Perhaps a more fitting name of this entry would be “tour (part 2) of a decidedly not-as-affordable housing option” if this were to be a continuation from Saturday’s tour (which it is, in many ways). Casa de Manana is, without a doubt, a lovely community donned with spacious facilities, attentive staff, and a gorgeous view of the La Jolla coastline. From their fully-featured beauty parlor, personal trainers and gym, culinary team, gorgeous library, to their itinerary overflowing with outings, I do believe that Casa de Manana does great work at preserving independence and retaining the locus of control for its residents, which is proven to improve longevity and life satisfaction. While I am heartened that there does exist not-for-profit organizations (although few) like Casa de Manana that clearly understand and value the holistic aging process, the scale and relative inaccessibility for most seniors in this county is somewhat saddening. Should it really require nearly 300% of the FPL, and nearly 150% of the Elder Index to be eligible for such a community and elder-oriented attitude that may come default in other settings and/or sociocultural contexts? I suppose one could argue that those who can afford such an experience through their lifelong work and savings deserve such an experience if they so wish, but at the same time, how many other elders who have invested similar passion and work throughout their years, but do not arrive at the same intersection of resources and locational benefit simply because of the forces of privilege out of their control (and not in their favor). On the other hand, it is also interesting to wonder if there are similar institutions for older persons of color, complete with culturally-competent care, construction, and amenities. I can certainly envision how an increasingly minority-dominant (an oxymoronic phrase) country will (and currently) call for the implementation of Casa-like institutions that are more catered to those which difference cultural needs. And of course, the implementation of this caliber of care and thoroughness at lower levels of cost. Subsidization, optimization, and adoption of the Casa de Manana-model will certainly be a forthcoming topic in the future of senior living communities in America.
This Saturday’s outing brought us again to the heart of the city of San Diego as we had the chance to view different implementations and representations of low-income housing. Our first two stops, Potiker Family Senior Residence and Sara Francis Hometel, were both organized and operated by Serving Seniors (just as the Wellness Center we visited on Wednesday was). Potiker is a long-term low-cost living community situated among some of the busiest sections of new development in the downtown district. It was somewhat striking to be standing in their community garden and immediately behind, see the towering shadow of two very large market price apartment highrises being constructed. We also had a very generous resident at Potiker allow us a look into her own unit. It was small, as expected, but the clean and airy space was miles away from the harrowing experience that she described of her past experience with nursing homes and SROs. Also heartening was her resilient outlook on life; when a fellow resident complained that housing situations like Potiker was simply a place for “people to die,'' she quipped back with, “Well, I’m not dead yet.” I really appreciated that, and I hope to hold the same attitude as I advance in age. The Sara Francis Hometel, which serves as a transitional housing center, was decidedly not as “nice” as the other establishments we visited today, but it makes sense in context; residents are allowed several months of assistance before they transition back to paying for housing, which can be critical for seniors without a fixed and/or sufficient income. A common theme with many of the other establishments we visited was that their outward aesthetics defied the conventional stereotype of low-income housing and SROs, with clean, unique, and modern architecture that rivalled or even surpassed (in the case of Celadon and Atmosphere) the nearby market-price counterparts. Most impressive of all was the North Park Senior Apartments, a LGBTQ+ affirming low-cost housing development that just finished this year. Slyvia Martinez, the project manager for the community, was gracious enough to lead us on a tour of the complex. She explained and expanded on all of the subtle very extremely thoughtful design choices and considerations that made the apartments so inclusive and equitable, from color-coded floors (both in theme with the queer community and helpful with memory care) to ADA-compliance in every facet to ensure gentle aging, to extremely green and environmentally-conscious design that puts most, if not all of UCSD to shame. Above all, I found it nothing short of incredible that there are such talented and passionate professionals in this city, and around the world, that put the good of others first, and forgo a presumably much more profitable career path with market-priced housing, and rather thoughtfully and thoroughly design affordable housing for our more vulnerable. It inspires me to no end, and I hope that our generation can continue their exemplary work.
Today we saw ourselves in Downtown SD, at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, teeming with an incredible amount of energy and activity even in the early morning. We were given a tour around the complex, which had been renovated from a prior existence as a car dealership. There were an abundance of specialized rooms designed to facilitate a communal space, including a large dining area, game room, computer cafe, community lounge, and learning center. I had the pleasure of talking to a gentleman who was waiting for an information session on Alzheimer’s and Dementia in the learning center shortly after our own introduction session, which I found heartening - it’s not a fun subject for sure, but there were many individuals who were enthusiastic and proactive about being educated on a possible and potentially negative health development that can affect any of us. There was also a free dental clinic, a rarity, located upstairs and outfitted with modern technology and a staff of care managers and providers alike. I feel like having access to this, especially for many of the elderly there who lacked a stable and/or sufficient income, is of extreme benefit as better dental health (which historically has been overlooked as an essential health care right, either blatantly or by monetary barrier) is highly correlated with overall wellbeing. After the tour, we had a chance to interact one-on-one (some of us LCS-er’s discovered the art of puzzling with some pros) and then to serve them lunch, which was another impressive part of the wellness center - a full breakfast and lunch provided at no cost, with seconds and thirds for those who wished. Overall, however, the one aspect I found most compelling about the Senior Wellness Center was the vibe of community, especially after interacting with some of them; almost all of the elders I had the privilege to talk to said they loved coming (in many instances, everyday) to the center and that it was the highlight of their days. Many of them were situated in affordable housing and SROs in and around Downtown SD, so the Senior Center was very accessible and represented a community gathering place for all around. I could easily see myself coming to this facility, or one like it, in the future, and I’m so glad that there is such a thoughtful and well-implemented center to provide hundreds of seniors a social, health, and wellbeing epicenter.
