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Final Reflection Paper Prompt
This paper is a reflection on your learning throughout the course, as you incorporate your
reflection on the service-learning project (and, specifically, the age group with which we
worked) with class material. How did the service-project, textbook, and class materials
contribute to your knowledge of adulthood and aging? Be sure to support your positions with
examples from the service projects, the textbook, and class notes.
Example Reflection Paper #1
PY 207 Adult Development
Dr. Wilsey
Service Learning Reflection
Service Learning and Class Reflection
In this Adult Development course, I feel that my knowledge of the stages of adulthood
greatly increased. We studied the cognitive, social, and socio-emotional changes that occur
during the aging process, and this learning was enhanced both through in-depth class discussions
and the two parties we organized for our service learning. The service learning aspect of the
Adult Development class was very beneficial to the overall course. Through interaction with
older adults in the two parties we organized, both for the Woman of West Oakland (WOWOs)
and the Sisters of Mercy, we got to see some of the things we were learning about. I particularly
connected with the physical and social development of adults through the parties organized as
the service learning part of the course.
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Perhaps the most important concept of this class is the concept of multidirectionality,
which states that “development involves both growth and decline; as people grow in one area,
they may lose in another and at different rates” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 4). This shows that decline
in function is a natural part of the aging process; however, a less realized part of aging involves
growth in other areas. Perhaps the most extreme example of this appeared in our classroom
discussion of Alzheimer’s patients; as short-term memory declines, their long-term memory
almost appears to sharpen as memories from long ago become prevalent in their minds.
Unfortunately, in this example, the decline will eventually worsen to the point that it outweighs
the growth aspect.
Aging is a very difficult concept; it seems nearly impossible to explain why people must
grow old and die, and the search for answers has led to several theories regarding why we age.
One of these is called the Rate-of-Living Theory, also known as the Wear-and-Tear theory. This
theory states that “organisms have only so much energy to expend in a lifetime… Additionally…
there are some data showing that the number of calories animals and people eat is related to
longevity” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 67). By this theory, it is better to lead a lazy life than an active
one because over-activity leads to premature death. However, “a detailed review of data from
many species does not support the view that metabolism is related to length of life,” so I am not
inclined to believe this theory (Cavanugh, 2010, p 67). Also, as we discussed in class, physical
activity helps strengthen the heart, improve circulation, increase respiration, and does a number
of other good things for the body, so it seems counterintuitive to believe that being more active
would lead to a shorter life.
I am more inclined to believe in either a Cellular Theory or the Programmed Cell Death
Theory. The Cellular Theories cover a variety of issues, from the Hayflick limit, which states
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that there is a limited number of times a cell can divide “which presumable limits the life span of
a complex organism”, to the stiffening of tissues from cross-linking, in which “certain proteins in
human cells interact randomly and produce molecules that are linked in such a way as to make
the body stiffer”. The Programmed Cell Death Theory states that aging is somehow
programmed into our genetic code, although this brings up a variety of questions that we
discussed in class. If aging is pre-programmed, why are there diseases that appear to speed up
the aging process, and why do some people show the effects of aging more slowly than others?
Because of these questions, I am more inclined to believe in the cellular theories, although they
still have many questions around them.
As we age, we go through many physical changes that were evident in the older ladies we
interacted with at the parties. Perhaps the most evident physical change was the difficulty many
of the women had with mobility. Several women at both parties used walkers to help them move
around. This coincides with what we learned about because we lose strength in our muscles as
we age; “by age 80 the loss in strength is up to 40%, and it appears to be more severe in the legs
than in the arms and hands” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 72). Due to their mobility difficulties, we had
to help them get in and out of their chairs, and we would get food and drinks for those with a lot
of trouble to minimize how often they had to stand up and sit down. These strength issues also
lead to balance problems that can cause falls, making it somewhat dangerous to live alone.
