First of all, I would like to recognize how amazing our “Love, Care, Connect” event was over the past weekend. I could truly see the positive impact that our program had on the community throughout the day. The first minute that I arrived at the event I had an older woman come up to me and asked if we would have warm coats and shoes and I was so excited to tell her that we would if she would just return after we set up. While all of our stations were executed really well, I was so impressed with the boutique. The boutique had something for everyone and all the feedback that I had gotten was so positive and I loved to see everyone's smiling faces as they left with something new. As for my own comfort station, it was great to see so many people so excited about what we had to offer. I will say though that I think for next time I would suggest the group running it to keep a close eye on the people coming because I think we definitely had some people taking advantage and coming back many times leaving less for the people that came later and one group even brought to-go tupperwares. Another suggestion that I have for a future group would be to have treats that are lower in sugar and more diabetic friendly as we did have one man that could not have anything because he was watching his blood sugar and I am sure this is common in a lot of seniors. Overall I loved the event as a whole and was so grateful to make a difference in the lives of the seniors at the Gary and Mary West Center, even if it was only for a few hours.
This week we missed Casa De Mańana, but I did catch a few glimpses of what it might be like to live somewhere like that. As I arrived, I realized that this facility is in one of the nicest areas in San Diego with views of the water and what seem to be very luxurious units. On the day that we were scheduled to be there the residents were also scheduled for a safari visit at the San Diego Safari Park and they filed into a chartered bus ready for their day. From what I understand this place is very luxurious and they have access to many more amenities and resources than a typical senior living at a care facility. The seniors that live here are incredibly privileged. I hope that sometime in the near future we can shed more light on the conditions that typical seniors live in and hopefully provide more resources giving them even a fraction of the amenities that Casa De Mańana is able to provide.
To conclude my very last blog post I would like to give a big thank you to Professor Lewis! This course was more eye opening than I ever could have imagined. I would recommend this class to anyone that has the opportunity to take it. I learned so much in just one short quarter and while it can be more time consuming than other classes it was so enriching and I am so glad that I was able to take this course and soak up all the information that I possibly could. I have a special place for seniors in my heart and I now look at my community differently. I am excited for what the future has in store for me and how I can incorporate my new found knowledge and understanding into my daily life.
This week we missed Casa De Mańana, but I did catch a few glimpses of what it might be like to live somewhere like that. As I arrived, I realized that this facility is in one of the nicest areas in San Diego with views of the water and what seem to be very luxurious units. On the day that we were scheduled to be there the residents were also scheduled for a safari visit at the San Diego Safari Park and they filed into a chartered bus ready for their day. From what I understand this place is very luxurious and they have access to many more amenities and resources than a typical senior living at a care facility. The seniors that live here are incredibly privileged. I hope that sometime in the near future we can shed more light on the conditions that typical seniors live in and hopefully provide more resources giving them even a fraction of the amenities that Casa De Mańana is able to provide.
To conclude my very last blog post I would like to give a big thank you to Professor Lewis! This course was more eye opening than I ever could have imagined. I would recommend this class to anyone that has the opportunity to take it. I learned so much in just one short quarter and while it can be more time consuming than other classes it was so enriching and I am so glad that I was able to take this course and soak up all the information that I possibly could. I have a special place for seniors in my heart and I now look at my community differently. I am excited for what the future has in store for me and how I can incorporate my new found knowledge and understanding into my daily life.