I think it’s fair to say that this class has been breaking a lot of my beliefs. Starting with the retreat, I realized this class will be different from my other classes when we gathered at the Martin Johnson House and got to know all our classmates. The most memorable event that day was the mindful walk around Scripps and reflecting on our lives as 80+ year olds. Personally, I wanted to own a house with my own library by then, location not yet decided, but it hopefully will be close to my loved ones. Additionally, I would love to keep my social life going on and give back to my community, perhaps by volunteering in different places like the zoo or the library. After this reflection, we discussed what factors we would need to consider to be living like that, from personal habits that need to be remedied to structural and infrastructural problems that need to be fixed on a more institutional level.
The first class field trip led the class to the Gary and Mary Senior Wellness Center. It was an interesting place because I initially thought it would be a nursing home, since I hadn’t had a clue what a Senior Wellness Center is. It feels similar to a community center for older adults with plenty of activities done and a dining space that fits around 100 people at once. They have volunteers serving the food and manning the sign-in tables. Additionally, the second floor of the wellness center is dedicated to case managers that act as resources to help these older adults, from health insurance to housing.
From this experience, I realized that there are a lot of things impacting how someone is living. Hidden factors such as the rising rent, inadequate housing, increasing healthcare costs, loneliness, disproportionate social security compared to inflation rates, savings, and decreasing job opportunities for older adults, all contribute to someone's quality of life. Right now, one of the biggest issues concerning older adults, especially those living in San Diego, is the increasing cost of living. I think that I would need to start from what I can do to help with this problem. I learned so much over the first two weeks and I can’t wait to see what I will learn in the next 8 weeks.
The first class field trip led the class to the Gary and Mary Senior Wellness Center. It was an interesting place because I initially thought it would be a nursing home, since I hadn’t had a clue what a Senior Wellness Center is. It feels similar to a community center for older adults with plenty of activities done and a dining space that fits around 100 people at once. They have volunteers serving the food and manning the sign-in tables. Additionally, the second floor of the wellness center is dedicated to case managers that act as resources to help these older adults, from health insurance to housing.
From this experience, I realized that there are a lot of things impacting how someone is living. Hidden factors such as the rising rent, inadequate housing, increasing healthcare costs, loneliness, disproportionate social security compared to inflation rates, savings, and decreasing job opportunities for older adults, all contribute to someone's quality of life. Right now, one of the biggest issues concerning older adults, especially those living in San Diego, is the increasing cost of living. I think that I would need to start from what I can do to help with this problem. I learned so much over the first two weeks and I can’t wait to see what I will learn in the next 8 weeks.