One hour with the Casa de Mañana residents was not enough so I decided to take up their invitation and join Casa de Mañana’s weekly discussion Zoom meeting. It was such a contrast being in a Zoom call with older adults versus being in a Zoom classroom with a bunch of 18-22 year-olds. The discussion for this week was centered around Putin and his influence on Russia, particularly the younger generation living in Russia. To be honest, I have been immersed in the hard sciences for almost 4 years now and the last time I had a history class was in high school so this discussion was not at all in my comfort zone. Because of this, I spent a good amount of time observing and listening to what the residents had to say but remembered to share my input when I could. Some of the residents described what it was like when they were able to visit Russia in the past and what their impressions were of Russia’s government. They played clips of a documentary and we were able to discuss it. It put me at ease when I realized that some of the residents were learning things about Russia through this talk just as I was. While I learned things about Russia that day, I enjoyed observing the interactions of the residents. It intrigued me to observe that despite the accumulation of wisdom age comes with, these residents still took on opportunities to learn new things. Additionally, despite us being in a pandemic, they still were able to continue to foster their social connection through digital platforms such as Zoom. I love how these residents break the common elderly stereotype as they are technologically proficient, strong and active, and socially connected with others--both young and old. While I understand that the resources they have are not available to all older adults, these interactions continue to show me how diverse the aging process is and how there is still life to live as we get older
Last week we were able to have a virtual housing tour of some of the senior affordable housing options, which was very insightful and eye-opening. But for this blog post I would like to highlight the activities of this week. This week we were able to have some residents from Casa de Mañana join our class for an intergenerational conversation. In my group, I was able to have two residents named Dot and Alice (who, if I remember correctly, is 101 years old!). We were able to share things about each of our cultures and how our cultural values affected our relationships with the elderly people in our lives. A particular question that Alice brought up left me speechless; the question she asked was, what does it mean to be old anyways...or what age is considered old? With life expectancy getting higher and more and more people reaching 65, it becomes quite difficult to quantify the exact age in which one is considered “old.” A good point that my group brought up was that being old is a mindset more than it is a number. Alice was a prime example of this. She told us that just a few years ago she decided that she was going to stop playing tennis. I was amazed to hear that she had just stopped a few years ago, implying that she was still playing a decently intense sport even in perhaps her 90s! My brother and I play tennis and it was nice to see how the younger generation can connect with older adults based on hobbies despite the age gap. After stating that she stopped playing tennis, she explained that as her age increased, she experienced periods of grieving in which she had to give up things she used to be able to do, such as tennis. But an important point she stated right after was that she advised us that we have to make sure that despite the loss, we have to replace the thing we can no longer do with something else; that way you continue to have purpose. I think that is such an important mindset to keep as we age and can be applied in people’s lives despite how old or young they are. It allows for exploration of new interests, a continually active lifestyle, and gives a newfound source of fulfillment.
One hour with the Casa de Mañana residents was not enough so I decided to take up their invitation and join Casa de Mañana’s weekly discussion Zoom meeting. It was such a contrast being in a Zoom call with older adults versus being in a Zoom classroom with a bunch of 18-22 year-olds. The discussion for this week was centered around Putin and his influence on Russia, particularly the younger generation living in Russia. To be honest, I have been immersed in the hard sciences for almost 4 years now and the last time I had a history class was in high school so this discussion was not at all in my comfort zone. Because of this, I spent a good amount of time observing and listening to what the residents had to say but remembered to share my input when I could. Some of the residents described what it was like when they were able to visit Russia in the past and what their impressions were of Russia’s government. They played clips of a documentary and we were able to discuss it. It put me at ease when I realized that some of the residents were learning things about Russia through this talk just as I was. While I learned things about Russia that day, I enjoyed observing the interactions of the residents. It intrigued me to observe that despite the accumulation of wisdom age comes with, these residents still took on opportunities to learn new things. Additionally, despite us being in a pandemic, they still were able to continue to foster their social connection through digital platforms such as Zoom. I love how these residents break the common elderly stereotype as they are technologically proficient, strong and active, and socially connected with others--both young and old. While I understand that the resources they have are not available to all older adults, these interactions continue to show me how diverse the aging process is and how there is still life to live as we get older
1 Comment
Kassidy Wade
3/13/2021 02:55:59 pm
First off, I must say, your blogs are incredible!!!! They are so insightful and really make me think. I really loved the part that you mentioned about the question: "What does it mean to be old.. or what age is considered old." I am sitting here in a coffee shop with my friends so I decided to ask them out of curiosity. They said: "60, 65, and when you lose your license." These were very sad responses in my opinion, but then I thought, before this class that would probably be my response as well. It shows you how much learning, college, and experiences can shape your interpretations. I am so glad to have taken this class! I loved the advice of Alice, I will be sure to live by it!!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Abigail ZaratanAbigail is a Human Biology major from Chula Vista, CA. A fun fact about Abigail is that at one point, she could play 3 instruments -- flute, piano, and violin. Archives
May 2021
Categories |