By: Genesis Hill
Life Course Scholar
During our fourth week as Life Course Scholars, we visited the retirement community, Casa de Mañana. Unlike many of the other organizations we have seen thus far, Casa de Mañana is an upscale retirement community that is situated along the coast in downtown La Jolla. The residents of the community are fortunate to see amazing views of the ocean everyday. Casa de Mañana has a combination of both independent and assisted living, where the monthly costs range from 3,200 to 10,000 dollars, that includes food, transportation, housekeeping services, activities, and more. The architecture of Casa is flourished with Spanish influences, like Spanish tile along walkways and a large open courtyard to socialize; even the names of the buildings are Spanish. The overall layout promotes socialization and inclusivity, while still allowing residents to have the option of seclusion within their own living quarters.
Entering the “Casa Norte” Lounge, Life Course Scholars were greeted with happy smiles of residents. As we introduced ourselves, one by one, the resident’s curiosity grew more and more. We each told the residents why we were interested in being part of the Life Course Scholars program; there were a wide variety of reasons. Some students wanted to learn more about the (healthy) aging process, while others discussed their close relationships with their grandparents, or lack thereof. After we introduced ourselves, it was the resident’s turn. They gave us their names, where they have lived, and what they had done for a living. At that point, we were all eager to get to know one another more.
Every resident was surrounded by a group of students, who were engaged in asking questions about the resident’s lives. But, the conversations were not one sided, as residents wanted to get to know us, just as much as we wanted to get to know them. As time ran away from us, we gathered ourselves to go on a tour of the retirement community. One of the employees of Casa de Mañana cheerfully escorted us around. We made our way through the retirement community to their quaint library. Amazed by the beautiful view of the ocean from the library, many students wondered what it would be like to live in this retirement community when they are older. Sadly, due to the time constraint, we were unable to see many of the other amenities Casa de Mañana had to offer. Towards the end of the tour, we were led into the middle of a spacious ballroom. We stopped there to ask questions about the retirement community. One student was curious about diversity within the community. The employee answered that Casa, while still predominately white, has recently seen significant changes in different races and ethnicities moving into the community. While still interested in learning more, the tour came to an end, as the vans had arrived for our pickup.
Once we arrived back to campus, the class described how Casa de Mañana is the “ideal” place for healthy aging. It provides seniors with a sense of community, rather than isolation and social seclusion, like so many other seniors experience… Visiting Casa de Mañana, gave us a great outlook on how all people should experience aging.
Life Course Scholar
During our fourth week as Life Course Scholars, we visited the retirement community, Casa de Mañana. Unlike many of the other organizations we have seen thus far, Casa de Mañana is an upscale retirement community that is situated along the coast in downtown La Jolla. The residents of the community are fortunate to see amazing views of the ocean everyday. Casa de Mañana has a combination of both independent and assisted living, where the monthly costs range from 3,200 to 10,000 dollars, that includes food, transportation, housekeeping services, activities, and more. The architecture of Casa is flourished with Spanish influences, like Spanish tile along walkways and a large open courtyard to socialize; even the names of the buildings are Spanish. The overall layout promotes socialization and inclusivity, while still allowing residents to have the option of seclusion within their own living quarters.
Entering the “Casa Norte” Lounge, Life Course Scholars were greeted with happy smiles of residents. As we introduced ourselves, one by one, the resident’s curiosity grew more and more. We each told the residents why we were interested in being part of the Life Course Scholars program; there were a wide variety of reasons. Some students wanted to learn more about the (healthy) aging process, while others discussed their close relationships with their grandparents, or lack thereof. After we introduced ourselves, it was the resident’s turn. They gave us their names, where they have lived, and what they had done for a living. At that point, we were all eager to get to know one another more.
Every resident was surrounded by a group of students, who were engaged in asking questions about the resident’s lives. But, the conversations were not one sided, as residents wanted to get to know us, just as much as we wanted to get to know them. As time ran away from us, we gathered ourselves to go on a tour of the retirement community. One of the employees of Casa de Mañana cheerfully escorted us around. We made our way through the retirement community to their quaint library. Amazed by the beautiful view of the ocean from the library, many students wondered what it would be like to live in this retirement community when they are older. Sadly, due to the time constraint, we were unable to see many of the other amenities Casa de Mañana had to offer. Towards the end of the tour, we were led into the middle of a spacious ballroom. We stopped there to ask questions about the retirement community. One student was curious about diversity within the community. The employee answered that Casa, while still predominately white, has recently seen significant changes in different races and ethnicities moving into the community. While still interested in learning more, the tour came to an end, as the vans had arrived for our pickup.
Once we arrived back to campus, the class described how Casa de Mañana is the “ideal” place for healthy aging. It provides seniors with a sense of community, rather than isolation and social seclusion, like so many other seniors experience… Visiting Casa de Mañana, gave us a great outlook on how all people should experience aging.