Full Name: Thersia Mea Shepard Farrior

Date of Birth: September 3, 1917

and present.

Response: "When the Lord saved me from my sin[Z938], I learned how to get through here,

enjoy them, and they are everything I need; especially on holidays, we get together and we have

what makes her feel isolated, and irritated etc.

Response: "At Christmas time the children and me [I] get together and we talk about different

things, have conversations and have fun and enjoy each other [one another]. Sometime, when

was established. The controlling of finances, in and outside of the home.

day is like what a typical weekend is like for her.

Response: "Well, I was the Quilting Network coordinator, we would quilt for different ones

present day. How does it compare to others her age?

status was. I would not be worried about the doctor, after I got to be an elderly woman. I would

not have to go to the doctors a lot for elements and I would just go for a general check up or

something like that. I would not be hurting all of the time. I would be getting along fine."

Response: "Well before the children, we would be different places, Colorado Springs and we

were there a while, we were in Texas and I was there with him everywhere and he was still in

service and a little while after he got out on retirement we bought a home and the children came

and we didn’t do anything else. He went back to finish up in the service and I stayed at home to

rear the children and after he retired he was home with me as well and we enjoyed each other and

themselves and create a farm for the family. They at this time also joined a steady community, of

which they wanted to belong].

her feel?

Response: "Well I don’t feel out of order because I don’t feel like I use to. When I was in my 20’s

and 30’s I could get about better and I enjoyed life better and after I got into the 405-70’s I felt

better. Now [that] I have joined the 80’s I feel all right; sometimes I feel like I felt when I was

young. I know that I’ m not young anymore. I know that I can’t get around like I use to and I am

not as strong and young as I us to be and I take it easy to do what I need to do, like I need to do it

because she is very appreciative to have the chance to see one decade go out and another

decade come in she is appreciative because she is apart of the history that many of her family

self with loving and stuff like that."

loss, the meaningfulness of you life approaching death?

Response: "Death makes you feel different because that one is gone and you grieve about the

mother and father at a very young age therefore, she did not want to open up a wound that had

been healing for years. Also, out of fourteen siblings, there were only two of them left her sister

and her. Grandma, in the last ten years, lost two grandchildren, two nephews (one her brothers

son and the other her sisters son) and a niece ( which just died two weeks ago). This was a

subject that was causing her a little pain she even said, "I don’ t have a whole lot to say about

that."]

Response: "No wars in U.S. some in the over seas, I don’t know what location, but I do know

slipping out we would always stay around and about if our parents needed us and we would be

there."

What about pets, I like pets and I know that you like pets tell us about your experience?

Response: "I have always like cats more than anything else; we had a dog to, but I would never

play with him, but my cat I would play with her every day and at night. She would come in and

What was the eating like then?

Response: "Well in my day for supper, which was the last meal, we had greens, beans, and peas

a lot of water, they were then put in the oven and they were baked in the oven and some would be

they had no laboratory influences and fast growth in the meat industries. They generally reared

and such that were out to sea we would not have to bye any of that; because my father would go

to the sound and catch all types of seafood that we could eat without a cost. He would bring

enough to eat after he got done clamming and fishing out to sea for profit. As far as living and

eating we fared back then because we did not have to pay a lot of money for

a lot of thing that

By conducting this interview, I really learned a lot from a woman who has lived through

84 years of life and still has the will power to share with me, her life history. Thersia Farrior, my

dear Grandma had a lot to share with me that I will forever cherish for the rest of my life; both in

this interview and story and also, as long as I have known her and shared my life with her as a

child and an adult. By being African-American and going through the war of discrimination and

racism, she has positive images to share with me. According to Cox, "Many would argue, that

the best way to study the problems of older Americans, is to view this group as a minority faced

with the same difficulties that other minority groups are confronted with...like Native Americans,

