Our first quarter together in Life Course Scholars has seriously expanded my view of the aging experience, what elderly people value and need, and how elders are treated within San Diego and throughout the US. I feel grateful for the exposure to new dialogue surrounding misconceptions of growing older, new books on stigmas associated with aging, new facilities that accommodate for aging adults, and new people who shared fragments of their lives and life-lessons. I now understand the importance, to both physical and mental health, of socialization and remaining actively engaged in an important cause. These needs, in addition to the financial struggles many older adults face, make me want to create a food security advocacy group organized by elders (…one day). Our society has a deep empathy gap between the older and younger generation, and this class has taught me the value of intergenerational learning for mutual enrichment.
In today's class, we debriefed how to improve senior prom and our experience at Casa de Mañana. In regards to the prom, the whole class agreed that it was a major success and also that more time would have improved the experience for both the students and the elders in attendance. Few of us had an opportunity to connect with the Serving Seniors clients, because we were busy cleaning, serving, decorating, etc. Hopefully next year the Serving Seniors employees can be paid to stay longer so LCSers are given more time to relax and enjoy.
While discussing our experiences at Casa de Mañana, the professors elaborated that many of the residents are able to afford to live there because of pensions from their previous careers. Unfortunately, many employers have phased out pensions and replaced them with 401(k) plans that don’t necessarily guarantee employees payment during their retirement. Thus, it may become more and more difficult for the elders of the future to afford accommodations as luxurious as Casa de Mañana. Further, Sophia mentioned how "mentally sharp" the majority of the residents appeared, with remarkably less dementia than residents we have heard about or interacted with at other sites. This discrepancy may be attributed to the ample opportunities for elders to exercise their mind and body at Casa, including multiple lecture series, workshops, and classes each day. The Casa de Mañana retirement community has an environment unlike any other senior living community I've seen before. It included a variety of living space options, all spacious, clean, and a block away from the beach. Architecturally, the space was extremely diverse. However, the residents were predominantly white, wealthy, and highly-educated. For example, a section of the library on premise featured books written by fellow residents. The folks we met at the meet-and-greet led adventurous lives in the past and praised Casa de Mañana for the up-scale amenities, prime sea-side location, enriching classes, and opportunities for socialization.
Unfortunately, the only people of color I saw were the lower-wage service workers cleaning the facilities and working in the café. This segregation in the workforce is a trend not unique to Casa de Mañana, and is reflected throughout La Jolla, California, and the United States at large. Something about the extravagant facilities, and our past site visits to affordable housing units, amplified this disparity between the educational opportunities and work positions made available to whites, as compared to everyone else. When will our society be able to overcome the legacy of exploitation of people of color and dismantle systemic inequalities to produce ethnically-diverse communities and work places? Deciding to live in Casa de Mañana made me think of choosing between a first class ticket and coach. A huge expense for a relatively short amount of time. Certainly one is more comfortable in first class, but how many benefits are required to justify the cost? To many residents, cost likely isn't much of a concern at all. But what else could that money go towards? If longevity and prosperity are largely attributed to relationships with others and a sense of purpose, how much of that can be bought? To what extent can you buy your quality of life? |
alex reepArchives
June 2020
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