Integrity
vs despair from Erik Erikson was something I had seen before from reading many
books and also many situations I had been around in my life. I understood when
I was younger watching my grandparents do something to better the community or
remain a part of it you don’t want to be remembered as somebody who just gave
up one day by not seeing your kids and family or not showing up to do something
that was special to those in your community (all of this reminds me of “A
Christmas Carol”.
Unlike
those who reach the level of despair I never really had seen that from within
the family. However, I had my grandfather who took care of those who had been
on the track to despair. So what my grandfather did was he would talk with the
family members and make sure he could have them come in frequently to make sure
that they could still feel that importance and love that was once there before
they were put into an intensive care facility.
Having been
apart of a family of very independent people we never had the issues of being
in a situation where we thought a loved one wasn’t getting the attention they
believed they deserved from the younger family members. I see a lot of abuse
and abandonment in society as of now due to situations of money and living of
those who are next to receive either wealth or something in return.
Your Grandad sounds like a wonderful person. I used to work as a nurse aid in a nursing home. many of the people I cared for were in despair rather than integrity. It was always a pleasure to care for those who had lived a good life and were still upbeat about the life they had. I tried to cheer the others up by caring for them the best that I could, but my impact was rather small.
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