Mrs. Farrior is a women of strong Christian faith and she believes that God can do

anything, and she patterns her life on her faith. She passed on her tradition of faith to her

children, grandchildren, relatives and community members alike. For most African-American

women and men during the time frame of Mrs. Farriors’ life, it is normal for (we as blacks) to

sing folk songs and have strong faith and believe in God. "We Shall Over Come" is one of the

most important black history song for African-Americans. They sang and dance to let the hurt

and pain surpass the un-equality that was faced daily. Some subjects such as sexuality, health

status, and death she did not go into deep detail as much as the others. Being an elder woman

certain subject you just do not discuss with the public as you would others. These values are

hereditary and some are just innate that you just do not do. Arnold Rose a writer of the book,

argue, that they could be considered a subculture of American society. He believes, that a

subculture among age groups emerges when members of an age group interact with each other

significantly mnor that they interact with persons in other age categories." Rose also asserts that

elderly people are grouped, into a certain category that have a certain characteristic, "...( 1.) have a

positive affinity for each other, because of such factors as long-standing friendship or common

problems, interests, or concerns, and (2.) are excluded from interaction with other groups in the

population to some significant extent." ( Cox, 52)

Mrs. Farrior, was still very willing to answer the questions, but had a little difficulty at

first in getting her thoughts together. This type of response rate is expected of someone her age

(84). She obviously has some plaques and tangles that causes her to thing a little longer than,

someone like myself. Her appearance was of the up most; She has soft pecan tone skin with lots

of wrinkles, she is of medium height. He has all of her original teeth, which applied pine sap to

kill unwanted germs and plaque. This was the method of dental care for her when she was

growing up. Even though she states that her health is better today at the age of 84, she still show

a few signs of circulatory and muscular problems. She sometimes has pain when moving quickly

in posture. Also, there are signs of varicose veins in her legs from work and strain over the years

in fields and long hours of being a mom to four children. Mrs. Farrior has thick gray Nubian hair

that is often braided and wrapped, and this is apart of her heritage that she wants to keep, as a

reminder of the past.

Mrs. Farrior has some childbirth problems due to problems that she had during her

childhood, but with medical care for several years, she recovered for the pains that she had, (she

chooses not to go into deeper detail about this issue). She was not in a hurry she was very patient

and was very excited about giving the answers to the questions. Because she lives alone now,

after her mate died three years ago, she loves to talk to people and exchange her thoughts and

ides with others. It may take a few minutes for her to get her response together, but she responds

with accuracy and that is what was important to me. According to Cox, " Studies that have

attempted to determine, the precise changes in personality that occur in old age have been

somewhat in conclusive. Some of the findings indicate a considerable shift in personality in later

years, but others have found no change." (Cox, 13 1) Elderly people can think and remember

take the time to listen

The question of the mental health status of older persons is limited by the scarcity of data

and clouded by the various myths that are propagated about their behavior. Older adults just

need to be given a chance to prove themselves. They will exchange what wisdom and history

they have in their lives if you just would ask them. It must be acknowledged, however, that

generally the elderly are active and mentally well-adjusted. Nonetheless, preventive attention

needs to be given to common stresses in old age that can affect emotional and mental health.

Mrs. Farrior demonstrates the, Declining-Energy Theory because she understands that, she can

at her own pace. The Declining-Energy Theory states, " the basic belief that . . . an individuals

has a fixed amount of energy or vitality, . . . "also, aging brings a decline in ,energy and vigor."

(Cox, 101) The older persons, undergo various life changes and financial adjustments when they

retire, they experience the loss of spouses and friends, they may be victimized, and they are

subject to health problems and other emotionally difficult experiences.

Community-based older adults tend to have better mental health than those based in

nursing homes. It has been estimated that 56 percent have been diagnosed a suffering from a

mental disorder, but it is really not a disorder, they just need some patients and time given to

them and their conditions as the aged. After she realized that she could remember some of her

life history, she was open to be questioned. What is also, interesting to me about this period,

there were many blacks that were killed and illegally forced to enter the United States. I am

please to be able to interview Mrs. Farrior today in 2002. For Mrs. Farrior to be able to exchange

what she did during her life, is a great part of history, that most of us miss on a daily basis. We as

Americans do not seem to appreciate the gems that are inset around us on a daily basis. The only

way to find the treasures and appreciate what they are worth, you must look at them for what they

really are with clarity and in-depth thought.

