THE USE OF THE PERSONAL NARRATIVE IN SOCIAL WORK WITH THE ELDERLY

Authors

  • Francis Howes Social Work, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15270/42-3-301

Abstract

Reminiscence and life review have always been regarded as integral parts of the aging process. Inthe past, however, a stereotypical view of the aged often prevailed. According to Kaminsky(1978:19), this view entails that “…we view them as categories and not as individuals, when themeaning of their characteristic behavior is already fixed in our minds, without our having giventhem the kind of finely tuned hearing which is vital to understand another human being.”Stereotyping the elderly means that reminiscence and life review are dismissed derogatively asintellectual decline; living in the past; approaching dementia or second childhood; or as symptomsof loneliness; lack of new experiences or clinging to a previous identity (Lewis & Butler, 1974;Kaminsky, 1978). Social workers and other professionals working with the elderly have thereforefrequently dismissed these phenomena as meaningless, boring, time consuming and indicative ofan irreversible condition

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Published

2014-07-02

How to Cite

Howes, F. (2014). THE USE OF THE PERSONAL NARRATIVE IN SOCIAL WORK WITH THE ELDERLY. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 42(3). https://doi.org/10.15270/42-3-301

Issue

Vol. 42 No. 3 (2006)

Section

Articles

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