AGING INTERVIEW

Kimberly Biondi
Wayne State University

AGING INTERVIEW

Patrick J. Biondi
August 3, 1921
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AGING INTERVIEW
Patrick Biondi is one of the most kind, humble and giving human beings that this writer
has encountered in her life. He is a man of strong conviction and faith which has translated
into being a good role model for his children and grandchildren alike. His philosophy in life
is to honor God for all of the blessings hes enjoyed by living his life the right way and
providing structure and support to his greatest blessing of all; his family. This writer has had
the honor of being a part of Patricks life for over twenty-five years as this writer married his
son who shares many of the same fine qualities this writer admires in Patrick. This writers
son, Patrick Joseph Biondi (II), was named after his grandfather which is a reflection of the
love and respect this writer and her husband have for this man.

AGING INTERVIEW
DESCRIPTION
Patrick is a 93 year old male who appears younger than his stated age. He was very
neatly dressed in dress pants, polo shirt and sweater vest on the day of our interview.
Patrick explained he had just returned from the funeral home after paying his respect to a
friend that lost his life. Patrick resides in tri-level home with his wife, JoAnne, who is
approximately 15 years younger than him. The home presents a slight challenge as Patrick
has five steps to manage in order to get to the upper level of the home where his bedroom
and full bathroom are located.

AGING INTERVIEW
In his younger years, Patrick stood 510 tall. Now, after many years and several back
surgeries later, he has a kyphotic posture and stands at best 53. He ambulates with a
wheeled walker most of the time but also has a cane for short distances. Despite his
physical challenges, Patrick is able to perform his own daily tasks of dressing and bathing
independently. His wife manages all of the cooking and household chores but Patrick tries
to help her out by doing small tasks like making the bed or cleaning off the table. Patricks
wife provides transportation to countless medical, therapy and chiropractic appointments;
however, Patrick still feels he is capable of driving (his wife and family disagree).

AGING INTERVIEW
Patrick was very well spoken and seemed to enjoy sharing his life history and
experiences. He often worried that he wasnt providing this writer with the information
needed to complete the educational assignment. Patricks long term memory was very fluid
and intact. Recently, he has been experiencing some forgetfulness accompanied by
repeating information and impaired judgment, leading one to wonder if these are normal
signs of aging or perhaps a mild form of dementia.

AGING INTERVIEW
PERSONAL
Patrick was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to the Detroit/ Melvindale area when he
was a baby. Patrick enjoys a strong Italian ethnicity and grew up the oldest of four boys.
Patrick remembers growing up in a poor family that was receiving welfare assistance to help
make ends meet. He shared a story about his mother who was an accomplished seamstress.
His mother made shirts for all of her sons with material provided by the government. Patrick
and his brothers were reluctant to wear the fine quality shirts because everyone knew they were
on welfare due to the fabric used.
Patrick attended Dasher Elementary School and continued his education at Melvindale
High School where he enjoyed playing basketball and baseball.
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Patrick married his first wife, Wyotha Weisenstein, in 1945 and raised seven children;
five girls and two boys. The Biondi family became known as the seven Ps because each
of the children had a name beginning with a P (Paul, Phyllis, Pam, Peggy, Phil, Patti and
Paulette). The family was raised in the rich tradition of their Italian heritage enjoying good
food, strong family values and faith in God. They enjoyed a happy and rewarding life
together until Wyotha was diagnosed with cancer and lost her courageous battle at the age
of 59.
After Patrick healed from this significant loss, he met and eventually married his
second wife, JoAnne Zerona, who had six children of her own.

AGING INTERVIEW
MILITARY EXPERIENCE

Patrick spent some time at Eastern Michigan University and Henry Ford Trade School
learning to be an electrician in the years between high school and World War II. When the war hit,
he and his male cohort (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 54) were forced to sign up for a military position.
Patrick decided to join the Navy branch of the Coast Guard and served on the U.S.S. Leonard
Wood. This ship was the lead ship in a convoy of vessels that carried 1500 army troops, their
officers and equipment. Patrick and his shipmates taught the army troops how to load and off-load
1500 army personnel and 10 larger tank/ truck landing crafts onto 25 small Higgins boats for the
purpose of invasion (Dahmke, 2015). Once the U.S.S. Leonard Wood dropped off the soldiers at
the point of invasion, the ship turned into a floating hospital ship to service the injured and the ill.

AGING INTERVIEW
One of Patricks missions on the U.S.S. Leonard took him to the shores of Africa.
Patrick was amazed how the people of Africa would flock to the ship and wait for the soldiers
to empty their garbage and food scraps which became a feast for the African natives.
Another mission took Patrick and his shipmates to Sicily, Italy. On this mission,
Patrick was asked to serve as a translator for the Italian prisoners. He was also called on to
listen to the prisoners conversing to see if he could extract any valuable information.
In the Pacific, Patrick took pride in the fact that he and his shipmates caught a live shark
that they pulled onto the ship. Patrick was able to bring home some of the sharks teeth as
souvenirs to share with his family and friends.

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CAREER

When Patrick returned from the war, he attended some night school classes at the
University of Detroit. Not long after, he and one of his brothers decided to open an
appliance store that was located in Melvindale. He and his brother developed a very
successful business that serviced the Downriver community. After years of wear and tear
on his body, Patrick decided to leave the appliance store and focus on a different career
path.

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Patrick started working for the Melvindale School District which eventually
led him to become the Assistant Superintendent of Building and Maintenance for the
Melvindale/ North Allen Park School District. He also served on the Melvindale School
Board when he was not happy with the way the school district was being operated.
After retiring from the school district, Patrick spent a few years as a salesman in the
carpet industry to occupy some of his time.

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AGING INTERVIEW
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Family has always been important to Patrick and continues to be a vital part of his life
in his senior years. With his blended family, Patrick has a huge support network comprised
of his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Patrick thoroughly enjoys
family functions so he is able to enjoy time with his family.
In his younger years, Patrick was an avid golfer and had friends that he enjoyed
golfing with on a regular basis. He also golfed with his sons.
Patrick and his wife were instrumental in developing a Bible study group. The group
was comprised of five couples that would meet monthly to study scripture and strengthen

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their Catholic faith. Each couple would take a turn hosting the meeting in their home. These
couples and their families became life-long friends.
Currently, Patrick and his wife have a weekly engagement with another couple to share
dinner and play cards. They also enjoy going to a vocational tech culinary arts school. The
students in this program learn to prepare and serve a sit down meal for all to enjoy.

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AGING INTERVIEW
FINANCES
Patrick states that he and his wife are secure in regard to his financial situation.
Although he is not wealthy, he and his wife survive on their Social Security pensions
(Phillips et al., 2010. p. 166) and minimal investments. Patrick also states he and his wife
have adopted a very frugal lifestyle.

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MEDICAL INSURANCE
Patrick has been very thankful for his health care insurance. Unfortunately, he has had
several hospitalizations and continues to follow up with various specialists for his chronic
back and neck pain as well as other medical issues. Patrick also has prescription coverage
and has utilized Home Care nursing and therapy services to help him age in place (Phillips
et al., 2010. p. 17).

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AGING INTERVIEW
QUALITY OF LIFE
Although Patrick appears frail (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 105) and endures chronic back
and neck pain, he considers his qualify of life (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 175) as being good.
He goes on to say that his physical challenges are not what he would hope for but there are
many people that he considers to have greater challenges and disabilities (Phillips et al.,
2010. p. 75) to deal with in life. Patrick is still able to manage his own daily care and gets
around with walking devices. He also still enjoys engaging in social activities with family
and friends.

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RELIGION/ SPIRITUALITY
Patrick was raised in the Catholic faith and has always maintained a strong
connection with God. He attends weekly church services and has always been involved in
his faith community. Patrick was a lector sharing weekly scripture readings with the
congregation until he was no longer able to walk safely to the altar as a result of his
physical disabilities.
At one time, Patrick enjoyed teaching catechism and sharing his faith with children
and teenagers. He was also an active member of the Knights of Columbus which is a

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Catholic fraternity that helps those in need.
As part of his daily routine, Patrick has a ritual of prayer and reading from daily
devotional books that sit on the table next to his favorite chair. Patrick is very thankful for his
longevity, familial support and the basic necessities of life.

