Ethnography Essay
I have the opportunity to live with my ninety year old nana, Betty, who I love very much. About ten years ago when I lived in Plymouth she lived right across the street from me, my brother, and my mom. She was very independent when she lived alone, even after her husband passed away which was about fifteen years ago. Her declining health issues has caused her to no longer live alone. In all of my nana’s ninety years she has experienced a lot of changes and this one may be her most challenging one yet because she is losing her independence.
Betty is five feet six inches and she is is on the heavy-set side. In the morning when she wakes up, Betty uses her walker to bring herself to the stairs and after she makes her way down the stairs, she has a second walker waiting for her. In the kitchen, she brings herself to her special corner on the counter where she keeps all of her cookies, individual pies, scones, and her bran muffins. She always starts her mornings by having two cups of coffee to go with her bran muffin which she insists is essential to her diet.
My nana has many special places in the house, but her favorite one is in the sitting room. She has her favorite chair that she always sits on where she crochetes and reads. On her kindle she always plays solitaire. When she is not in her chair, my cat Izzy will jump in it as soon as she gets the chance. It is always a competition between them of who will get to it first. She always wears several beaded bracelets and she is never without her watch. Since she had to move out of her own house four years ago, she does not have a lot of her own things anymore. Therefore, the few things that she values mainly consist of photographs, blankets that she made, and jewelry.
In my nana’s room she surrounds herself with old photographs because it brings back precious memories for her and it helps my home feel like her home as well. She misses her husband a lot so looking at the pictures brings back joyful, happy memories. I can tell that even though it is sad, she has so much love and care for them. Betty has been knitting and crocheting blankets for years and she has made at least one for every member of the family. She generally chooses school colors or people’s favorite colors. She will crochete for hours and she designs her blankets with zig-zag patterns. Before her arthritis worsened, she used to make people blankets everyday. She has given me so many blankets as gifts and I love receiving them because it makes her so happy to give them away.
Her bedroom is upstairs and she uses a double railing to help her up the stairwell where her second walker awaits her. In her bedroom, there is a bar on the bed to assist her with standing and sitting down easily and there are many old pictures that surrounds her with memories.
Although it has been difficult to give up her own home and move in with us, there are some positive situations that have occured for her, one being her social connections. Betty attends the Council on Aging once a week to play bingo, she attends church suppers the first Friday of every month, and she gets out to the grocery store with her daughter. Betty does not have any friends because they have all passed away. However, she does have a sister, Margaret, who is ninety-nine years old and they talk everyday on the phone.
Technology has had an influence on her, even at her age. She uses a kindle to email which she happens to call texting. She also has a facebook page but not to post anything, just so she can see pictures of the family. However, sometimes she gets confused and hits the wrong buttons and will repost an odd picture or send them to her relatives. Her use of technology is part of her daily schedule along with crocheting, watching tv, (usually Judge Judy or The Price is Right), and a daily nap is an essential part of her day.
Life for my Nana has changed dramatically and she feels as though she has lost her independence. She gets frustrated because she needs to be taken care of, but she also feels blessed to have a home to live in with family because she gets to see her grandchildren. There are many activities in this house with people coming in and out all the time. She has no past regrets, she feels she has had a good life and her future dream is to reach one-hundred years old.