I cannot believe that this is the final blog post for the course. I don't know if it was because of the online modality of the beginning of the quarter, or if it is because we only were able to meet once a week, but it truly flew by too fast for my liking. This class was transformative not only for my personal understanding of aging and the experiences older adults face but also how I can actively fight against ageism. For this week, we had the opportunity to view a completely different side of the spectrum when it comes to senior housing and care. We had the opportunity to visit Casa De Manana, a La Jolla-based senior housing facility. The property sits directly on the beach and occupies over 5 acres of coastal property. Pulling into the lot, I already knew that the type of individuals we would interact with would be completely different from what we were used to. The property was a certified historic building, with ocean views, formal dining set up, as well as the amenities you would often see at a resort. The cost of living ranged from $4000/mo (for a studio) to up to $20k/mo. While the property and amenities were unbelievable, it was quite disheartening when the reality set in that only those who had wealth would be able to receive this level of support. Most of the residents had graduate-level degrees, and either had saved enough on their own to afford it or had the support of wealthier family members to take care of costs. It just reminded me of the role of capitalism in regards to end-of-life care and makes me hope for a future where more people have access to living situations such as these.
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Kortni WashingtonKortni Washington is a Public Health major with a concentration in Health Policy and Management. She is Archives
March 2022
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