Today was the day of the senior prom at the Gary and Mary West Center. The event was from 1:15pm to 3:15pm. The theme was a carnival, and we had pizza, churros and apple juice from Costco. I helped set up the event by cutting churros, cutting up many bananas for the fondue machine, and putting pizza onto plates. I thought the event went very well. It was pretty rewarding for me to serve seniors pizza and churros and I enjoyed contributing to the event this way. Everyone really enjoyed the pizza, churros and apple juice that was served. We also had a raffle and gave away prizes like hand cream, soap, blankets, mugs, and plants. The seniors were so excited to win prizes and really seemed to enjoy the blankets because they were so soft. The photo booth was also a success, and I saw people leaving with polaroids. I remember seeing people leave wearing the boas and sunglasses. They told us on the way out that they really enjoyed the event, which I was happy to hear. On the way out, we gave goodie bags to people, and they appreciated the goodie bags a lot. Afterwards we helped clean up by clearing the tablecloths, tearing down the decorations and sweeping the floors. I liked that this was our concluding event for the quarter, because it was very rewarding. I had a lot of fun, and I really look forward to the events next quarter and learning even more about healthy aging.
In today's class, everyone presented their NAP projects. We listened to presentations about the neighborhoods of Hillcrest, Sabre Springs, Encinitas, and Barrio Logan. Listening to everyone's presentations made me learn about environments I hadn't even heard of before. My group presented about the neighborhood of Little Italy. It was really interesting learning about the different neighborhoods- from the environment to the culture and age-friendly the neighborhood was. For me, although I've been to Little Italy multiple times, there are aspects of the neighborhood that I never noticed before doing this project. For example, there are no grocery stores in Little Italy. Residents have to count on the weekly Farmer's market to obtain fresh produce and other goods, or own a vehicle to drive to the closest grocery stores. I was also surprised by the lack of green spaces. During our expedition, my group only found one park, and it wasn't even a park for humans, it was for dogs. The neighborhood's motto is "hip and historic neighborhood" and this is clear due to how inaccessible it is for older people. There are many entrances that have stairs, and also no buses to travel within Little Italy. There are also no health centers and senior living communities. This project really opened my eyes to how architecture and environment are intentional. Little Italy definitely caters to a demographic, but it is not for the aging demographic. Little Italy does have events like the weekly Farmer's market that draws in people from all age groups, which is a plus.
Today in class we finished the last of the Oral History Project presentations. It was really enjoyable listening and learning about everyone's extraordinary person and the journey that they've had to where they are now. It was cool seeing the physical copies of memoirs that were made. I really like Sabrina's Chinese New Year decoration memoir because I could relate to it. I think the oral history project has been my favorite part of being part of Life Scholars so far because I really like hearing people's stories and experiences. I also presented my current event with Victoria and Chloe. We were one of the last two groups to present. We talked about how in Houston, Texas, they had a job fair recently for seniors. The job fair provides seniors with a chance of finding employment and is a wonderful opportunity for seniors the level the playing field with millennials. I think that there should be a lot more job fairs for seniors, because not all of them are familiar with technology like online applications, and job fairs allow multiple opportunities to be presented at the same time. We presented with a powerpoint presentation because it is a lot more engaging, it is easier for people to learn about the article and ask questions, and we wanted to provide visuals for people. