Abstract
Groton is a small town in the state of Vermont. It is facing a few social issues. Seniors in the town do not feel the urge to cook a meal for themselves. Additionally, they feel more isolated from others for not being conversant with new communication technologies such as email, internet browsing, and mobile text messages. Young students of Groton are facing a completely different problem. Students are no longer taught home economics at school, which is one of the many reasons for the consumption of cheap fast food to escalate among youths. This has led to higher level of obesity in younger generation. Additionally, younger generation spends more time with new gadgets and technology and participates little in local community activities.
The problems faced by Groton are not isolated to Groton only. In fact, this is a problem faced by most of the USA. One way Groton can tackle this problem is to start a weekly community interaction between the young students and the elderly. Seniors can teach the students how to cook a healthy meal, while young high school students can show the elderly how to send an email or browse web. This can be an effective community interaction initiative to address the problem without any investment or ongoing expense.
1. Introduction
Geographically located to the northeastern part of the United States, Vermont is the second least populated state in the country. The green mountain running north to south of the state covers almost 75% of its total land area (Vermont.gov). The average age of people in Vermont is 43.7 years compared to the national average of 41.1 years (Vermont.gov). During recent years, only 16 out of 251 towns is witnessing population growth. Vermont has the second oldest median age among all the US states. Many consider Vermont to be an agricultural economy. However, only 3% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture (Vermont.gov). Dairy Farming, Logging and Maple Syrup production are the major industries of Vermont. Vermont is number one in the USA in maple syrup production (Vermont.gov).
Groton is a small town in Caledonia County, Vermont. As per the 2010 census, the population of the town is 1,022. The village of Groton, which lies at the southeast corner of the town, has a population of 2,010. Groton is thinly populated with a population density of just 10.9 housing units per square mile within the city limits (Vermont.gov). Almost 10% population of Groton is aged above 65 years and lives alone. 15% of the total population is more than 65% years of age (Vermont.gov). The male to female ratio in Groton is 86.4: 100 (Vermont.gov).
2. Problem Statement
There are two major community problems faced by the town of Groton. Because of low population density and rural nature of lifestyle, retired and old people feel isolated. Much of Vermont is dependent on jobs, such as forestry, dairy farming, and other forms of farming. There are minimal number of manufacturing or services sector jobs in Vermont. Therefore, old people after crossing the threshold of 60 years cannot continue working in the physically demanding farming and forestry jobs and start living a retired life. The weather and rural setup add to the isolation and depression in the elderly. As discussed, in Groton, almost 75% people aged over 65 years live alone (Vermont.gov). Their solitary existence coupled with isolation create a depressing ambiance for them and they do not feel the urge to cook for themselves and eat nutritious meals. Another major problem for this population is their lack of familiarity with the ever evolving digital world. There are only a handful seniors in Groton with knowledge in latest technologies, while most of the seniors find new communication and other forms of technology intimidating. Many grew up in a generation when handwritten mails and telephone calls were the main form of communication. Many seniors are unable to switch to new technologies, such as email, mobile text messaging, social networking and other new digital communication mediums.
On the other hand, the young generation of Groton is facing a completely different type of issue. Earlier, home economics was a compulsory subject in the high school for students. However, in recent years, due to greater emphasis on “college prep” courses, home economics is not taught in most of the schools. Even if some schools have the subject in the course curriculum, it is offered as an optional subject. Because of this, most of the students have little to no idea regarding how to prepare basic nutritious meals for themselves or for others. This generation is fully dependent on processed foods that can be easily heated in microwave or oven before eating. It is observed that children who know how to cook make healthier food choices. On the other hand, young people with no knowledge of cooking tend to eat unhealthier fast foods and have a higher propensity of developing obesity later in life. Additionally, after the advent of new technologies such as smartphones and social networking, young people do not actively participate in community activities. They spend more time indoor in front of their technological devices such as tablet, smartphone or laptops.
