On Wednesday, June 6, 2018, the LCS cohort attended the Healthy Aging Symposium at the Medical Education and Telemedicine (MET) Building on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. The LCS cohort created posters that detailed their Healthy Aging Projects, then attended the symposium in shifts and described their projects to the symposium attendees. I was unable to attend the event until the very end, but I can only hope that the Healthy Aging Project that Jackie and I completed together had an impact on those who attended the event.
For our Healthy Aging Project, Jackie and I created an online blog, “A Collection of Oral Histories,” which documented and archived the Oral History Projects that the Life Course Scholars cohort conducted earlier in the year. Each member interviewed an older family member about their memories and younger lives, which provided them insight into how their Extraordinary Person (EP) became the person they are today. For my OHP, I interviewed my maternal grandmother, and it was a very enlightening experience for me. I gained a deeper sense of the essence of who my grandmother is by hearing her past experiences, some of which were very traumatic and painful. I feel that the activity strengthened our relationship overall.
The purpose of the OHP is to foster intergenerational communication. The LCS cohort presented their OHPs to the class, and hearing these stories impacted Jackie and me. We felt that it would be a great idea to highlight the stories of older adults to the world, as this would allow others, especially younger people, to be inspired by their incredible stories and would also help debunk stereotypes of older adults that are commonly held by younger people. The creation of a blog allowed us to organize the OHPs into one concise space that was accessible to all, and retained the digital format that most of the projects had been created in.
One recurring theme I found in the blogs was the transition from struggles early on in life to attaining happiness later in life. The EPs were heavily influenced by deaths and other trials and tribulations in their lives but found ways in which to persevere and find a sense of happiness and contentment after much time had passed. These stories show that the problems we face in life are surmountable, given time and patience.
If there is any advice I could give to next year’s LCS cohort, it would be to cherish every site visit, every opportunity, and every assignment that this program offers. Truly soak in the message it is trying to convey to you and enjoy every moment as it comes. This program goes by very fast, and will open your eyes to aging, the life course, and the diversity of older adults in amazing ways. This is accomplished through the quality of your interactions with the older adults participating in the program. Savor every opportunity to speak with them, find out more about who they are as people and how they came to be the people they are today, for that is where the deepest impacts of this program come from. The people I met during this program have shifted my perspective and touched my heart. I will be friends with many of the people in this cohort for years to come, but I do wish that I could have more discussions with the older adults I met through this program. I know that for all the future LCS cohorts, those intergenerational interactions will leave a huge impact on them as well. Take in all that you can from them before they are gone.
This program has shifted the way I view aging and older adults and has shifted the way in which I view and navigate my own life. I see more value in living in the moment, and I make more efforts to put meaning into the things I say and do. I weed out people and things that bring me negativity and drift towards people and things that bring me positivity. We have the power to shape the way we live and age, and I intend to make the most of every moment. In addition, I am considering working in geriatrics in my future career, as I would like to continue to help older adults feel a sense of purpose, belonging and companionship as they navigate the struggles of older age. It is my deepest hope that those participating in future LCS cohorts will find that same inspiration to connect with older adults, as this program has shown me that the more that older and younger people come together instead of drift apart, the stronger and more unified our world becomes.
For our Healthy Aging Project, Jackie and I created an online blog, “A Collection of Oral Histories,” which documented and archived the Oral History Projects that the Life Course Scholars cohort conducted earlier in the year. Each member interviewed an older family member about their memories and younger lives, which provided them insight into how their Extraordinary Person (EP) became the person they are today. For my OHP, I interviewed my maternal grandmother, and it was a very enlightening experience for me. I gained a deeper sense of the essence of who my grandmother is by hearing her past experiences, some of which were very traumatic and painful. I feel that the activity strengthened our relationship overall.
The purpose of the OHP is to foster intergenerational communication. The LCS cohort presented their OHPs to the class, and hearing these stories impacted Jackie and me. We felt that it would be a great idea to highlight the stories of older adults to the world, as this would allow others, especially younger people, to be inspired by their incredible stories and would also help debunk stereotypes of older adults that are commonly held by younger people. The creation of a blog allowed us to organize the OHPs into one concise space that was accessible to all, and retained the digital format that most of the projects had been created in.
One recurring theme I found in the blogs was the transition from struggles early on in life to attaining happiness later in life. The EPs were heavily influenced by deaths and other trials and tribulations in their lives but found ways in which to persevere and find a sense of happiness and contentment after much time had passed. These stories show that the problems we face in life are surmountable, given time and patience.
If there is any advice I could give to next year’s LCS cohort, it would be to cherish every site visit, every opportunity, and every assignment that this program offers. Truly soak in the message it is trying to convey to you and enjoy every moment as it comes. This program goes by very fast, and will open your eyes to aging, the life course, and the diversity of older adults in amazing ways. This is accomplished through the quality of your interactions with the older adults participating in the program. Savor every opportunity to speak with them, find out more about who they are as people and how they came to be the people they are today, for that is where the deepest impacts of this program come from. The people I met during this program have shifted my perspective and touched my heart. I will be friends with many of the people in this cohort for years to come, but I do wish that I could have more discussions with the older adults I met through this program. I know that for all the future LCS cohorts, those intergenerational interactions will leave a huge impact on them as well. Take in all that you can from them before they are gone.
This program has shifted the way I view aging and older adults and has shifted the way in which I view and navigate my own life. I see more value in living in the moment, and I make more efforts to put meaning into the things I say and do. I weed out people and things that bring me negativity and drift towards people and things that bring me positivity. We have the power to shape the way we live and age, and I intend to make the most of every moment. In addition, I am considering working in geriatrics in my future career, as I would like to continue to help older adults feel a sense of purpose, belonging and companionship as they navigate the struggles of older age. It is my deepest hope that those participating in future LCS cohorts will find that same inspiration to connect with older adults, as this program has shown me that the more that older and younger people come together instead of drift apart, the stronger and more unified our world becomes.