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Topic Discussed: Thank you call & Final Call
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~ I informed her that this was the last phone call and I just wanted to thank her for her time each week.

I told her that I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience for her and that I really enjoyed her stories and that I appreciated her telling me about her family and personal information.

She said:  That it was no problem and that she enjoyed our phone calls too. She said she talked about me on Zoom with her Bible study group. So I thought that that was sweet of her. She also said that she would like to get together for lunch or something sometime after this whole Covid thing is over. I told her I would like that too.

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Thoughts & Feelings

I enjoyed our calls. I feel like I got to learn a lot about Brenda in just a short amount of time. I would definitely like to continue our phone calls and I will probably call in and check on her every now and then especially during the pandemic; to see if I can bring her anything like groceries or lunch or something, or just to talk to her.

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Topic Discussed: How are you preparing for the holidays, considering there is Covid?
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~ I asked her how she will be preparing for the holidays with Covid now. She had stated in our very first phone call that Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday especially since family is around. So I was curious if they would be this year or not.

She said: Because of Covid-19 she won't be celebrating Thanksgiving like she usually does.

She said that this year, she will plan on making more phone calls to family and possibly Zoom calls. She said that she won't be helping out in preparing a large meal for a lot of family and friends because people won't be getting together because her family plans on following the social distancing regulations for the holidays.

She said that she will make a small meal for herself and buy a small treats for one person like ice cream or a small pie. She also said that she will also watch tv. She mentioned how she usually watches Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, but that they are doing it on tv this year.

I told her that yeah, now its on AppleTV and she said that she doesn't have that, but she might see how to get it or see if her grandson has it.

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Thoughts & Feelings
I thought that this was disappointing to her because I know Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday and she won't be able to celebrate like she planned and she also won't see her family for an even longer period of time. I am glad to hear that her and her family are taking the social distancing regulations seriously considering so many people are not. I like that she is finding alternative ways to contact family and still remain safe.

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Topic Discussed: What is on your bucket list?
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* This phone call was cut in half and a little shorter than other's because Brenda received an incoming call from her friend, so we ended the call and then resumed after she was done speaking with her friend.

~ I asked her what was on her bucket list.

She said: She said moving to Georgia where she can visit her other grandkids is on her bucket list.

She said she wants to get a senior living apartment down in Georgia where she can spend the rest of her senior years and retirement with her family.

She said she's currently working on that goal by fixing up her house that she lives in now so that she can get read to sell her house and be able to move.

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Thoughts & Feelings
I felt super excited for Brenda when she said that was her bucket list because she had said in the previous phone call that she doesn't get to see her other grandchildren but once a year. I was also super excited to her that she's fixing her house so she can sell it soon! That means she's closer to achieving her bucket list.

I was surprised a little to hear that that's all that was on her bucket list.

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Topic Discussed: What was your favorite memory?
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~ I asked Brenda to tell me about her favorite memory. And I asked her to tell me why it was her favorite memory?

She said her favorite memory was when her first grandchild was born.

She said that was favorite memory because she was able to be apart of his care following his birth. She said she was also able to rekindle with her daughter. Her daughter was really receptive of the care she offered.

She said that her and her grandson are really close to this day.

~ I asked her what her grandson's name was? How old he was? and What kind of stuff do they like to do together?

She said her grandson's name is Shawn. He's 28 years old.
She said that all of the time growing up, Shawn was obsessed with trains. So she would take him to the train yard, and they would go and look at trains.
She said, he went to school to become a train conductor. And that that's what he does for a living now. She stated how she was really proud of him, because it was something that she did with him when he was little that helped develop his love and passion for trains and inspired him to follow his career.

She said things that they like to do now when he's home from work, is gardening, helping her with things around the house, fixing stuff that needs to be repaired at home.

She said now with COVID-19, he won't let her go out if she doesn't have to; he will go and do all of her grocery shopping for her. She said when he's gone for work he will call and check-in on her and make sure she's doing okay.

~ I asked her what her other grandchildren's names' were?

Her other grandkids names are Kodia (boy) and Regie (girl). She said they are great too! She said she doesn't get to see them as much because they live in Georgia. So she gets to see them every other year when she goes down there to visit or if they come up here to Ohio to visit.
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Thoughts & Feelings
I thought this phone call was sweet. Hearing about her grandson in particular and knowing that he's helping her out; especially now since COVID-19 is a major concern for people predominantly the elderly population. So knowing that her grandson can go and get her groceries for her and check on her.

