The visit to Casa de Mañana was starkly different than the visit to the Gary and Mary West Center. Their most affordable unit costs $3300 a month, totaling ~$40,000 a year. There is also an approximately two year waiting list before anyone can get off the waiting list and move into the community. The community is incredibly well-resourced with an activities director whose main responsibilities involve the entertainment, social wellness, and general enterprise of the seniors who live in the community. Kelly’s job seems super fun and I think it would be an interesting position to be able to interact with seniors on a personal level and be a community weaver without being a senior myself. I love the idea of creating community by making the activities that the seniors wish to do possible. All of the seniors I spoke to throughout the day love Kelly. It seems like she’s doing a great job engaging and responding to what the seniors would like to do.
I was also incredibly impressed by the facilities. The buildings are located on the main drag of La Jolla Cove, making for wonderful views. The proximity to the ocean is priceless, and many of the residents use that to their advantage, visiting the ocean most days. I’m sure this has a tremendous effect on the health and overall wellbeing of the residents that live at Casa. The library was so cute! All the barcodes and labels were handwritten by the seniors who supposedly run everything in the library. There was also a shelf with books written by Casa residents, both past and present. There are many lovely, influential people living there. I think it’s wonderful that the residents take so much pride in the amount of talent and success the community has because of the residents that are able to live there. There are artists, poets, authors, and more who are living there. There is also an art hallway, filled with art done by the residents. This is so important for the success found at Casa.
I was also incredibly impressed by the facilities. The buildings are located on the main drag of La Jolla Cove, making for wonderful views. The proximity to the ocean is priceless, and many of the residents use that to their advantage, visiting the ocean most days. I’m sure this has a tremendous effect on the health and overall wellbeing of the residents that live at Casa. The library was so cute! All the barcodes and labels were handwritten by the seniors who supposedly run everything in the library. There was also a shelf with books written by Casa residents, both past and present. There are many lovely, influential people living there. I think it’s wonderful that the residents take so much pride in the amount of talent and success the community has because of the residents that are able to live there. There are artists, poets, authors, and more who are living there. There is also an art hallway, filled with art done by the residents. This is so important for the success found at Casa.
My favorite part of the day was having the opportunity to sit down and interact with the residents of the community. My group and I were introduced to Janet. She has been living at the community for two years, but has been living in San Diego for longer. She is the editor for the community newspaper, which is incredibly well done! She showed us some of the copies they have of the newspaper and the project is no small task. There are interviews from residents about the places they have traveled and things they have done. There are also articles with how-to’s and tips on things like gardening and cooking. The newspaper is well-tailored to interest the residents at Casa. I’m happy that Janet is involved in this project. She is a well-connected resident and stays very involved. She said that she participates in activities and events at the center all day long, while there are also residents who don’t participate in many, like her husband. She explained that it is difficult for him to come to activities with lots of people, mainly because he is incredibly hard of hearing. I can’t imagine how frustrating of a disability that must be, especially in a group environment.
Janet also shared her story from her past. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to San Diego with her husband who was in the navy. He had a job offer to work at a hardware store, so they stayed in San Diego. He ended up not liking his job and went back to school. While he did so, Janet got a job as an elementary school teacher and continued to teach for many years. They have two sons and three grandsons. I thought it was commendable that Janet has played the role of a mother for many men in her immediate family. I trust someone like Janet to be in charge of the feat of raising two sons and three grandsons. She is an incredibly intelligent woman and continues to be so in her old age. Despite the fact that she is in her 80s, she is agile and attentive to conversation and in terms of pace, her conversational skills are still quite moderate.
Janet also shared her story from her past. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to San Diego with her husband who was in the navy. He had a job offer to work at a hardware store, so they stayed in San Diego. He ended up not liking his job and went back to school. While he did so, Janet got a job as an elementary school teacher and continued to teach for many years. They have two sons and three grandsons. I thought it was commendable that Janet has played the role of a mother for many men in her immediate family. I trust someone like Janet to be in charge of the feat of raising two sons and three grandsons. She is an incredibly intelligent woman and continues to be so in her old age. Despite the fact that she is in her 80s, she is agile and attentive to conversation and in terms of pace, her conversational skills are still quite moderate.
I initially expected this visit to be less touching than the Gary and Mary West Center, but it turned out to be the opposite. This visit was just as eye opening to the frustrations and perils of aging. Just because someone ages with money does not mean they age without struggle. The majority of the residents at Casa are widowed women, which is a huge challenge in and of itself. The struggle of aging is always difficult, whether you have resources or not. I’m very happy for the residents at Casa for their ability to be in such a lovely environment for their aging years. My one question/thought is the process that must be taken if someone cannot afford to live there anymore. Do they offer scholarships based on how long a resident has been living at Casa? The conditions at Casa promote longer life rather than shorter, so many residents may live longer than they even planned for simply because they are at Casa. My prediction is that they do not have a program for financial assistance. However, I may be wrong! I look forward to going back to Casa, especially because I felt so welcome and wanted there.