This past Thursday, we finally concluded our HAPs by presenting our work at the Healthy Aging Symposium and some of us took our last pictures with our fellow LCSers. In a way, the symposium felt like the right conclusion to the LCS program in several ways. While the work displayed in the Atkinson Hall lobby was primarily from the spring quarter, the work we’ve put in and the knowledge we’ve gained since the beginning of the program was evident. For me, it was especially evident in the conversations we had with some of the attendees and even some curious individuals who were just passing through the lobby. Many of the attendees I spoke with asked for a general overview of our projects and of the LCS program. Some of the senior attendees would ask me if our HAP events were recurring and where they would take place because they themselves were interested in attending. Hopefully the Wellness Day and succulent workshop HAPs are continued next year!
There were other longer conversations that brought up important points of discussion as well. I spoke with an attendee who brought up transportation as a significant obstacle that some seniors may face which could work against their willingness to attend such events. This is a serious, and very real concern that is faced by some seniors on a daily basis, not just when they want to go to a community event. Perhaps next year, if resources allow, we could organize some sort of transportation for our elders who do need it. Later while sitting at our table, a passerby stopped to look at the infographics we had laid out. Some of the information he read surprised him, but his reaction didn’t really surprise me as most of the data and facts we presented in our assignments are largely unknown by the general population. He left the table intrigued and wanting to learn more about other ageist myths. Towards the end of the last break, I spoke with a woman who told me how glad she was that programs like ours exist. I remember her saying that there is a need for more people and more professionals who can serve and advocate for our elder population. She then asked me if I saw myself continuing to work with and for our elders in the future. Without hesitation, I said yes. If I were asked this same question a year ago, my answer would have been completely different.
A year ago, I didn’t really see myself as someone who could justly serve the elder population. To be frank, I used to feel somewhat disconnected from elders. I’ve always been taught to respect them, of course, like you would every other person in this world. I acknowledged that we do have a lot to learn from our elders and that they too face their own struggles. But for some reason, I always felt like I was unable to build genuine relationships, especially with an elder who wasn’t a relative. Was that because I naively accepted that our generations were “too different”? Or was it because I didn’t have very many opportunities to interact with other elders? Was I just not great at socializing with people of a different age group than mine? Perhaps it was all of these reasons and more that I have yet to realize. Regardless of whatever reason it was, or whatever assumptions I had, none of that applies to me anymore (at least not as strongly). By the end of this program, I danced with a roomful of seniors and reminisced with fellow immigrants about life in the Philippines. We may have been reminiscing about different times, but the feeling was all the same. I talked to other seniors about how music has affected our lives and later shared a personal story of my family’s to the rest of the room. Along with my other classmates, I helped organize events and activities that put our seniors at the forefront and hopefully left a positive impact in some way.
Before I end my last reflection, I wanted to share a comment I heard by one of the seniors at the symposium that brought to light an interesting perspective. She was looking over our title for the succulent workshop poster, “Gateway Growing: Intergenerational Succulent Gardening”. After reading the title out loud, she said to her friend, “Intergenerational? Back then, it was just gardening!”. I wish had gotten the chance to have a conversation with her. It might’ve just been a brief remark, but I thought about what she said and what might’ve went on in her head as she looked over our poster. She clearly wasn’t against “intergenerational” activities, but her reaction led me to wonder about how we as a society felt about the term and how we used it. “Intergenerational,” I thought to myself, “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”. It is. But, her reaction to a poster made by college students reminded me of how (American) contemporary society might experience or view intergenerational interactions as something that isn’t necessarily part of daily life. As if it isn’t something that normally, or frequently occurs. Afterall, seniors in America are marginalized in different aspects of society. We’ve been made aware of this reality since the beginning of the quarter and it seemed almost fitting that it was brought up again somehow at our last event. It was full circle. I wonder now if this perception and attitude towards our elders will ever change. I wonder if “intergenerational dancing”, for instance, can just be “dancing” and that calling it the former would just be in excess because it’s already the norm. What will it take to change today’s perspective on our elders and on aging? I wonder what my fellow classmates and I, as Life Course Scholars, will be doing with the knowledge and experiences we’ve gained to support that change.
There were other longer conversations that brought up important points of discussion as well. I spoke with an attendee who brought up transportation as a significant obstacle that some seniors may face which could work against their willingness to attend such events. This is a serious, and very real concern that is faced by some seniors on a daily basis, not just when they want to go to a community event. Perhaps next year, if resources allow, we could organize some sort of transportation for our elders who do need it. Later while sitting at our table, a passerby stopped to look at the infographics we had laid out. Some of the information he read surprised him, but his reaction didn’t really surprise me as most of the data and facts we presented in our assignments are largely unknown by the general population. He left the table intrigued and wanting to learn more about other ageist myths. Towards the end of the last break, I spoke with a woman who told me how glad she was that programs like ours exist. I remember her saying that there is a need for more people and more professionals who can serve and advocate for our elder population. She then asked me if I saw myself continuing to work with and for our elders in the future. Without hesitation, I said yes. If I were asked this same question a year ago, my answer would have been completely different.
A year ago, I didn’t really see myself as someone who could justly serve the elder population. To be frank, I used to feel somewhat disconnected from elders. I’ve always been taught to respect them, of course, like you would every other person in this world. I acknowledged that we do have a lot to learn from our elders and that they too face their own struggles. But for some reason, I always felt like I was unable to build genuine relationships, especially with an elder who wasn’t a relative. Was that because I naively accepted that our generations were “too different”? Or was it because I didn’t have very many opportunities to interact with other elders? Was I just not great at socializing with people of a different age group than mine? Perhaps it was all of these reasons and more that I have yet to realize. Regardless of whatever reason it was, or whatever assumptions I had, none of that applies to me anymore (at least not as strongly). By the end of this program, I danced with a roomful of seniors and reminisced with fellow immigrants about life in the Philippines. We may have been reminiscing about different times, but the feeling was all the same. I talked to other seniors about how music has affected our lives and later shared a personal story of my family’s to the rest of the room. Along with my other classmates, I helped organize events and activities that put our seniors at the forefront and hopefully left a positive impact in some way.
Before I end my last reflection, I wanted to share a comment I heard by one of the seniors at the symposium that brought to light an interesting perspective. She was looking over our title for the succulent workshop poster, “Gateway Growing: Intergenerational Succulent Gardening”. After reading the title out loud, she said to her friend, “Intergenerational? Back then, it was just gardening!”. I wish had gotten the chance to have a conversation with her. It might’ve just been a brief remark, but I thought about what she said and what might’ve went on in her head as she looked over our poster. She clearly wasn’t against “intergenerational” activities, but her reaction led me to wonder about how we as a society felt about the term and how we used it. “Intergenerational,” I thought to myself, “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”. It is. But, her reaction to a poster made by college students reminded me of how (American) contemporary society might experience or view intergenerational interactions as something that isn’t necessarily part of daily life. As if it isn’t something that normally, or frequently occurs. Afterall, seniors in America are marginalized in different aspects of society. We’ve been made aware of this reality since the beginning of the quarter and it seemed almost fitting that it was brought up again somehow at our last event. It was full circle. I wonder now if this perception and attitude towards our elders will ever change. I wonder if “intergenerational dancing”, for instance, can just be “dancing” and that calling it the former would just be in excess because it’s already the norm. What will it take to change today’s perspective on our elders and on aging? I wonder what my fellow classmates and I, as Life Course Scholars, will be doing with the knowledge and experiences we’ve gained to support that change.