Living is a privilege that should not be taken for granted by Wilson

Living is a privilege that should not be taken for granted by Wilson - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

When I first enrolled for a course in abnormal psychology, I was not a psychology major. I merely took the course because it fulfilled a distribution requirement and sounded interesting. In the middle of the semester, though, I found myself relating the course material to my personal experience: I recognized that the symptoms of a relative whose behavior had frightened me and shaken our family life to the core were remarkably similar to those highlighted in one of the case studies we were discussing in the classroom. It dawned upon me that my relative was mentally ill and that, if diagnosed correctly, the illness could be managed with regular treatment.

The fact that it was possible to apply knowledge gained in the classroom directly to a real-life situation and make a fundamental difference in the lives of my family impressed me deeply. In fact, it was this experience that set me on the path to pursuing a psychology major. I came to understand the importance of a holistic approach to healthcare that integrated attention to physical, mental, and emotional health.

The most important signature in my life that I had to give was when I signed paperwork that made me a guardian and conservator of my mother. In 2010 my mother was visiting me in the United States when, during her stay, she suffered a severe stroke. Once she was admitted into the hospital, I did everything I could to stay by her side, and my sister joined me a few weeks later. There was something calming about the way my sister and I gathered together in a mutually supportive way by my mother’s hospital bed as she slowly made her recovery.

Before my mother suffered a stroke, I had never paid too much attention to healthcare costs. Now, by necessity, I have learned to pay attention to such details. The current healthcare system may be imperfect, but I am grateful for two provisions – the coverage of pre-existing conditions and the absence of lifetime limits on the amount of money that insurance companies can spend on a patient.

My mother had high blood pressure when she got health insurance a few months prior to her stroke, and because of the insurance law regarding the coverage of pre-existing conditions, she was not denied insurance coverage. Furthermore, her medical bills were in excess of $100,000, but the health insurance company covered most of them without imposing any lifetime limits. Upon her discharge from the hospital, she was able to undergo physical and speech therapy as an outpatient.

Seeing my mother become a shell of her former self then watching her undergo treatment and start to improve made me realize that people did not often think about the aging population or the health challenges they faced until they were hit close to home. Now that my eyes have been opened to that reality, issues such as high-quality, affordable healthcare for the elderly are especially important to me. I also think about quality of life where my mother and other aging people are concerned. Aging matters to me because it impacts her and my other loved ones directly and because I recognize that it will one day be my own reality.

I have developed a new appreciation for the role of family in providing a supportive social network for members of the aging population. In my home country, residential facilities for the aging are not a solution for the majority. Rather, the aging are part of the extended family and move in with their next of kin (or their next of kin move in with them). Thus, they enjoy the companionship of their loved ones and are able to play active and valued roles in the family (as grandparents, for instance). A significant number of the aging in the United States have options such as residential communities, which come with unique challenges. Family also plays an important role in their lives.

As a community living counselor, I work with clients who are seniors and have physical and/or intellectual disabilities. My role is to help them integrate into their communities. Many of my responsibilities include transporting my clients to their doctors’ clinics, to physical and occupational therapy, and to mental health counseling. I also assist them with their personal care and help them achieve their dieting-related and exercise-related health needs.

Graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology would enable me to pursue a career in counseling, advocacy, and the promotion of the psychological health and well-being of seniors in the community.

My mother's near-death experience changed my life considerably. Living is a privilege that none of us should take for granted; and every challenge is an opportunity for growth.