We returned to SSB 102 after a great night at Casa de Manana, and I was heartened to hear my peers’ reactions and feelings about the night were mostly similar to my own. It definitely was a great experience, and I’m excited to see what future events we’ll have in terms of social events with our HAPs and whatnot. Today’s current event presentations included one about a senior job fair in Austin, Texas. It was aimed at reducing the unemployment rate in a group that is most likely to be discriminated against on the basis of age in the job market. This is well illustrated in Austin, where the overall unemployment rate is a low 2.9% while the unemployment rate for workers 65+ is a drastically larger 12.2%. The article talked about how younger professionals are preferred by employees because older employees are seen as “technologically inept”. The job fair featured 35 employees in total, many of them in the process of expanding and hiring. I thought the foundation of this event is great - it not only provides a physical hub for those seeking jobs, but in a way, I feel like it legitimizes efforts to reduce anti-aging in the job hiring market. Of course, this one event is akin to removing a grain of sand from a beach; it will take much, much more to permanently make our job market more age-equitable and for our society to truly value our seniors as great resources of knowledge, talent, and skill. This article reminded me of when I was talking to my dad about his career in mechanical engineering. He said that younger workers were also seen as more pliable, in which they were seen as less stubborn and more easily bent to superiors’ wills (e.g. to work longer hours without equitable compensation, to accept decisions readily without debate, to not argue for better wages and/or benefits) in addition to being better educated. It made me sad to hear it back then, and it still does. I don’t think I myself have fully worked through my productivity-centered view of the world (I still catch myself feeling disappointed if I think I am not “doing enough”), but to imagine living in that mindset my entire life and only to be devalued with every rising moon and setting sun - I could imagine how this societally-structured expiration timer on your perceived ability and professional stature could upset and even permanently harm one’s mental wellbeing. It’s not a future I would like to live through, and it requires a change of my own mindset and that of society’s as well.
Tonight we had the honor of hosting Casa de Manana’s Rock ‘N’ Roll soiree - one of the many events and programs put on by the great staff there. We arrived to set up around 6:15, and were greeted by their beautiful architecture once again. Truly, Casa de Manana is a beautiful facility by day or by night. The setup ran smoothly - the decor was playful and simple, with paper constructions of classic Chevy Bel Airs and Buick Roadmasters. Streamers with records were hung from the pillars, and a really cute inflatable jukebox that was a perfect fit for the Polaroid photo booth (but was sadly unusable due to lack of an air pump and/or adequate human lung strength). Once the time got closer to 7, our guests started to stream in, little by little. The live band was great - I think the vibe of the event would have been totally different without their presence and with just a speaker system in their absence. I’m really grateful that they performed on such a short notice, and even more grateful for their lively and energetic performance. Getting on the dance floor tested my nerves a lot - I’m a pretty shy and self-conscious noodle in any public performance places, but after a little time jumping up and down with my peers and our guests alike, it was a great and carefree time. I especially enjoyed the giveaway ceremony - Joey was an incredibly hilarious and outstanding host. I think what I’ll remember most was how receptive our guests were, even if they did not want to dance either. A guest I got to interact with commented that it was “just nice to see the energy” when I asked if they wanted to join the dance floor fray. It’s a nice and uncomplicated sentiment, but the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with them. Simple acts like shaking it out without and second thoughts in a room where everyone is just there for a good time - everyone’s a winner. Just being around the positive energy and happiness was so fun and livening. I thoroughly enjoyed helping out at Casa de Manana, and I hope the same success at the West Center next week.
