Elder Awareness Interview Assignment

• someone who is over the age of 75
• living independently in the community
• someone who is also different from the student in gender, culture, ethnicity and/or socio?economic level

• Explain the nature of the interview and obtain the consent before proceeding.
• Explain that you need to interview an older adult living in the community as part of your course work for the HCA program. 

• The information given to you will be confidential. Only you and your instructor will know the content.
• Participation is voluntary.
• They can decline to respond to any question they do not wish to answer.
• They can terminate the interview at any time they feel is necessary. 

Note: Depending on the ability of the older adult being interviewed, the interview can be done in more than one sitting. 

1. Name and age 
2. Culture and ethnicity 
3. Living arrangements (i.e. do they live alone, is family close by?) 
4. Any medical conditions – current or previous 
5. Daily Activities and care or assistance required (i.e. any devices used, special safety features in the home) 
6. Social interactions and frequency of contact with neighbours, friends, family or healthcare team members 

1. Do you think of yourself as being old? Why or why not? 
2. Is being an older adult a positive, negative or neutral experience? Why do you think so? 
3. What are some of the most important lessons you feel you have learned over the course of your life? 
4. Some people say that they have had difficult or stressful experiences, but they have learned 
important lessons from them. Is that true for you? Can you give examples of what you learned? 
5. As you look back over your life, do you see any “turning points”; that is, a key event or experience that changed over the course of your life or set you on a different track? 
6. What’s the secret to a happy life? 
7. What are some of the important choices or decisions you made that you have learned from? 
8. What would you say you know now about living a happy and successful life that you didn’t know when you were twenty? 
9. What would you say are the major values or principles that you live by? 
10. Have you experienced any discrimination based on your age? Can you give examples? 
11. What advice do you have for me as I continue to age? 

1. How do you feel this person’s lifestyle contributes to his/her ability to stay independent in the community? 
2. Do you feel this person is ageing successfully? 
3. What resources do you feel they would benefit from using that they currently are not using? 
4. How did this interview force you to look at your own life? 
5. How will this interview influence the way you provide care for your residents? 
6. What did you learn from this experience? 
7. What advice would you offer the future “You” for when you graduate?