The Aging Process and the Implications of Pathology/conditions

I interviewed my father and even though I did not live with him since the age of ten he was always available to provide support, offer advice, share important milestones throughout my life. At sixty-five he is part of the young old aging category and has been retired for ten years. Born in Flint, Michigan he described his social history as average in that he attended school, lived with both parents, and even though he did attend college, he worked for General Motors for his entire working life as did his parents, brothers, and friends. Childhood performance patterns included occupations of play and leisure activities such as sports, exploring the junk yard near his home, camping, fishing, and anything having to do with a bicycle. In addition to these childhood and adolescent routines education was very important. As a young adult he attended Mott College where he earned his associate's degree in accounting, got married, bought a house and had children. With the exception of the occasional illness, childhood and early adulthood were spent in good health; however, he mentioned having his tonsils removed, but said that this was the case with most children. As his roles evolved into those of husband, father, and accountant/employee he found that his routines changed dramatically. His role as an employee became a priority as did financial management due to home establishment and maintenance, and his roles of husband and father. Routines became more family oriented and had to be adapted to include occupations of significance to his wife and children. Saturdays were spent visiting grandparents on both sides because these relationships highly valued. Religious observance was an occupation that his wife deemed important; therefore, on Sundays rituals were formed around immediate family and church. My father worked Monday through Friday in as an accountant in an office setting and when asked about the physical demands of his career he indicated that his position at General Motors was very stressful, and this stress manifested in constant muscle spasms and tension in his neck and shoulders. During the summer months my father was able to develop a routine of family vacations several times every year to camp, fish, and enjoy the outdoors just as he did in his youth. These occupations were described as much needed stress relief as he enjoyed teaching all of these skills to his children and sharing the natural wonders of northern Michigan with his family. As the years passed he and my mother grew apart; however, we maintained a strong relationship, and my father enjoyed sharing his love of bicycles with my brother and I insisting on assembling parts from various sources rather than going to the store and buying a bike. In addition to bicycles and camping, my father enjoyed imparting his knowledge of the sports that he played in his younger years. Baseball was his favorite leisure activity and he took pride in making it to every game; in

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