Alzheimer is a disease that affects more than just the individual who is diagnosis with it, it affects the lives of those who surrounds the individual as well. In current events, JAMA Neurology published a study on how scientist may have found clues on why African Americans are more vulnerable to Alzheimer than Whites. They found a substance associated with cerebrospinal fluid in African Americans that did not protect them from the onset of Alzheimer disease. However, there are limitations indicated in the study that do not account for the other known factors for Alzheimer, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, which are all associated with stress and poverty. Because stress and poverty are factors that are associated with Alzheimer, which may explain why it is more apparent in African Americans. According to statistics, there are high percentages of African Americans live in poverty, which leads to stress and the after falls. Living in poverty makes it difficult to live a long and healthy life. At Casa de Manana, it is apparent that there is a relationship between wealth and health. When the Life Scholar Course host a prom at Casa de Manana, many seniors came to dance the night away (or watch us dance ha-ha). The seniors who did dance had no problem moving or dancing. After a night of talking and dancing with the seniors, I learned and heard many things about living life as an elderly. I believe moving and interacting are small influences that can have a great impact on decreasing the chances of diseases.
Before reading This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite, I never thought about the idea and impact of ageism. Ageism is an attitude about elders that society has created and is not given much thought about how it came to be. My thoughts and perspective about how I think and approach age(ism) has change. The goal of life is to stay healthy, not stay young. According to research, aging is the way to getting younger because brain image show changes that improves the ability to handle stress and experience fewer social anxieties and social phobia. Which are all negativities that we did not have to handle and care for when we were younger, as children. However, when you are in middle age, you care about how you are perceived in the public eye, whereas when you are a child or elder, these are care-free. Elders are capable of many things, but society has classed them of not being able. This reading provides insights and feelings about the different struggles that elders are confronted with and provides possible ways on how we can approach them. Hence, Life Scholar Course is a class that should be available at every college campus because it is an opportunity to learn about and engage with elderlies. I believe this class can help change the stigma that surrounds aging and foster a relationship between the youth and elders. People should aim to live longer, not younger because with time, you age. Aging should be seen as an accomplishment, because it demonstrates living, living a life to the fullest. I am going to proudly age and live a long and healthy life.
My extraordinary person is my aunt and she is 56 years old. I chose her because this is a school project, that you make for someone, has been long overdue. I have been meaning to make her something and this assignment gave me the opportunity to do so. This is oral history report is what she deserves to have, so her memories can live on forever. I want the future generation of cousins to be able to read her memoir and learn about who our aunt was. For my oral history, I decided to mold clay into a shape of an airplane. My aunt loves planes. I remember when I was younger, she would take my cousins and I to the museum, when there was a planes exhibits, or to airplane and jets shows. She has a collection of all different types of planes, and I wanted to add to her collection. The memoir is an airplane clay model on a painted plane runaway with a display stand that holds a pamphlet. Inside this pamphlet are her memories. I wanted to make this mock exhibit as a physical component to the memoir because I thought it would be something that she would appreciate. The memoir showcases her love for planes, her memories about us, and her stories about what she loves. Through this memoir, I did not only learn about my aunt, I was able to learn more about my family’s history. I was introduced to family members that I was not able to, but wished I did. She gave me insight about what it was like to live in my homeland. Because of this memoir, my aunt has been inspired to write an extended version or a book about her life memories, well I would actually write it as she tells me the stories.
It has been a while seen we have been in our regular classroom. After the fieldtrips we have been on, it was pleasant to sit down and discuss about the past and future events for the course. The class is more than field¬¬¬trips around San Diego, we are learning and engaging in activities and projects that enhance our understanding about the importance of generational interrelationship and construction concepts. An event that I am looking forward to are the dances at Casa de Manana and Gary and Mary West senior centers and Extraordinary Person oral history report. We have begun planning how we want to go about for these proms. The organization for the prom is what I imagine what student who are in associated student body would do when they organize dances for the school. It was fun deciding the theme, decoration, and games for the dance, it allowed us to be creative and strategic about how we envision the prom. The prom is more than just a dance, it is a way for two different generations learn the similarities or difference through their interactions and conversations. It will be a night full of chit-chat and laughter, fun games and good food, and memories, mentally (mind) and physically (photos). I hope my extraordinary person will have the opportunity to experience similar events, or maybe I can partake in planning a similar one in my community. But for right now, for my extraordinary person, I am planning to make a physical memoir from modeling clay. I want the memoir to be something that they can touch and see, something that they are able to hold and read whenever they want. Definitely, looking forward to presenting my EP oral history report within the next couple weeks of class. I am ready to be back in class and deliberate about all the different assignments for the course.
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ALISA HULWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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