On a beautifully bleak and blustery Wednesday morning, we drove down to Bayside Community Center, a quaint facility with a community garden to greet us on our way in. Upon entry, the community center was overwhelmingly welcoming; areas to rest and relax, postings to up-and-coming events, a table with flower bouquets on sale to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year, murals and paintings on the wall, and “Idea Garden” and a camp-like area with lawn chairs, faux grass, and benches to meet and mingle. Although there were not many elders present at today’s Zumba session due to the ongoing rain, there were still a handful that join us in an extremely tiring and sweaty (but FUN) time. I was truly no match for our elders, who danced literal circles around me. After an hour of heavy perspiration, we mingled with each other and enjoyed breakfast and conversation. It was nice to see that so many elders (and hearing of even more) had a place like Bayside to congregate, be active, and be social with others. Anyone and everyone is vulnerable to social isolation, and I’m a strong proponent of the idea that social isolation is a major contributor to markers of physical and mental well-being. Community centers like Bayside therefore fulfill an important role in our towns and cities: providing an opportunity to ensure health and happiness not only through activities like Zumba but simply in interacting with other faces, new and old alike. Even better, it was gratifying to see that it was culturally-inclusive, with advertising for community programming in a variety of languages, such as Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. It was fitting that, once it was time for us to head back to campus, the sun was out and shining, bright and warm, identical to how my time at Bayside made me feel.
On Saturday, our cohort had a wonderful retreat at the Martin Johnson House, situated on the beautiful cliffs of Scripps Beach/La Jolla Shores. The morning was a bit damp, but I thought the rain only helped to enhance the natural scenery in and around the Scripps Campus. I really liked the lecturette, which covered a wide variety of topics pertaining to older adults in the United States and the struggles and misconceptions many of them face - it felt like a great recap of USP 145, a class that I thoroughly enjoyed and the class that led me to applying to the Life Course Scholar Program. A few memorable highlights of the day included our guided hike and our activity where we imagined our lives 50-60 later from now. I think both activities were so impactful and memorable because aging as a whole is not something I think we enjoy spending time thinking about - or thinking about at all. The whole concept of aging and growing slowly closer to the point in time when we will all pass (another profoundly upsetting topic for many) is not easy to reconcile to diurnal activities and thought processes and is a classic candidate for information aversion (where the mind protects itself from stressful triggers by avoiding actively knowing or contemplating certain thoughts/subjects). I think the overall pathway of change, as well as the possible loss of aspects of life (mobility, independence, for example ) presents a scary and uncertain future that seems less favorable than the present (which may be disproven by the fact that elders are statistically the happiest age group). Hiking up the beautiful but coordinatively-challenging path, I imagined my life without the same mobility I do now - and I realized how inaccessible much of the world would become, and how that is a reality for many in our communities (both by nature and design). Imagining my life as a whole, as well as my surroundings, health and relationships as an elder was so incredibly uncertain that it was not as scary as it was interesting. Seeing so many incredible elders, both in the outer world and in my life, I can only hope to achieve such a full life when I reach that age. Overall, a wonderful retreat to start off the year! I am really excited for what our cohort has in store!
It was so nice to see the familiar faces in SSB 102 after a long hiatus! I want to give the amazing Grace Tran a shoutout - she swooped me, a panicked would-be Lyft rider out of the blue and magically apparated me to campus in a flash when I was running late. She’s a real one! Although today was mostly logistical, I especially enjoyed when we all got the chance to introduce our Extraordinary Persons. The backstories, reasons behind choosing, and pictures made it all very personal yet endearing - I appreciate how everyone was comfortable enough to share such stories about their lives and their close ones. I also really enjoyed Dr. Bussell’s current event presentation and following discussion - I wasn’t aware that there was so many concurrent achievements being made for older women in this country, and it was enlightening to discuss the societal pressures and conventions that still suppress women, and aging women in general, to succeed as much as their male counterparts can. I realized that it was definitely part of my privilege as a younger male that I can go about not giving this topic much thought, which is upsetting because my mother, my aunts, and my grandmother are all part of this population and are subject to the same structural and societal constructions/restrictions. And what’s worse, I condemn these institutions (the Cosmeceutical industry, for example), for magnifying and capitalizing upon the insecurities of aging, but I myself support and propagate such messaging with my own purchasing of skincare products. It’s still a difficult and nuanced conversation that I haven’t resolved yet - balancing between self-care and overindulgence with consumerism. Overall, a great first day back!
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Andrew NguyenWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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