Kate's Journey: Introducing Students to the Human Side of Aging Services and Supports

Although using novels to teach aging is not a new concept, teaching the human side of long-term services and supports from the perspective of the care recipient via novels has not been thoroughly explored. Literature often reflects societal norms and issues; thus, the use of a novel in the classroom allows for critical reflection and analysis of self and other, particularly when engaging students in aging concepts and experiences of growing old. This article describes the employment of Kate Quinton's Days (1984), a novel that brings into focus the important, and often forgotten, human side of aging services and supports. Additionally, the novel focuses on administrative and medical bureaucracy within the context of home health, and family dynamics that come into play with issues of aging and long-term care. Students may have had limited exposure to various aspects of aging and care that play out in the novel, and bringing the character Kate and her life story into the classroom allows for discussions that would not otherwise be as meaningful or instructive. The authors found that students related in important ways to Kate and went beyond the "system" to consider the lived experience of care and support as we age.