I have never been to a senior center before. I have only heard things about senior centers, some negative and some positive. Being able to visit the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center in San Diego was a learning experience about the government, community, and elderly. This center is more than a center that assist the elders. This center care for the elders who live in property; providing all types of services: meals, health, dental, mental, and support, free of charge. Aside from providing housing and meals, they offer various programs that are meant for lifelong learning that benefit the elders in todays time. Elderlies are able to participate in fitness and social activities, as well, as educational workshops. Something that I thought was really cool was the Cyber Café because in today’s time, the internet is the powerhouse of how we operate. We use the internet to communicate with the world, hence, it is important that elders learn how to interact with computers. If they are interested in applying for a job, application is usually online, so they need to know how to use the computer to access the internet for the application. I love how the center makes this resource available for the seniors. From the help of volunteers and donations, they are able to have programs like these, that contributes to healthy aging. During the visit, I was able to have a conversation with an elder, who told us little snippets about his life. It is interesting to listen to the different life experience someone has had as they age through life. As I was walking around assisting in serving the first round of lunch, I saw my peers having engrossed conversation with the elders. There was a sense of community within the space. I will definitely volunteer when I am able to. I believe the space will able to teach me many things about life, through the interacting and talking with the seniors.
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ALISA HULWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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