Today we had another round of presentations and updates, from current events to oral history projects. There was a great presentation on self-negligence as a form of elder abuse, which is when individuals are "unable, due to physical or mental impairment or diminished capacity, to perform essential self-care”. There is clinical difficulty in detecting and addressing this form of abuse, especially among older adults who live in relative isolation with no support system. Self-negligence is also more common in those with cognitive impairments, as well as those who are in lower socioeconomic ranks. While the more official, aforementioned definition of self-negligence seems to point to the loss of physical/mental capacity and ability to take care of oneself, I wonder how many cases of self-negligence are propagated or worsened by anti-ageist mindsets and structures in our culture and society. As seen earlier in our studies, using infantilizing attitudes and languages towards older individuals have immediate and lasting effects on their own perceived abilities - many times artificially reducing said abilities and worsening their sense of independence, self-reliance, and general quality of life. Psychologically, our locus of control (how much control we believe we have over the events in our life course) is strongly correlated to our health outcomes. Thus, is our overwhelmingly youth-centric attitudes, enablism, and actions artificially reducing our own perceived abilities as we grow older? There is no question that older adults themselves self-reinforce negative ageist stereotypes against themselves, so at what point do these sentiments and attitudes translate to the acceptance of perceived inability and in the end, lack of motivation and/or effort to produce self-negligence? Of course, statistics do tell us that a large majority of older adults in all age ranges across a myriad of different backgrounds enjoy much happier years now then earlier, as well as strong markers of health. However, for individuals who may be in disadvantageous socioeconomic positions or who may suffer from other obstacles in their livelihood and lack the necessary support systems to address these strictures, self-negligence continues to be an alarming, heartbreaking, and many times inconspicuous form of elder abuse affecting some of the most vulnerable in our communities.
Today marked the start of a myriad of presentations to come, from the continuation of our current event presentations to our Oral History Projects, to NAPs and HAPs discussions. An overarching theme in our current events presentations today was the current and future implementation of senior co-housing, housing communities that aim to allow older adults of all backgrounds age in place in supportive, accessible, and affordable locations. While they are not widespread, there are apparently a few hundred such communities in the country alongside budding apps and programs to pair older adults with compatible roommates. I think in ideal conditions, with willing and open-minded individuals to participate in these co-housing options, as well as the availability of comprehensive health services that can reach these communities, can senior co-housing become a viable option for the future. As it is, I think that outside of tight-knit communities with strong senses of cultural identity and homogeneous characteristics, it may be hard to mobilize strong public support for such establishments. However, it was heartening to hear that there are existing communities such as these, and that they have been both well-received and successful in some qualitative metrics. I think, at least for me, I could see myself living happily in co-housing communities in the future, at any age, especially if it provides the positives that were presented: companionship, fiscal sense, community, and exposure to a diverse range of individuals from all ages and roots. As for our Oral History Project presentations, I was admittedly very nervous (I was never a strong public speaker), but after seeing a handful of my fellow LCS’ers go first and be able to present such intimate and personal stories of their EPs, I found it easy to follow their lead. It felt really natural talking about my dad, and I felt that even though I couldn’t share his story in the entirety that I know it at his request, it still felt nice to be able to deliver his story in such a way that I felt delivered the sense of respect I feel for him. I’m really excited to see the other extraordinary people that our peers present in the coming weeks.
For me, coming back to the setting of SSB 102 required a bit of an adjustment - I had grown pretty fond of our weekly (sometimes biweekly) outings into the city. I thought that it was really important to receive an in-person context to the material that we would later be covering, and I’m glad we had the chance to experience just that. On another note, it was nice to catch up with everyone in one setting and get everything in order - up until we realized how much we had to get in order. No matter how many quarters I have under my belt here at UC San Diego, I can never truly be ready for how quickly deadlines creep up on you. Midterms, projects, and presentations are as plenty as the rain showering upon our senses. Regardless, I am excited for our Oral History Presentations next week, as well as our Book Reports. In presentation-related ongoings, I really enjoyed our current event presentations and discussions, especially the one about aging and driving. While the ability and choice to drive may preserve independence, not everyone ages at the same rate and capacity, so it is a complex and nuanced question when considering who is and is not capable of operating a motor vehicle. While some may have a much more acute loss of motor skills and hand-eye coordination, other individuals may retain their skills for many decades after (not to mention that older adults have a lower accident rate than teen drivers). Therefore, a pure age limit is too uncompromising for such a diverse and variegated population. As a classmate suggested, I do think that past a certain age, having a test for motor reflexes and a refresher course on driving is a good requirement for those who want to retain their license. Of course, having another institutionalized test presents more problems with access and equity (as simply getting a driver’s license does), and will need continuous adjustment and improvement, just as the consideration for driving laws continue to evolve with our population.
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Andrew NguyenWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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