your answers.
  2. How might your understanding of aging and disability compare to someone of a different generation? How might it compare to someone of a different culture? Include examples in both your answers.
  3. If someone in your family needed care due to aging and/or disability, who would be responsible for providing that care and why? Would it be important that caregivers be “family”?  What is your definition of “family”?

Part 2

Select one topic – either aging or disability — and address the following topics (10 points)

  1. Describe some way(s) in which your life been impacted by aging or disability, either your own or someone else’s.
  2. Identify at least three statistics that you feel provide important information on attitudes towards the aging or disabled in America and their care and explain why you selected them. List the resources you used to obtain this information at the bottom of your paper, in the last slide of your PowerPoint, or in the space below if you submit a video.
  3. Based on what you have learned so far in this course, explain how you feel we, as a society, can do better at addressing the social and healthcare needs of the aging or the disabled.