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.
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Elizza Elaine VillarruelArchives
June 2020
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