Today we went to the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center to put on a Senior Prom. We arrived around 1pm to start setting up the decorations, the food, the photobooth and the activities. Some of our few classmates couldn't attend, but at least we had some help from people outside of our class. I helped put up some of the decorations and centerpieces and greeted people as they walked in. I also helped served some of the food and drinks as well as passed out the raffle prizes and goody bags. The baked goods that the baking team made was really good and this was reaffirmed by the fact that the seniors wanted seconds, especially of the blueberry cheesecake. We also had the Salsa Club come in to teach salsa and bachata for a bit. I wished the event was longer so the seniors had more time to partake in the activities. I felt that half of the time was spent serving food and eating. Near the end of event, we also announced the Prom King and Queen and it was so nice to see their faces lit up when the crowns was placed on top of their heads. At the end of the event, we gave them each a sandwich to take home to eat later. I didn't get to see the person that I talked to the last time I visited the Wellness Center, but I did saw a few familiar faces. I recalled that throughout the event and at the end of event when the seniors were leaving, they thanked me a couple of times for having this event. I remembered one lady said that she had a great time and that everything was good like the food.
Today we went to visit the Balboa Older Adult Program that is run by Jewish Family Services of San Diego. When we first arrived there, we received some context and background of the facility. The two ladies who gave us a tour of the place were very engaging and thoughtful people. We learned about their various programs like their food pantry program, their program for older people and Alzheimer's, and the one where they delivered food to people to their homes. I really liked how their facility is not only clean and spacious, but also how they have many programs to assist people depending on their need. For example, overnight, they allow families that live in their cars to park in their space to have a safe place to stay and also find ways to help them get back on their feet at the same time. Another thing was their food pantry to assist families and individuals with food insecurity. It works on a point-based system where healthy food are worth less points to encourage healthy eating. They also partner with businesses like Starbucks and Whole Foods to make this possible. Another program of theirs was their daycare program where they help take care of individuals with dementia for $27 a day, which also includes a meal, to give a break to caretakers. I thought this was really nice because it can be exhausting and isolating for caretakers to not have time for themselves when they're busy caring for someone else.
For the second half of our site visit we went to play bingo with older people who had dementia. The theme of the bingo card was nursery rhymes. It was fun and engaging because we also got to sing the nursey rhymes as well which I believed help the older people with dementia jog their memories. Our bingo table won quite a few times, including myself. I'm not sure but I think this may have been my favorite site visit so far. This week we went on a site visit to the Bayside Community Center. We were told to come in red because the Zumba instructor wanted to get into the Valentine's Day spirit. As a result, I wore my red jacket, which was the only thing I had with me that was red. At this site visit, we spent most of the time participating in a Zumba class with the seniors who also attended. The Zumba instructor was enthusiastic and everyone looked like they were having lots of fun. Honestly, it was nice to get up and be moving as opposed to being in a regular classroom sitting down the whole time. Even though my body did not want to move the way I want it to and I was probably doing the moves wrong most of the time, it was still fun to participate. I wished Professor Bussell was able to join us in the Zumba class, but she, unfortunately, couldn't because of her ankle injury. I hope her ankle gets better soon! After the class ended, we got a chance to converse with some of the seniors and had some snacks. Susie also brought small goody bags that her club and other clubs created to hand out to the seniors. It was nice of her to do so.
The senior that we talked to was a Filipino man who came with his wife. If I recall correctly, he had been doing Zumba for the past seven years now. We talked about his career working in real estate before retirement and it was interesting to learn more about him like how he knows five different languages. Even though overall the site visit was fun, it would have been nice if we could have gotten a brief overview of the facility and the people who usually attend the Center. On Wednesday, we went to visit the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center. Upon arrival we had a tour of the West Center and learned about the services they offered. The first things I recall seeing was an exercise class where seniors were doing light exercises, seeing many seniors enter the building, and many sitting in the lobby watching TV where they perhaps were waiting for lunch service. Some of the services that the Center offered was breakfast, lunch, dental service, psychological service, a game room, and a computer room.
After the tour we went to the room where they held lunch service to talk to some of the seniors who were sipping their coffee and water waiting for lunch service to begin. We all split up and dispersed to different tables. The person I ended up talking to was a man named Richard who was sitting in the corner of the room by himself. I approached him and we started having a conversation. I learned that he started coming here recently about a couple of months ago when a friend of his told him about this place. He told me about he's currently homeless and is trying to get into housing. I also learned that he suffers from osteoporosis and said eventually he may reach a point where he would need to get knee replacement surgery. I told him how I was sorry to hear that but he chuckled in response and told me it's part of getting old. It's admirable to see how he still pushes through despite what is yet to come. I genuinely wish him the best of luck. We closed off the site visit by helping to serve lunch. We put on aprons and gloves and carried the lunch trays to the seniors. I'm glad that the Center offers breakfast and lunch service because it helps many seniors not worry about at least two of their meals. It was heartbreaking to hear about how prior to opening the lobby at 6:30am so seniors can wait inside for the 7am breakfast service, seniors used to have to line up around the block while they waited. Can you imagine waiting in the cold and having to stand for a period of time as a senior who may have limited mobility problems? It had to be rough but they did this because they were afraid of not receiving a meal if they got there later. I hope the services at the Center expand in the future and more resources would be available to help the seniors in need. |
Leeda SeaArchives
June 2020
Categories |