During this period of time there was a war of which she could not commit on because

she was boring during that time frame. Blacks were slaves and they had little recorded in books

about their heritage and culture, except for what the held in their hearts and what the whites

chose to write about them at that time. History for most African-Americas are yet to be told,

there are several missing pieces to the puzzle of life for most families that exist today, that is of

the African-Americans race.

During the period of the 1900’s when she was born, the population according to the U.S.

Census of 1910.

U.S. population: 93,402,151

Black population: 9,827,763 which is only (10.7%)

of the whole population in the United States. (U.S. Census 1910)

This ratio shows a narrow count for the number of blacks reported in America at this time. The

lack in the report could be due to lynchings and non response to the Census requirement at this {

population at this time. By the 1950’s this segment had more than quadrupled to more than 19.2

million persons and doubled its proportion to 11.1 percent of the total population. By the 1980’s

the 65 and older group had more than doubled again to more than 25 million persons and had

grown in proportion to 16.3 percent of the total population. It is projected that by the year 2020

the older populations (65 and over) will number more than 35 million and represent 22.1 percent

of the nation.

As the older population becomes a significant proportion of the total populace, society is

confronted with a variety issues and challenges. Better understanding of the basic nature of the

biological and physiological aspects of the aging process continues to challenge the scientific and

medical field. To look at all of the elderly, and assume that they all are senile and have dementia,

is narrow-minded way of looking at elderly people as a whole. The only primary mental health

problem of the elderly is cognitive impairment. Only about 3 percent of

women have serious problems with this type of impairment. By conducting my interview with

Mrs. Farrior and working with the clients at Cedar Cove Retirement Center, in a Service

Learning Project; I have discovered that most elderly people, once again take a little time getting

their thoughts together, but once they are focused, they can respond to what is being asked or

demonstrated.

Also, through the Service Learning Project and this interview, that there are several

interesting ideas the emerged form working, with the elderly. They have a lot to share with you

on their life and how life was lived and conducted when they were young. There is a small gap in

the space of young adulthood and how elderly people are understood in the world of which we

live. While we are growing old, we must realize that we must "Number Our Days," a quote from

Barbara Myerhoff, and live life to its fullest potential.

The graying of America has become part of the national consciousness and has brought

about a variety of concerns including economic, political, and ethical questions. It has developed

into an extensive and at times, controversial enterprise that reflects a broad rang of professional,

voluntary, private, and public interest and perspectives. Society has responded in various ways

ranging from local self-help groups to national programs of human services and income

maintenance.

networks along with occasional assistance from the family. Mrs. Farrior is a great example of the

self-reliant elderly, she controls her own finances, but she also takes the help of her children

when she needs to. It is important to let elder people feel like they are continuing life as usual,

and not under restraints. This is defiantly correlation with the Exchange Theory because, with

this theory it allows the elderly person to be apart of society and give apart of their lives and

freedom to express their willingness to stay apart of a working society as we know it. Also,

during the service learning project, I have found that through the social group that was created by

the facility, they tend to exchange ideas and wisdom among themselves. At times they tend to

contradict one another when discussing the subjects of looks and patterns of doing things.

For me as the interviewer, I can see the Role Theory clearly because the theory says that,

"I will always have a position in someone else life and they will partake in a role in my life."

Mrs. Farrior plays the role of grandmother (interviewee) and I play the role of granddaughter

(interviewer). There is a great pattern of roles between the elderly and the rest of society on a

daily basis. We share a common goal and that is to live life to the up most and not think about

dying but living. I will forever keep in mind that the elderly are the important ones in society and

never take them for granted. I do believe that Mrs. Farrior will live to be 97 or 100 years of age.

taken place in our lives and how the aging process has affected us both.

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (191Oc). Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1900-1910 (1 lOti)

Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Offm