For this reason, many older adults choose to change living arrangements so they are not
alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau article we read, 1.91 million older people (age 65
and older) lived in a household with a grandchild. Also, 14.3% of those age 85 and older lived in
a setting such as a nursing home.
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Many people also find themselves in a nursing home setting due to their inability to
perform everyday tasks. Everyday competence is a “person’s potential ability to perform a wide
range of activities considered essential for independent living,” and when it becomes too difficult
for one to perform these tasks, other living arrangements need to be considered (Cavanaugh,
2010, p. 168). Some people have only minor problems, like misplacing items or being unable to
climb stairs, and do not need the intense care of a nursing home. However, others have trouble
feeding, dressing, and/or bathing themselves and need more personalized care.
It was also interesting to learn about mental development as we age, and, considering this
is a psychology course, this was covered extensively. One of the things I found most interesting
was our discussion of attentional resources and how it becomes more difficult to divide our
attention as we age. Some researchers believe that this is due to a decrease in our processing
resources, “the amount of attention one has to apply to a particular situation” (Cavanuagh, 2010,
p. 189). It is much more difficult for older adults to multitask than it is for younger adults,
especially if the tasks are difficult or if they are unfamiliar with them.
This was evident during the parties and even in planning. During the planning of the
WOWO party, we were told to specifically allot time for the women to eat. If we were not
careful, they would get to talking and would talk instead of eat. As young adults, my classmates
and I were able to both eat and talk, but the women we interacted with were not. We also had to
make sure that they were finished eating before starting BINGO with them because they would
not be able to focus on both tasks; they took BINGO too seriously to focus any of their attention
elsewhere!
I particularly enjoyed the second party with the Sisters of Mercy, mostly because I felt
more comfortable interacting and really got to know some of the Sisters. My friend Marcia and I
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sat at a table with several Sisters, two of which were some of the oldest ones in the room and
were less mobile than the others. While Marcia got one of the Sisters some food, the Sister
asked me a lot of questions about my life. She asked me about my relationship status, and when
I told her I was single, her eyes grew wide, and she exclaimed, “Well, what is wrong with
them?” which made me laugh. She also told Marcia and me that many of the Sisters in the room
were over ninety years old, which was remarkable. Many of them were very mobile and so
active that I would not have placed them much older than 70. The Sisters were particularly
interested in our majors in school, jobs, families, and why we chose to attend Carlow. The
Sisters were fun to talk to and quick with jokes. When Marcia said that she was studying
chemistry and I was studying psychology, one of the Sisters quipped that I could help Marcia
when all that science drives her batty in a few years. I told them that I thought Marcia was
already too far gone, and they seemed to find that funny.
The Sisters told us a lot about their leisure activities, particularly their craft room. They
said that everyone has a particular craft they like to do, and it seems like they overall have a wide
variety. Some of them like to knit, others like to make no-sew fleece blankets, and they are
currently making decorations for the various Christmas trees set up in the convent. The
preferences the Sisters show for certain crafts ties in to what we learned about leisure activities.
Many people develop preferred leisure activities and, especially as they become more competent
at certain activities, tend to stick to the same thing once they are comfortable with it.
I also learned quite a bit from the preparation we did for each party. Our class was full of
personality, and this sometimes led to disagreements. I am still not sure why some people
insisted we had to sing songs at both parties when the rest of the class expressed a desire not to
do so not just because we did not want to but also because we did not think the party-goers
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would enjoy it; I think that sometimes, personality got in the way. However, people had a lot of
good ideas in the classroom, and our in-class and online discussions about party planning were
very helpful.
The class had a lot of great ideas, but I think it was very difficult to actually follow
through with many of our plans. Since class only met once a week, we either had to hurry
through our party discussion or hurry through the lesson to get everything to fit in one class.
