Aging Families and Use of Proverbs for Values Enrichment

Those providing services to older persons must develop intervention strategies that are relevant to their clients’life experiences. Aging Families and Use of Proverbs for Values Enrichment presents administrators, practitioners, educators, researchers, and students with intervention models that acknowledge and build upon the proverbs orientation of the older client. This insightful book offers information from contributing authors who have professional and personal experience with the use of proverbs. Proverbs, pithy sayings that underline basic life truths, are shown in this book to work as transmitters of values and as assessment tools.

To improve the ability of service programs addressing the needs of older persons, Aging Families and Use of Proverbs for Values Enrichment delineates existing approaches that are low-cost or no cost to the service provider and beneficial to older persons. Moreover, these practices are considered within the context of a conceptual model of proverbs intervention programs for older persons that takes into consideration principles of care, cultural diversity, and family traditions.

Contributors examine human competencies, coping mechanisms, and limitations, as well as other more general topics:

• Rehabilitation: Dispels the myth that older persons can not break long-term habits and learn new things that will improve their lives.

• Intergenerational Transmission: Discusses family-oriented and cultural values that are passed down from generation to generation via oral tradition.

• Coping with Life Events: Addresses proverbs as coping mechanisms for surviving the social transitions of life.

• Health and Health Care: Dispels the myth that some health care practices are taboo among older persons.

• Cultural and Family Ties: Discusses proverbs as the cornerstone of family sharing regarding life’s lessons.

• Spirituality: Contrasts African American religiosity with spirituality. Discusses proverbs as messages of faith and hope.

  Any person who provides services to older persons--social workers, counselors, physicians, nurses, ministers and other members of the clergy, speech and physical therapists, rehabilitation counselors, and family therapists--can benefit from using proverbs, as shown in this book, in their care approach.