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Topic Discussed: Where did you work? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
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~ I asked Brenda where did she work? I told her it could be her career job or just any jobs she's had. I told her whatever she wanted to tell me or discuss was fine.

She said: "I went to nursing school too! And at that time they had government funded programs that you could go to. It was really to help single or widowed women who were looking for a job. I went there for LPN training and that's what led me to go to nursing school at a university later"

She said that she worked at a state funded facility for mental health patients in Cincinnati, called Long View. She said it's closed now.

And then she said she went on to work at other hospitals in Cincinnati when that one closed. She said she had to do all of that to raise her girls. She stated that William died when her girls were little, so she had to work and raise them. She said William had lung cancer and that that's how he passed away.

She also said that she work through nursing agencies a long side her regular nursing job, where she would pick up extra shifts. Then she got a job at the Justice Center about 5 years ago, but she said that that job was too much for her, and that's when she realized that she needed to retire. She also said that she thought about being a bus driver as a retirement job, but she said her nerves were too much for that.
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Thoughts & Feelings

I thought it was interesting that she worked at so many places, especially when she said she worked at Long View and how that was closed now. It made me think about how that makes sense since a lot of the state/government funded psych facilities had closed probably during that time, which increased our homeless population and the reasons why so many older adults as well as veterans experience homelessness more.

I thanked her for her conversation and told her I'd talk to her next week.

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Topic Discussed: What do you do to keep yourself busy now with Covid restrictions and social distancing?
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~ I asked her what what does she do to keep herself busy now with Covid restrictions and social distancing?

She said: That she works on projects that she has inside the house. Like painting, throwing out and decluttering things. Especially since she has more time now. She also does Bible study remotely via Zoom. She also cooks and tries to make new things to try.

She said that she does keep herself busy and it's mostly with her projects. She said she talks on the phone with her friends and family.

I told her that that was good to keep in contact with people considering we can't meet up with people like we used to right now.

~ I also asked her if she likes doing puzzles and things like that.
She said she does like to do a puzzle every now and then, but that she hasn't done one in awhile.

I suggested to her that she should do one, now that she has more time on her hands she could probably finish one of those 1000 piece puzzles in no time. I also told her that engaging in those kind of activities not only keep you busy, but they also promote healthy brain function like thinking skills, memorization, and problem-solving. I told her that those are great mental exercises.

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Thoughts & Feelings

I wasn't surprise to hear this. It seems like it's probably what a lot of people both older adults and younger people are doing to keep themselves busy during Covid times/quarantine. I am glad to hear that she is using her Bible and participating in Zoom meetings. It's always good for older adults to have some type of faith or something to believe in. And even though it's via Zoom it's still interaction with other people.

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Topic Discussed: Did you play a sport when growing up?
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~ I asked Brenda did she play a sport when growing up?
She said yes, I ran track and I played softball. I also roller skated, and that's where I met my husband!

~ I asked her, about her husband's name?
She said, his name was William.

~ I asked her who saw who first and who engaged in conversation with the other first?

She laughed and said she did first. And she followed that up by saying that she wish she didn't meet him when she did because he was getting ready to go college; he had just been accepted into college on a track scholarship. And that, that her future mother-in-law did not like that, because she wanted her son to be strictly focus on school and education, not having a girlfriend. She said that that caused her and her mother-in-law to not develop a good relationship from the beginning; which later led to her mother-in-law not having a good relationship with Brenda and William's two daughters'.

She only had a good relationship with the oldest daughter because she believes it was the lady's first grandchild, but when the second grandchild came, the relationship with between the second granddaughter and the grandmother wasn't as good because the relationship between Brenda, William, and the mother-in-law had been ruined by then.

She said it really lasted until the grandmother died, and that her daughter's didn't get along because of that. She said one daughter had a relationship with her mother-in-law (their grandmother) and the other did not.

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Thoughts & Feelings
Initially when the conversation started I felt like it was nice to hear that she was involved and active in her younger years. I wasn't surprised because most people are involved in some type of activity or sport. I did find it super cute that she met her husband at a roller rink. I told her that I love roller skating, but that I'm probably not as good as she was.