Also, since this was the first time a class had ever done something like this, it was awkward for
us to know where to start with party planning. The first party was too late in the semester, so we
had to rush to plan the second one. However, we were able to pull everything together for the
second party because we already had much of the groundwork laid, such as where the party
would be held and who to contact. Had we had this information for the first party as well, I feel
that we could have focused our attention on how to work together more as a class. It felt like we
broke into smaller groups to get things done. While that worked very well, it would have been
nice if we could have collaborated on certain tasks like making decorations or party favors.
Overall, I think the parties were a success. The Women of West Oakland had never
interacted with Carlow students like this before despite meeting in the convent often to play
BINGO, so I am thrilled that they finally got to meet some of us. They were wonderful, open,
energetic women. The Sisters of Mercy were also a joy to be around, and everyone was so
grateful for everything we did to organize the parties. It was somewhat ironic, because I was so
thankful to have the opportunity to spend time with them. I am not around older adults often,
especially not in such large groups, so I really enjoyed the service learning. I think it was a great
way to see our text in practice and to reflect on our classroom experiences. The organization and
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follow-through of these two parties were extremely enjoyable and beneficial to me and will not
soon be forgotten.
Example Reflection Paper #2
Adult Development: Service Learning Reflection
Dr. Stephanie Wilsey
December 7, 2011
Late Adulthood: Service Learning and Life Review Project
During this Adult Development class, I learned a lot about the mental, cognitive,
physical, and socio-emotional aspects of aging from our class discussions and textbook material.
It was interesting to see the age and background diversity among our class participants, not
excluding our encounters with the Women of West Oakland and the Sisters of Mercy. It was a
very valuable learning experience for me to be able to apply the concepts learned in the
classroom and online to the physical people we encountered. From all of the chapters in the
textbook, I learned many terms for concepts that I knew, but did not understand the real
definition and impact that they had on aging. I want to reflect on the different chapters that we
encountered and talk about them and their meaning in regards to aging, as well as the
relationships that they had with the elderly women that we encountered during our tea parties.
In chapter one, Cavanaugh discusses the definition of the lifespan perspective, which
“divides human development into two phases: [the] early phase (childhood and adolescence) and
[the] later phase (young adulthood, middle age, and old age)” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 4). The later
phase was the basis for this class; it demonstrated that we were learning about the second part of
life. Another definition that was seen repeatedly throughout the course was multidirectionality.
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Its definition is “development involves both growth and decline; as people grow in one area, they
may lose in another and at different rates” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 4). The reason this definition
was important to the class content is because it showed that the declines that occur in life also
come with some gains as well. If the older person would be losing their ability to remember
what they ate for breakfast, their ability to remember the past might have increased greatly.
There were numerous areas where this idea of multidirectionality came into play within our
course, whether we were talking about young adulthood, middle age, or old age. Every age range
has their gains and losses in their aging processes.
Some forces of development that we discussed in class and were seen in our tea party
observations were biological, psychological, and life-cycle forces. Their definitions are:
biological forces, “all genetic and health-related factors that affect development” and
psychological forces, “all internal perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and personality factors that
affect development” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 13).
Both of these forces were demonstrated in classroom discussion, in our textbook
readings, and in our interactions with the ladies involved with the tea parties. We discussed
biological forces quite a bit in the beginning of the semester and saw the concept throughout the
class. It was possibly the number one topic that was discussed because it is such a major factor of
the aging process. We talked about the genetic and health-related factors of life in detail, from
how people act or interact in certain social situations and why people age differently.
