Ending my last quarter at UCSD was in no way what I expected; I did not think that it would be spent virtually. Although so much has changed in our world, my drive to educate myself and help underserved populations remain. Due to new circumstances, our class was unable to attend and host volunteer events that we had planned. Our paradigm had to shift. This quarter, our cohort focused mainly on discussing a book that celebrates the process of aging, learning about WHO’s checklist for age friendly cities, how to dismantle common misperceptions on aging, and working on our health aging project (HAP). This course has also granted me the opportunity to learn more about healthy aging and addressing the stigma against the older population. Through our book discussion of “Happiness is a Choice You Make”, we learned personal stories of older adults and how they live their life, how they choose happiness, how they overcome hardship, etc. Within my HAP, Phone Pals, I was able to have tri-weekly phone calls with 3 elders from senior homes in San Diego for 4 weeks and will continue these conversations over the summer. I completed a project of ageism in cinema and call an action to support more films about stories of aging adults. Aging comes in different forms across different ethnicities, cultures, and health statuses. Understanding that this process is different for all, it brings us one step closer to reducing the gap of misconceptions between our communities.
I decided to do my age friendly neighborhood assessment (NAP) on La Puente, the city in LA county that I am home to. The average age in La Puente is 32.8 years old. Senior citizen residents make up roughly 9% of the population, making them a minority in the city [3]. According to the United States Census, the primary racial group is Latino (84.7%) as Asians make up the second largest racial group at 10% [2].Though the average household in La Puente does not make much less than the state average in terms of income, the quality of living is noticeably different. The surrounding industrial buildings produce noise and air pollution that have an effect on the residents’ health. Also, La Puente could be categorized as a food swamp, meaning that the junk food, liquor store, and unhealthy food options outnumber the healthy food options available.Within La Puente borders, there are only two green outdoor spaces: La Puente City Park and Puente Creek Nature Educational Center. These do not account for the various green, public spaces in surrounding cities; however, those do not belong to the La Puente city community. Though these green spaces are relatively well-kept, and the physical barriers of access are minimal, a major factor that may repel senior citizens from them is the amount of gang activity and violence that exists in the city. As Josh Haskell reports in the article, “La Puente fireworks show sees less attendees after recent shootings”, an upsurge of gang violence in the city deters people from public spaces where the threat of violence exists. Despite all other criteria being soundly met, i.e. availability of seating, condition of pavements, adequate restrooms, and buildings being properly handicap accessible, the threat of gang violence prevents these public places from being enjoyed by the elderly in the area.
To better make open spaces more age-friendly for its residents, La Puente must increase their efforts in decreasing the gang violence and presence in the city. In doing so, the large barrier of danger would be removed and older citizens, as well as the general public, would feel encouraged to enjoy the open spaces. One of the city’s greatest weaknesses is in social participation. To improve on this at the same time address isolation and loneliness of older adults, La Puente can expand on intergenerational social opportunities by collaborating with education institutions (i.e. schools and universities) to create some sort of mentorship program. La Puente could also expand on community activities and volunteering opportunities where older adults may not only interact with each other, but with younger generations as well. Intergenerational social opportunities would also allow for younger groups to better appreciate the elders in their community. We are interactive human beings- this need is filled through various forms of relationships we build with others throughout our lifetime. However, our need and desire to interact with others cannot always be fulfilled when there are barriers present. Within our course, we have learned how the impact of loneliness and social isolation effects the individual- it can take a toll on one’s mental health, physical health, and well-being. However, age transcends this dilemma, as elders may not have frequent visits from relatives, may move to retirement homes with reduced exposure to others, and are unable to have access to transportation to attend social settings. Thus, loneliness is an issue that elders suffer continuously. In recent light of our world, the COVID-19 pandemic has added an additional layer of burden for not only our elders, but people of all ages. By having to follow safe distancing, self-quarantine, and staying indoors, many are suffering from social isolation and loss of interaction with loved ones. In order to acknowledge these gaps, a group from our cohort decided to develop a program titled, ‘Phone Pals’ in which a college student is paired with an elder from San Diego for triweekly phone call meetings. We felt that by implementing such a program, we are filling the need of human interaction and love for one another that is needed in today’s climate.
I volunteered to be the main point of contact for Serving Seniors- nearly 10 students are now volunteers with this center. Due to the high demand of volunteers, I was paired with 3 elders- Ramona, Carolyn, and Barbara. What was meant to be a short 7-minute phone call, each one of my phone calls last over thirty minutes because so much time is spent learning about one another. Each one of my phone pals are unique, although they had a similar upbringing (grew up in the south, studied in college, and have families) their characters cannot be anymore different. I am appreciative of all the stories I have been able to learn from them and their personal lives. Secondly, these women have been so grateful for the work that we are doing and the tri-weekly phone calls. For them, it is a prime mode of communication, and during these demanding times, it is comforting to simply talk and listen to another. My relationship with each one of my elder partners has flourished within a short time- Barbara has actually sent me a book she had about a woman in medical school, as she knows that becoming a doctor is my dream. Carolyn, a woman who is actively engaged with volunteering and serving food at Serving Seniors, sends me weekly yoga poses to practice with my mother, as she is a part of a virtual yoga club that aims to keep elders active and united during the pandemic. Ramona, who I feel resembles my personality the most, and I have conversations over the importance of being grateful for the little things in life. Her biggest role model is her 8-year-old grandson, because as she states, “when we are children life is blissful and full of adventure. We should all spend our lives with the same attitude as we did when we were kids.” Along with our ability to get this program running, we have also been able to get our program and the Life Course Scholars Program some press. Last month, I was interviewed by KBPS to talk about who our volunteers, the mission behind ‘Phone Pals,’ and our collaboration with Serving Seniors. This article has been published and on a segment of the radio (I believe). On a personal level, I found this HAP so amazing- the phone calls I have with each elder have been so rewarding and priceless. Although our HAP is coming to a close, I still plan to work with Serving Seniors virtually and continue these phone calls with my elders. One thing I would recommend is planning logistics. When we were planning our HAP, we were beginning to learn the concerns of COVID-19. Toward the end of our winter quarter, we had to essentially change how our HAP was going to be like (alter the form of communication) and solidify who our partners will be. We had a lack of people power to do the work to plan and coordinate our project. Further, we had more complications with our partners- the loss of their sign-up sheet delayed the start date of our project with them by 2 weeks. Nevertheless, I do not think that any one of us could have foreseen any of these mishaps. Despite all of these obstacles, I believe that we were still quite successful with our HAP. |
Elizza Elaine VillarruelArchives
June 2020
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