On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, LCS had its class meeting for Week 3 of Winter Quarter. I was sick with a cold on this day and opted to stay home and rest. However, in going over the material discussed for the day, I know that the cohort divided into groups for the Neighborhood Assessment assignment during class. In the Neighborhood Assessment assignment, the cohort will go out into the neighborhoods of San Diego and determine how elder-friendly their amenities are. Factors such as benches, the length of time that crosswalk lights stay lit, cracks and lifts in the concrete, presence and width of sidewalks, and flatness or steepness of terrain are some of what we will consider in our assessments.
The LCS cohort did a small exercise of this during Winter Retreat where we walked around the grounds of the Martin Johnson House in La Jolla and tried to picture ourselves as an older adult who had trouble getting around on their own. Given the staircases, steep hills, unstable dirt, and other factors of the grounds surrounding the area, I could not imagine any elderly person being able to easily navigate the terrain, and it would be impossible for someone who was wheelchair-bound to navigate without assistance. As a young and able-bodied person, I never consider these factors when going about my day. I take my health and energy for granted. I often don’t realize how much walking and rushing around I have done in a single day, nor the amount of energy it takes out of me, until I finally lay down in bed at night.
Since undergoing this exercise at the retreat, I have been consciously taking it upon myself to analyze the obstacles I encounter when I am out and about in San Diego. The obstacle I have noticed the most is the length of crosswalk lights. Although I am able to make it across the street in time, I often have to jog to make up for the time it takes before the countdown to another red light begins. In addition, drivers also present an extra hazard, as numerous drivers have taken off or began a right turn mere seconds after I passed their car, long before I ever got out of the crosswalk. For someone who was older and frailer, if they did not move fast enough, it is possible that an impatient driver could misjudge the amount of distance between the elderly person and their car, and accidentally clip them in their haste to leave.
During my illness this week, one of my symptoms was weakness in my legs. For several days, I was unable to stand up or walk without feeling as if I was going to stumble or fall over without something to steady myself on. I can imagine this is what the daily reality is for someone who is elderly, and this makes navigating the city impossible, especially given these obstacles. While we cannot completely fix the physical changes that come with aging, we can fix our cities so that they are more accommodating to the needs of senior citizens. My hope by participating in this assignment is that we will be able to determine where these changes need to be made, then make progress towards ensuring that those changes are carried out for the benefit of the seniors who need them the most.
The LCS cohort did a small exercise of this during Winter Retreat where we walked around the grounds of the Martin Johnson House in La Jolla and tried to picture ourselves as an older adult who had trouble getting around on their own. Given the staircases, steep hills, unstable dirt, and other factors of the grounds surrounding the area, I could not imagine any elderly person being able to easily navigate the terrain, and it would be impossible for someone who was wheelchair-bound to navigate without assistance. As a young and able-bodied person, I never consider these factors when going about my day. I take my health and energy for granted. I often don’t realize how much walking and rushing around I have done in a single day, nor the amount of energy it takes out of me, until I finally lay down in bed at night.
Since undergoing this exercise at the retreat, I have been consciously taking it upon myself to analyze the obstacles I encounter when I am out and about in San Diego. The obstacle I have noticed the most is the length of crosswalk lights. Although I am able to make it across the street in time, I often have to jog to make up for the time it takes before the countdown to another red light begins. In addition, drivers also present an extra hazard, as numerous drivers have taken off or began a right turn mere seconds after I passed their car, long before I ever got out of the crosswalk. For someone who was older and frailer, if they did not move fast enough, it is possible that an impatient driver could misjudge the amount of distance between the elderly person and their car, and accidentally clip them in their haste to leave.
During my illness this week, one of my symptoms was weakness in my legs. For several days, I was unable to stand up or walk without feeling as if I was going to stumble or fall over without something to steady myself on. I can imagine this is what the daily reality is for someone who is elderly, and this makes navigating the city impossible, especially given these obstacles. While we cannot completely fix the physical changes that come with aging, we can fix our cities so that they are more accommodating to the needs of senior citizens. My hope by participating in this assignment is that we will be able to determine where these changes need to be made, then make progress towards ensuring that those changes are carried out for the benefit of the seniors who need them the most.