One Life Story assignment worth 90 points. Part one of the assignment should cover the life story of someone aged 65 or over of your choice, I suggest a family member. You will interview that person to do a life history/story/reflection. The second part of the assignment will be to cover your life story, reflecting on issues surrounding aging such as personal health and well-being, mental health, race and ethnicity, health and medical care, finances and economics, work and retirement, housing and transportation, leisure, recreation and education, family life and relationships, social support, politics and policies, and death and dying as if you are aged 75 reflecting back on your life. Please do this in the future…in other words, reflect back on your life when you are really going to be age 75; that may be close to the year 2073 or somewhere around that vicinity if you are currently in your 20’s. However, if you are older, use the correct year of when you will be age 75. Please use the past tense when reflecting back on your life and the current tense as if you are 75…it is as if you are conducting a life story on yourself at age 75.
This assignment can be completed in a number of ways:
As a term paper approximately 8-10 pages minimum in length. If completed as a term paper, approximately half of the paper should be on the interview of a person of your choosing who is age 65 or older and the other half of the paper should be your reflection back on your life as if you’re age 75.
As two (2) posters (minimally). One poster would cover the person you interviewed; the other poster would be a reflection on your life. Make certain you cover all subject matters as you would a paper.
As a PowerPoint Presentation. Again, half the presentation would be only your interviewee and half on your reflection back on your life as if you’re age 75. Make certain to cover all subject matters as you would a paper. I would suggest a minimum of 5-6 slides per the person you interview and 5-6 slides on yourself reflecting back on your life.
A Presi presentation. See above PowerPoint information.
Make certain whichever method of presentation you choose that you cover a majority of topics and give equal time to the person you interviewed and for your own self-reflection.
Some ideas would be to include actual pictures from your interviewee — that way you can give them the first part of the assignment that they can then share with other family members. If they have pictures from their youth, as younger adults, mid-life, and older years that go along with the story you tell from them. On your reflection part of the presentation, you may include pictures from your youth, and young adulthood, and then get pictures that you think will look like your later life. Do you plan to live elsewhere? Include pictures from that city or area. Be fun and inventive for this part of the paper.
Ideas for questions and how to conduct a life story are available on Canvas under Life Story Assignment.
Sample paper and poster are available on Canvas under Life Story Assignment. Please make your paper as individual as it can be. Don’t take the concepts from the sample paper and use them “as is” in your paper—make your story unique.
The purpose of the assignment is to get a personal life story of someone who is 65 years of age or older, preferably someone from your own family, so you can learn more of family background and so you can give them and other members of your family a “life book” they can cherish. The second purpose of the assignment is to apply what you learn in the course about certain topics covered in chapters and reflect upon your life using those topics. You will be the future of aging. What do you want your future experience as an older adult and the years growing there to look like? Use your imagination (within reason).
You cannot be dead-you must be living at age 75.
You must live on earth.
Please contact me at if you have questions regarding the paper.
It is suggested to start the final assignment at the beginning of the semester—interviewing someone takes time.