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ANALYSIS OF PATRICK
This writer used a biographical approach (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 39) to study and
reflect on her interactions with Patrick. With this approach, writer surmises that Patrick has
experienced successful aging (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 209). Despite his physical disabilities
and beginning cognitive decline, Patrick does not require hands on care (Phillips et al., 2010.
p. 42). He is able to ambulate with devices and manages his own daily care needs. Patrick
has an adequate social support system (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 199) including his wife who is
very instrumental in his daily functioning as she provides structure, meal preparation and
transportation to medical appointments. Children are supportive; however, most do not live in
the area and have professional careers. Patrick maintains civic
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engagement by exercising his right to vote, keeping up on current events while maintaining a
strong presence in his faith community.
At times, Patrick admits to being lonely and sometimes depressed due to his physical
challenges or chronic pain. This usually occurs during the day when his wife is busy with
chores and his children are at work. Patrick deals with this loneliness (Phillips et al., 2010. p.
148) by reading his daily devotionals or taking a walk around the block. While walking in the
neighborhood, Patrick often stops to converse with his neighbors and wish them a good day.
Patricks neighbors serve as another support system and ensure Patrick is safe and returns home
without incident.
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In terms of finances, Patrick has adopted a frugal lifestyle but his pension and
investments are helping him to maintain a comfortable life. Patrick does not have to worry
about the basic necessities of food, clothing or shelter. The subject of relocation to an
assisted living facility (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 29) has been discussed; however, Patrick,
like many others in the senior cohort (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 54), prefers to age in place
(Phillips et al., 2010. p. 17). Thus far, familial support has made this feasible.
Patrick also enjoys insurance that allows him to receive medical care and prescription
coverage that gives him access to medications to address his medical needs.

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The most important reason this writer supports the theory of successful aging for Patrick
is that he is happy and at peace with his life. He continues to treat all people he encounters
with respect and maintains his motto of living life the right way.

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SELF ANANLYSIS
This writer thoroughly enjoyed this project as this writer has always had an interest in
the aging population. From previous experience working with seniors, its obvious that senior
citizens have a wealth of knowledge that they are always ready and willing to share. This was
also true of this writers interview with Patrick. Although this writer has known Patrick for
over 25 years, there were things we discussed that this writer never knew about him. Stories
from his early life and especially stories from the years he spent on the U.S.S. Leonard Wood
were very captivating. This writer spent over 2 hours with Patrick for this interview as we
spoke over dinner and continued our conversation long after dinner ended. For a man who
often falls asleep during a normal visit; he was wide awake during the
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entire interview and this writer felt he could have spoken for 2 more hours!
This writer feels that this form of Reminiscence Therapy (Phillips et al., p. 73) with
Patrick was very therapeutic for him. Patrick was able to recall and reflect on his life
experiences that confirm he has lived a successful and rewarding life. Allowing Patrick the time
to share his history also made this writer feel good as he trusted this writer with his experiences
and the pride he exuded showed this writer our interaction was meaningful.
From this interview, this writer learned that the biographical approach (Phillips et al.,
2010. p. 39) of working with the aging population can be very effective. Taking time to listen to
life stories and identify an individuals attitudes, beliefs and sense of self can be very beneficial
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in identifying needs and potential resources.
Another point brought to this writers attention is how difficult it can be to differentiate
between areas of natural age related decline and decline brought about by a disease process (National
Institute on Aging, 2008). In Patricks case, he is displaying some cognitive decline; however, there are
no signs of significant impairment of social or occupational functioning. The question remains: are we
seeing the normal aging process or the beginning signs of dementia?
The concept of how important aging in place (Phillips et al., 2010. p. 17) is to the aging
population was confirmed. At the present time, Patrick has the appropriate familial support and
resources to allow him to remain in his home. As a social work practitioner, it will be important

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to identify resources and engage social supports when working with clients to attempt to help
them remain in their homes; if this is a safe plan.
Finally, I learned to never underestimate the power of familial and social support.
Having a spouse, child, grand child, neighbor or friend available to help an aging individual with
care, socialization, transportation to medical appointments, groceries or providing support
during an illness has a dramatic impact on the outcome for that individual. As we witnessed in
the video clips Isolation Kills! (Lubben, 2014) and A Practitioners Perspective of Social
Isolation (Johnson, 2014), social isolation can lead to poor health, limited recovery during an
illness, increased risk of dementia and even premature death. As a result, social work
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practitioners need to be aware of their clients social support system and work to strengthen
existing supports or work to develop new contacts in an effort to promote positive outcomes and
successful aging for their client.

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REFERENCES
Dahmke, C. (2015, April). Chriss Dahmkes WWII memoir. U.S.S. Leonard Wood APA-12 group. 2-3.
Johnson, C. (2014, November 3). A practitioners perspective of social isolation. [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e28yFaAvfe8
Lubben, J. (2014, November 3). Isolation kills! [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgLzIa3DMps
National Institute on Aging. (2008, September). Healthy aging: Lessons from the Baltimore Longitudinal
Study of Aging. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/healthy-aging-lessonsbaltimore-longitudinal-study-aging/why-study-aging

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REFERENCES
Phillips, J., Ajrouch, K., & Hillcoat-Nalletamby, S. (2010). Key concepts in social gerontology.
Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

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