For this assignment, you will conduct at least a 30-60 minute interview of a person who is at least age 65 (family or non-family is fine). You will submit a paper that includes the questions and responses from the interviewee, unless you choose to submit the interview as a video or podcast. You’ll also submit a final reflection essay.

STEP 1: Browse online for stories and interviews with the elderly. For example, visit websites like The Listening Ear Project (https://www.thelisteningearproject.com/past-interviews), Memory Well (https://www.memorywell.com/family.html), and the Legacy Project (https://www.legacyproject.org/index.html). Look for suggestions of questions to ask and tips for interviewing, such as this document: https://legacyproject.org/guides/lifeintquestions.pdf.

STEP 2: Conduct an interview. You may be as creative as you would like for this interview, but you must have permission from your interviewee. Remember to follow ethical guidelines and to be respectful during the interview. You may conduct a video interview, a recorded audio interview, or take detailed notes with questions and answers. Be sure to let the individual know of your project and intentions from the beginning, and set aside a minimum of 30 minutes to conduct the interview. Be a good listener, and also a good facilitator. Be prepared with the questions you ask and be genuinely interested in their responses.

STEP 3: You must submit the following paper with your final project:

• The full name of the person you interviewed, with their age, and the date of the interview
• A description of your relationship to that person
• At least 15 of the questions you asked them, with summarized answers. At least three of the questions must clearly tie back to concepts you learned about in this module (ask about ageism, attitudes towards aging, etc.)

OR

• You can create a recorded video (with permission) or podcast with highlights from the video (no more than 6 minutes long). If you choose the video or podcast option, you don’t need to submit the list of questions and answers, as the gist of those will be apparent in the video or podcast.

STEP 4: Type a 1-page reflection essay (500 words) addressing the following:

• A description of the stage of life the interviewee is in (young-old, middle-old, or old-old)
• An understanding of how the interviewee perceives the aging process, including attitudes and perceptions about growing old
• What did you find most interesting or informative about the interview?
• What are your personal thoughts on growing old, in the light of this interview and the content you learned about in this module?

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