3. Problems Faced by the Elderly
3.1 Motivation among Older Generation
As discussed in the previous section, the main problem in old age for doing anything is lack of urge or incentives. In a study conducted by Blankinship in 2015, it was found that the best way to motivate people aged over 65 years was to engage them in social and community events (Blankinship). In that study, it was observed that seniors living within half a mile of restaurants, grocery chains and bars are more motivated than those living in secluded places (Blankinship). Additionally, counties and towns that organize more community events to engage seniors have generated higher motivation among people aged over 65 years. Another study conducted by Preston Ni on motivational factors for seniors found that the primary intrinsic need at old age are independence, relevance, companionship and security (Ni). If seniors are provided few manageable goals in life, their will develop the purpose of living and will feel motivated.
3.2 Digital Media Use among Old People
Figure: Technology adoption Among seniors vs all adult Americans (18+) (PEW)
In April 2013, the Pew Research Center found that seniors not only in Vermont but also across the entire America lag behind the general population in terms of technology adoption (PEW). However, the same study found that highly educated and affluent seniors tend to adopt technology more easily than seniors with lower level of income and educational attainment (PEW). These seniors need help from younger people to jumpstart their venture into the world of new technology. Left on their own, they struggled with handling the new technologies.
Skeptical attitude about the benefit of technology is a major problem that leads to lower level of technology adoption among seniors. Although many people believe that the lack of familiarity with latest technologies makes it difficult for seniors to stay updated on current information, many others (53%) believe that such is not the case (PEW). It is, therefore, important to first make seniors understand the benefits of internet usage.
Another interesting observation was made in the PEW research. In this research, it was observed that if seniors start using the internet, then they use it as regularly as the younger generation. In fact, 71% of the seniors (65+), who use the internet, use it on a daily basis (PEW).
3.3 Theories of Motivation
Figure: Technology Acceptance Model among senior (Oppenauer 4)
Claudia Oppenauer, in her 2009 research on old age people of assisted living facilities in Austria found several psychological and social factors for low technology adoption. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are the two major factors that create an attitude towards new technology and the outcome of the attitude is the actual behavioral intention and usage of technology. Carstensen et al. suggest that to create a positive attitude towards new technologies, social contacts play an important role (Oppenauer 3). Therefore, increased contact with the younger generation will certainly help in the development of a positive perception towards life, which, in turn, will increase motivation for doing any type of job, including cooking or learning new technologies.
4. Problems Faced by Younger generation
4.1 Home Science in High School
In a 2013 article published in Boston Globe, it was cited that almost 33% of all American young people (below the age of 35 years) are totally dependent on processed food and they rarely or never cook food at home (Graham). This has resulted in increased obesity among young generation (Graham). The rate of obesity among young generation is one of the highest in the USA than that of any other country in the world. Vermont is no different. Alexander Pannoni, in his 2014 research, found that the main reason for younger lots to feel more inclined towards cheap fast food is their lack of cooking knowledge in most of the cases (Panoni). When the fast food revolution started in the 1970s and 1980s, most of households started buying cheap fast foods for at least one meal of the day. However, with more focus given towards science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects and college education, schools have started removing home economics from their course curriculum to accommodate preparatory courses for college (Panoni).
Home economics classes have many benefits, such as providing students with an idea about managing finances in later part of their life and cooking healthy meal at home for family. Home economics was found to be the most effective way to teach students about food nutrition and healthy food choices (Panoni). However, still most of the schools across the nation are more focused towards STEM courses and college prep courses and the trend is not going to change in the near future.
Most of the countries across the globe do not have a formal home economics class in the high school curriculum. However, unlike people in the USA and the young people of Groton, most of young adults across the globe can cook their own meal at home and do not consume fast foods as the main meals of the day. This has been made possible because of higher level of social interaction between seniors (parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts) and younger generation (Panoni). Home economics skills (cooking and home financing) are passed on from one generation to another.
5. Conclusion
Town of Groton is a small town located in the state of Vermont. Vermont is one of the least populated states in the USA where most of the towns are facing a population decline in recent years. Like the majority of the USA, Vermont and Groton are also seeing an increase in elderly population. As per 2010 census, Groton has a population of 1,033 people and 15% of its population is over the age of 65 years.