Psychological forces were also discussed extensively throughout the course. It was
interesting to see the comparisons and connections of the psychological forces and the physical
aspects of aging. I was intrigued to find out the ways that the brain ages and how it affects the
physical aspects of human development. Psychological forces are the reasons why certain people
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are put into different forms of care homes when they are much older. If they cannot remember to
dress themselves or if they cannot remember to feed themselves, they may need to be placed in
assisted living or a nursing home (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 162). Some of the options elderly people
could think about, as far as living conditions are concerned, are home modification, where the
house is rearranged for the needs of the individual, adult day care, where there is support,
companionship, and certain services during the day” (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 160), congregate
housing, like condominiums for older couples or individuals who do not want to be in a nursing
home, who want their independence, but would still like to interact with people of their own age,
assisted living facilities where those who need help with everyday personal tasks such as
brushing their teeth, bathing, dressing or taking medications (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 162). I always
have found it interesting that older individuals who are still physically and mentally able to live
by themselves still like to be out doing things in the community and those who are not able to
live by themselves are generally pleasant to be in the living arrangement that their families have
decided for them, as they sometimes forget where they are. I am not saying that there are not
exceptions to this observation, but it is still interesting to me that this phenomenon happens.
Maybe it is because I do not know how I would feel about living in a nursing home or assisted
living environment because I am so independent.
A big factor that I found to be interesting is that the course was split up into young,
middle, and older adult modules. I did not care for the young module because I am living/
already lived through that. The middle aged module did not excite me too much because I
experience that module through living at home with my parents, interacting with my teachers,
and coworkers. The module that interested me the most was the older adult module. I only have
one grandparent still alive, I do not get to see him as much as I would like and I do not have
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much experience with older adults past my parents’ age. I was interested to see the reasoning
behind why they have aged and how I will age. I wanted to see the scientific evidence behind the
hypotheses that are made regarding aging.
In Chapter 3 of the Cavanaugh textbook, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the
physical aspects of aging. This was my favorite chapter because it gave me the answers to the
questions that were discussed in class. In the PowerPoint handout for Chapter 3, it says on the
sixth slide some reasons that explain the wear-and–tear and rate-of-living theories. The reasons
were: “Moderate to vigorous exercise throughout life also predicts longevity...Taking it too easy,
associated with cognitive and physical decline…Body can repair itself under normal
circumstances” (Wilsey, n.d.). The reasoning about moderate to vigorous exercise makes a great
deal of sense. If one is active and works on their physical and cardiovascular health, they will
live longer than people who are couch potatoes. As said in the second point about taking it too
easy physically will lead to mental and physical decline in old age, this is extremely true because
there are some people who have never gone outside and done something physical and later end
up with mental diseases later in their lives. My favorite point is regarding that the body will
repair itself is fascinating since I am an Anatomy buff. The body will fix itself when the
individual takes care of their injuries and does not do things to re-injure the area. The human
body is absolutely fascinating to me so this chapter was the one that made the most sense to me
and fascinated me the most.
Also in Chapter 3, it talked about the changes in skin, hair and eyes that come along with
getting older. Why do we get wrinkles? This phenomenon is caused by sun exposure throughout
a lifetime without a proper SPF protection, along with other genetic and environmental aspects
(Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 70-71). It also discussed the reasons behind grey hairs, facial hair on
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women, and the gender differences that come along with aging. Women are likely to gain facial
hair due to increased levels of the hormone, testosterone (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 71). The most
interesting aspect of the physical changes that occur to older individuals is the loss of eye sight.
I am twenty years old and have to wear glasses for reading when I am up late and my eyes are
strained due to reading too much. I dread putting on my glasses to read, let alone having to wear
them everyday to get out of bed and read the newspaper. I understand the concepts of how the
eye works and how its functions decline with age, but this chapter presented these concepts in a
unique manner. It discussed the reasons why the eye cannot let in as much light as it used to in
order to see things clearly (Cavanaugh, 2010, p.78) and how the retina goes through physical
changes involving the cone and rod receptors in the eye which also cause vision problems
(Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 79). The concepts regarding presbyopia (causing difficulty seeing objects
up close), glaucoma (when there is fluid and pressure build up in the eye), and cataracts (deposits
in the eye that cause opaque spots in eye sight) (Cavanaugh, 2010, p. 79) are also interesting
because these are physical changes that happen to many people as they get older. These three
diseases of the eye are major causes of eyesight among older individuals.