Then when she started talking about her family relationship between her and her mother-in-law and the relationship that her daughters had with their grandmother, it made me a little sad. It was also a little awkward to be hearing someone's family issues over the phone, without being their to read their nonverbals; about whether or not I should continue to ask more questions. I just allowed her to talk until she was finished and called that the end of the conversation for this discussion.

I thanked her for her time and set up the next phone call day and time.

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Topic Discussed: What was it like growing up in your house?
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~ I asked Brenda what was it like growing up in your house? Did you have siblings?
She said growing up in her house was pretty normal. She said that she lived with her mom, her dad, and her sister who is four years younger than her. She continued talking about how her mom and dad both worked and how her and her sister would go to school during the day while the parents worked during the week.

She talked about how she would walk home from school sometimes with a friend and they would stop to get food; her mom would always give her a couple of dollars so she could get something if she wanted to. Then once she was home, she said that her and her sister would do homework and/or watch local programing until her parents came home. Her mom would make dinner and they would all eat as a family.

She talked about how she misses watching tv shows that were on back then. She said the family would all sit down to watch shows like Dark Shadows; "We looked forward to it." she said.

"I miss how everyone was alive back then. My mother and sister are still living but my father and all the older adults have all died."

I told her that it sounds like she had a really nice family and household growing up and she said yes it was great. She continued to talk about how they weren't poor, but they were rich either; just a middle class family, and her parents always made sure they had things they needed.
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Thoughts & Feelings

I really enjoyed this phone call with Brenda.

She seemed to really like discussing her home life, but it was kind of sad to hear her talk about how a lot of her relatives have passed away. But it sounded like her life was a typical middle class family.

She such a sweet lady to talk to.

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Topic Discussed: What was your favorite subject in school?
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~ I asked Brenda what her favorite subject was in school and why?
She said her favorite subject in school was biology.

~ I asked her why was biology her favorite subject in school and she said:
"I was just always interested in it and learning about the different hormones put
out by all the different organs..it just really amazing."

She also stated that she like chemistry and other sciences in general that deal with how we function as humans and organisms.

~ I also asked her in addition to the original question, Is there a science project or assignment that you did growing up that you remember the most or that you were really proud of? (at any age/grade in school)

She stated, "Yes, I remember two, the cat dissection that we had to do for I think about a week in school. I also liked the leaf project; we had to collect all kinds of different leaves and categorize them my type...that one was different than most assignments that you have to do in science."

I told her that I had to do the exact same projects in school too. And we both agreed that so many things have changed since she was in school.
She said, "Like technology, cursive handwriting is no longer a thing, and some of the classes they offer have probably changed too. But it's nice to know they still do some of the things that we used to do."
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Thoughts & Feelings

This conversation was a little bit more difficult I feel like for her to think back to as far as grade school projects/assignments go.

She took a little bit of time thinking about the project or assignment question specifically.

This was interesting to me because I had to do the same things in school as well, and although she said she liked the leaf project, I remember I myself was not a fan when I had to do it, which I thought was kind of funny.

I thought this was a good conversation for her to reflect on how much things have changed since she was in school, as well as for her to have a chance to think about how much she has seen or witnessed all the years not just with school.
(I did not ask her about other things she has seen change in her lifetime specifically, but possibly in a later conversation I will.)

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Topic discussed: What is your favorite Holiday? Why?
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~ Brenda stated that her favorite Holiday was Thanksgiving.

~ When asked what things about Thanksgiving make it her favorite holiday she  said:

The cooking and the food.

Family.

Everyone is together and pitches in to prepare the food for the meal.

The fact that everyone who you don't normally see is there to sit down and eat together.

I like to see the smile on everyone's face.

I also like it because we don't usually have snow by then but it's cold and closer to Christmas so the Christmas lights and trees are usually put up by then.

I like to get to wear my sweaters and boots.

The Christmas music adds extra to the environment and it's a different flare of music. It gets you in the mood to roll right into the next holiday [Christmas].

Pyramid Hill lights and the other Christmas events; I like to go to them.

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~ I also asked her what her favorite food on Thanksgiving was and why? And she said:

Turkey; because it's traditional and it was the pilgrims main dish and I just like it (she giggled).

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Thoughts & Feelings

I thought it was interesting that she said Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday, but a lot of her answers also included comments about Christmas too.

She overall just seemed to really enjoy the fact that everyone is together and close during this time and people who she doesn't see often, which is sweet.

It also made me think about how important it is to older adults that they spend time with other people and family.