Heads Up!! This might be a heavy themed Blog post!
So today marked 18 years since September 11th, 2001 when the World Trade Centre Towers were attacked by terrorists, as well as the Pentagon. I was just an itty bitty kiddo when this happened, but I still understand the impact it had on those that remember the experience. There have been very significant events that have happened in my adult life that will mark be forever, so I can only imagine how my clients (seniors) would recall the events of 9/11,
Today, I planned a discussion group and current events group with some of my clients. I have a larger male group on Wednesdays and most are history buffs, so I found it would be appropriate. I printed out a news article that recapped the time stamps of each event leading up and following the events of 9/11 and we read the article as a group. I asked a few prompting questions but I needed little cues of prompts for my clients as they began to discuss the events as they remembered them; talking about where they were when they first heard the news etc.
As we were reading the article and sentences like "59 people on board the flight died on impact; the plane killed hundreds more in the building" and so on, my supervisor walked by. And for a brief moment I thought 'Holy crap, is this inappropriate to be talking about/reading with my clients?'.
The answer to that is NOPE!!! And I'll tell you why. So often we shelter the conversations we have with our clients. I speak specifically in regards to my client base; seniors in community programming. I feel like we have this feeling like we need to hide them from the news, from what's happening in the 'real' world and from current events and topics of interest in the media.
REALITY CHECK!! They know! Or, they've seen/heard way worse. These people are in their 80s. You don't think they've talked about war, terrorism, murder, violence or even sexuality?
No, I am not saying these should be topics that we address all day every day as community programs should be uplifting, inspiring, happy and so on. But on a historic and memorable day, I think it is 117% appropriate to talk about 9/11, Or about the shootings in Ohio. Or the retaliation of IRA in the media. They are adults.
I believe that sheltering our seniors from the reality of the world is closing them off from change and growth. The old saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is absolute B.S. On a few occasions we have discussed new social issues that are ever so present in the reality that we live in (LGBTQ+, politics, pre-marital 'sex'/living with a boyfriend/girlfriend before marriage etc.) and we survived the conversation and moved on.
What I'm trying to say is feel the room, know your clients and understand that they are adults just the same. Their views may not be the same as ours or what is accepted in OUR society. Just give them a chance to grasp the new information and listen to their opinion. Remember that many seniors are being kept in the dark for fear of.....I don't even know what?! Breaking their fragile little worlds?
So I reminded myself that today is not a typical day, that I was sitting with history buffs (who had already brought up the date and it's significance before lunch) and we were having a mature and in-depth conversation and reminiscing session.
Sh*t happens. It's okay to talk about it.
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