Today, we took a tour of the beautiful Casa de Mañana Retirement Community right next to the ocean. Right when we walked in, I was blown away by the grandeur of the common area and hallways. Fancy, ornate sofa chairs filled the common room and the hallways were lined with unique, handmade art pieces. In comparison to the affordable housing options, the hotel-like Casa de Mañana seemed like a whole new world.
We were told that many of the residents have had higher education, and that the rent ranges from $3,500 upwards to around $12,000 a month. I was completely mind blown. We took a look at the gym that came with personal training services, the dining room that looked like a huge restaurant, and the expensive villa residences that offered a full ocean view. One other thing that caught my attention was that every resident who lives at Casa has a rosebush dedicated to them. That is such a wonderful touch, and it’s crazy to know that Casa has so many resources for their residents and they are able to do something extra like this. This is definitely a huge contrast from what we’ve seen and discussed in this class so far.
We then met 3 elders (who are in their 90s!) named Dee, Helen, & Ed. They gave us a brief rundown about their life and talked about their education, children, and life here at Casa de Mañana. Between Casa and the affordable housing communities, I noticed a difference in the topics that residents talk about when we asked about their lives. At Casa, the elders mentioned their educational degrees, professions, and achievements. When we spoke to Irene at the Potiker Residence last week, she mainly elaborated on her hardships and hope for the future. Just by noticing what people choose to share about themselves can really tell us about the types of life events they experienced. It was interesting to see and hear from different populations within the San Diego community, and it definitely puts things into perspective.
We were told that many of the residents have had higher education, and that the rent ranges from $3,500 upwards to around $12,000 a month. I was completely mind blown. We took a look at the gym that came with personal training services, the dining room that looked like a huge restaurant, and the expensive villa residences that offered a full ocean view. One other thing that caught my attention was that every resident who lives at Casa has a rosebush dedicated to them. That is such a wonderful touch, and it’s crazy to know that Casa has so many resources for their residents and they are able to do something extra like this. This is definitely a huge contrast from what we’ve seen and discussed in this class so far.
We then met 3 elders (who are in their 90s!) named Dee, Helen, & Ed. They gave us a brief rundown about their life and talked about their education, children, and life here at Casa de Mañana. Between Casa and the affordable housing communities, I noticed a difference in the topics that residents talk about when we asked about their lives. At Casa, the elders mentioned their educational degrees, professions, and achievements. When we spoke to Irene at the Potiker Residence last week, she mainly elaborated on her hardships and hope for the future. Just by noticing what people choose to share about themselves can really tell us about the types of life events they experienced. It was interesting to see and hear from different populations within the San Diego community, and it definitely puts things into perspective.