The biggest connection that I saw with the text and the tea parties involving the Ladies of
West Oakland and the Sisters of Mercy was the four types of leisure activities. The cultural,
physical, social, and solitary aspects of the leisure activities were seen at our parties (Cavanaugh,
2010, p. 477). As for the cultural part, tea parties are a part of Carlow University’s culture
because Catherine McCauley was known for “A Comfortable Cup of Tea”. The physical aspect
was seen when all of the older Sisters and WoWo’s came with their walkers and those who were
walking real slowly to their tables. It was their physical activity for the day to come down to the
Activity Room in the Convent. They all socialized with each other at their tables and with the
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students in the class hosting the party. They seemed to have had a wonderful time playing bingo,
eating their food, and getting to know the students. The students seemed to have a good time
getting to know the Sisters, as well. The solitary aspect was seen when there were a few Sisters
or WoWo’s who came in and sat by themselves at secluded tables. There was always the
question of were they waiting for someone or did they just want to be by themselves. This was a
very interesting phenomenon to watch unfold at the tea parties, especially since it occurred at
both parties.
Alex and I got to know a few of the Sisters at the second party fairly well. They asked us
about our families, relationship statuses, majors in school, about our jobs, and anything else they
could think of. It was really nice to talk to them and to come to the realization that a good
majority of them were over the age of ninety years old. I was astonished to hear this because
some of them did not look or act ninety; they only seemed to be sixty or seventy. There was one
little Sister in particular that took a liking to both A-- and myself. I believe her name was Jane
and she said that she was ninety-one years old. She used to be the President of Carlow
University for over sixteen years. She was so interested about why my major was Chemistry and
what I wanted to do with my degree when I graduated. Another Sister, who was in front of me in
line to get food, was mad at me because I switched my major from nursing last year. Both of her
nieces are nurses and she is friends with the Dean of the Nursing School really well and told me
go speak to her. I thought this was really funny because that is all she talked about for the entire
party when I would pass her table or sit and talk with her. I definitely would not mind going back
to throw another party for the Sisters because they were the cutest little old ladies and were so
welcoming, sweet, and grateful that we were there to celebrate the holidays.
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In reflection of the party preparation, I think it was a little rough, but both parties came
together in the end leading the parties to success. There was a lot of class discussion, but when it
came to trying to put the details together, it proved to be difficult. It would have been nice to
have a budget for each party. Also, I think there could have been a little bit more class
preparation to get things together physically, not just talking about what might happen. Maybe
we could have helped decorate the cookies or made the centerpieces in the classroom, that way
everyone could have been involved instead of just one or two people. I understand that a lot of
the suggestions that were made were not probable because of the class meeting once or twice a
week and not on consecutive days. There were so many ideas that were given for the parties that
would have made the parties spectacular, but it was difficult to implement them due to the time
frames and class schedule. The major suggestion that I have would be to not make the first party
so late in the semester. There should have been one a little bit earlier in the semester and the
second one should have been at the beginning of the Christmas season.
Overall, I think the parties were a great success as we got to know the Sisters of Mercy
and the Ladies of West Oakland. It was nice to see the textbook’s context actually implemented
and experienced within the parties. Since I am not around older people often, it was a great
opportunity to see how they interact with younger people and people their own age. The class
material was very interesting to read and the projects were an opportunity to reflect on the text
and the experiences that we had in the classroom, and during our parties. I will not soon forget
the experiences that came along with the diversity of students in the classroom and the
interactions with the text at our tea parties.
References
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Cavanaugh, J.C. (2010). Adult Development and Aging: Sixth Edition. Retrieved from
http://myhome.cengagebrain.com/cb/dashboard.htm
Wilsey, S. (n.d.). Cavanaugh chapter three: Physical changes [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved
from http://blackboard.carlow.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_
2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%2
6id%3D_9281_1%26url%3D