Groton is facing a few major social issues. Firstly, the seniors of Groton post-retirement live a solitary life and do not feel motivated to do anything. The lack of urge to do anything robs them of their desire to cook a nice meal for themselves and eat healthy. Additionally, in the wake of recent developments in communication technologies, their communication is hindered because of their lack of knowledge relating to new technologies. Most of the seniors do not feel comfortable with new technologies such as email, mobile text messages and internet technologies. Young people of Groton have a completely different social problem. With schools putting less emphasis on home economics course at high schools, students often do not learn cooking a simple and healthy meal at home. The new generation is more fond of eating cheap unhealthy fast food than healthy foods. Additionally, the young generation is less active in the local community events. They mostly stay at home and spend substantial time with the new technological devices, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets.
As study suggests, the main problem at old age is the lack of motivation to do something as seniors always think of the limited future time remaining in their life. They focus mainly at maintaining existing social contacts but do not feel the motivation to learn new things. More social interaction with young people certainly provides a better purpose and relevance for them to self-motivate themselves. Younger people, on the other hand, need to learn home economics skills. Seniors have that knowledge but due to the absence of a common meeting platform between the two groups, younger generation is unable to gain the knowledge required for cooking a meal.
6. Recommendations
After doing a thorough analysis on the subject from social, psychological and educational perspectives, I am proposing a single solution to this complex and multifaceted problem to two completely different demographic groups.
6.1 Weekly Community Interaction
I am suggesting that the town should create a common platform for the high school students to have a weekly session with the elderly during the summer break. These sessions can be used for social interaction, educational opportunities, and mentoring. During these sessions, seniors can teach students how to cook a simple healthy meal. This process will also help the seniors to feel motivated to cook for their young counterparts. On the other hand, young high school students can teach the seniors how to use communication technologies and how learning new technologies will benefit them in their communication. For example, initially the younger students can teach the seniors how to send emails, play games or access documents over the internet. In fact, the students and seniors may search for recipes together over the internet during the cooking process to make their experience more effective and relevant.
6.2 Resources
This suggestion also does not require any extra budget for implementation. The kitchen in the community building is rarely used by the seniors as most of them do not cook there. The kitchen can be used for the community interaction where seniors can show the students how to cook meals at home using healthy ingredients. They will also be able to show students how to cook from the scratch using minimal ingredients to keep grocery budget within check. Additionally, the assisted living community building has three computer stations in the accounting and tax collection department. Students can teach the seniors how to do a web search and email using those computer machines.
6.3 Self-Supporting Costing of the Plan
Apart from the initial grocery expense required for the cooking exercises, there is no expense involved. Even the initial grocery expenses can come from farm-to-table donations or from the community building budget fund. This interaction can happen every Friday during the summer months. To make the plan self-supporting, some of the cooked food can be sold at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. Soups, stews, cookies, cakes and pies are hot items at Farmer’s Market. Therefore, this will encourage the seniors and the students to cook healthy food that can be easily sold. If students help sell the goodies at Farmer’s market, then that will improve their overall social and community interaction.
Works Cited
Ni, Preston. 5 Ways to Motivate and Encourage Seniors. Psychology Today. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/communication-success/201503/5-ways-motivate-and-encourage-seniors>
Blankinship, D.G. Study shows what motivates older people to walk. The Seattle Times. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. < http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/study-shows-what-motivates-older-people-to-walk/>
Oppenauer, C. Motivation and needs for technology use in old age. Institute of Clinical, Biological and Differential Psychology. 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.461.4811&rep=rep1&type=pdf>
Smith, A. Older Adults and Technology Use. PEW Research center. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/>
Pannoni, A. High School Food and Nutrition Classes Serve Up Skills for Life. US News. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. < http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2014/06/16/high-school-food-and-nutrition-classes-serve-up-skills-for-life >
Graham, Ruth. Bring back home ec!. Boston Globe. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/10/12/bring-back-home/EJJi9yzjgJfNMqxWUIEDgO/story.html >
Vermont.gov. Census Data. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/50000.html>
Dabson, K., Schroeder, C and Markley, D. Energizing Our Youth: Stimulating Rural Economies and Stemming Outmigration. Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. <http://cfed.org/assets/pdfs/alc/Maryland%20C_CS%204_Schroeder,%20Craig_2%20handout.pdf>
