Artifacts of elderly people

I chose a walker as my first artifact.  A lot of elderly people use a walker to assist with stability while trying to walk.  I chose this artifact because three of my grandparents have had the need for one.  I remember being at the dining room in the building where my grandmother lived.  There were at least 30 walkers lined up outside the dining room while people ate.  There was not enough room to use the walkers in the dining room. The three most important things this tells me about this subculture are that bodies wear out before the heart does, most of these people did not exercise when they were younger, and probably do not now, and their core is weak, and that some of these people have health issues.

            Another artifact I chose is the stories told by elderly people.  They reminisce about the “old days” especially when they were much younger.  They will tell stories about their youth, military experience, or early family life.  It tells me that they focus on happy times in their lives.  The stories are told to connect with people, and it is one thing they can add to a conversation.  The most important things it tells me about this subculture are that people like to remember, people like to remember positive things, and that this contributes to their sense that life has been good.

            The third artifact is medicine.  Most elderly people take a lot of medicine.  Seniors are living longer because there is a drug for everything.  People want to live longer and are taking drugs to do that.  There are blood thinners, bladder control drugs, blood pressure medication, etc.  The  most important  things these tell me about the subculture are that medicine helps them, it improves their quality of life, and it is relatively affordable.