CARING FOR OUR ELDEST PROJECT

 

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT: CARING FOR OUR ELDEST

When asked to take part in this year’s “Club de Letras” project, ‘O coidado’, I decided to focus on the care of our eldest: our parents, grandparents and old people in general, an important part of the population who had to live in the hardest situations through this long pandemic: isolated either in their houses or in nursing homes, not being able to see their relatives, their grandchildren or their friends; and what’s worse: suffering, from the start, the biggest number of casualties.

This project was developed all through the 3rd term, and most of the work was done in class, taking one lesson per week, which also served them to practice both their oral and written communicative skills in English.

INTRODUCING THE PROJECT & BRAINSTORMING ACTIVITIES

After presenting the project to the class of 1st Year Secondary High (group A, and some students from B), we did some brainstorming activities:

Class surveys about which of the students had a close relative or family friend who either were care givers or suffering from a dementia.

Watching short videos (The Man on the Moon, by John Lewis: https://youtu.be/AsyD3W2pWU8)

Listening to songs and working with the lyrics (Afire Love, by Ed Sheeran: https://youtu.be/z8UuSCSm3r0 ); Half the world away, by Aurora: https://youtu.be/TQUDv7N0rM0 )

Reading an article from the British press: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/08/families-question-isolation-rule-for-visits-out-of-english-care-homes.


CHOOSING A TOPIC AND CLASS WORK.

They MADE UP THEIR CHOICES among the possible topics suggested, which they would eventually have to present to the class. They worked in groups of 3 or 4, one session per week, during the last term. These are the topics chosen:

Old people and dementia: a scientific approach: Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson Disease, Lewi Bodies Disease and Huntington Disease

Interviews to family caregivers about their personal experiences having to take care of an old person suffering from dementia or physically disabled and presentation of their conclusions.

A fiction story: three students made up a narrative in which the protagonist, an old man suffering from Alzheimer, does not recognize his closest friends or even his daughter any longer, but discovers a past secret, which will change her daughter’s life.

A look at the Media: Old People from the outcome of the pandemic and the lockdown to vaccination

A Role-play: After interviewing a patient of Alzheimer’s daughter, three students presented a role play on which they take the part of the interviewer or the relative to show how family care givers need to face and deal with the progressive physical and cognitive decline of their beloved parent and how this affects the whole family life.

An interview to Ms Isabel Gey, President of the Patients of Alzheimer’s Family Association of Santiago (AGADEA) and presentation of their conclusions.


VIDEOS: INTERVIEWS AND PRESENTATIONS: You can watch the actual interviews and the presentations of the project in the videos below.


OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA: A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH (By Estela Barreiro, Mayra Laíño, Paula Oliveira &Paula Ortigueira – 1st BAC-A).

PAULA ORTIGUEIRA: PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT (1-0 OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA)

ESTELA BARREIRO: PARKINSON’S DISEASE (I) (1-1 OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA_1)


ESTELA BARREIRO: PARKINSON’S DISEASE (II) (1-1OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA _2)


MAYRA LAÍÑO: ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (1-2OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA)


PAULA ORTIGUEIRA: LEWI BODIES DISEASE (1-3OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA)


PAULA OLIVEIRA: HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE (1-4OLD PEOPLE AND DEMENTIA)



INTERVIEWS TO FAMILY CAREGIVERS (By Sandra Bustelo, Paula Hong Castro, María Figueira & Crislane González - 1st BAC A)

PAULA HONG CASTRO: PRESENTATION OF THE WHOLE PROJECT (2-0-ELDER CARE)

MARÍA FIGUEIRA, SANDRA BUSTELO, CRISLANE GONZÁLEZ and PAULA HONG CASTRO: THEIR INTERVIEWS AND THEIR CONCLUSIONS (2-1ELDER CARE)


MY DAD’S SECRET: A FICTION STORY ABOUT ALZHEIMER (By Uxía Miguéns, Samuel Oliveira and Julián Serramito).

UXÍA MIGUÉNS, SAMUEL OLIVEIRA AND JULIÁN (3- MY DAD’S SECRET: …)


A LOOK AT THE MEDIA: COVID-19 AND OLD PEOPLE (By Lara Blanco, Iria Lamas, Elena Romero & Antía Vázquez – 1st BAC A)

ANTÍA VÁZQUEZ (4-OLD-PEOPLE & COVID19…MEDIA1)

IRIA LAMAS (4-OLD-PEOPLE & COVID19…MEDIA2)

ELENA ROMERO (4-OLD-PEOPLE & COVID19…MEDIA3)

LARA BLANCO (4-OLD-PEOPLE& COVID19…MEDIA4

INTERVIEW TO A PATIENT OF ALZHEIMER’S DAUGHTER. AFTER THE INTERVIEW: A ROLE-PLAY (By Yolanda Carlés, Teo Piñeiro & Lidia Rodríguez – 1º BAC B)

YOLANDA CARLÉS, TEO PIÑEIRO, LIDIA RODRÍGUEZ (INTERVIEWING RELATIVE CAREGIVER1)  /  YOLANDA CARLÉS, TEO PIÑEIRO, LIDIA RODRÍGUEZ (INTERVIEWING RELATIVE CAREGIVER2) 

YOLANDA CARLÉS, TEO PIÑEIRO, LIDIA RODRÍGUEZ (5-ROLE PLAY: A DAUGHTER’S EXPERIENCE)

AN INTERVIEW TO MS ISABEL GEY, PRESIDENT OF THE PATIENTS OF ALZHEIMER’S FAMILY ASSOCIATION OF SANTIAGO (AGADEA). PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT (By Ainhoa Míguez, Marco Piñeiro and Cristina Santaló 1st BAC B)


CRISTINA SANTALÓ, AINHOA MÍGUEZ, MARCO PIÑEIRO: INTERVIEWING PRESIDENT-ALZHEIMER 

CRISTINA SANTALÓ, AINHOA MÍGUEZ, MARCO PIÑEIRO: INTERVIEW TO ISABEL GEY: PRESENTATION


CONCLUSIONS

The students fulfilled the main objectives of this project by drawing their own conclusions about caring for the eldest members of their families or the society in general:

They became aware of the special needs this group of the population requires, and not only them but also their families.

They also reflected about family caregivers and how they have to assume their roles, getting to the conclusion that it’s mostly women who take the responsibility of looking after their parents, grandparents, or even in-laws, no matter how busy their day-to day life is or how much they have to give up for the sake of their relative’s wellbeing.

They learned about how this pandemic period affected the old people’s everyday life, their feelings, what they missed the most.

They wanted to share the families’ complaints about the need for more economical and social support from the local or state governments.

Finally, the students agreed that they also have an important role to play, not only by showing their grandparents affection and love, but also by avoiding dangerous situations in order to protect them from getting the virus.

We’d like to give special thanks to …

Ms. Isabel Gey, President of of the Association of relatives of Alzheimer’s patients in Santiago (AGADEA).

The students’ families for being willing to participate in the surveys.

Our Headmaster, Mr Manuel Glez. Alvarellos, and to the Philosophy teacher, Mr. Lois Gil, for helping us with all the many technological difficulties we had to face.

Padrón, June, 21st 2021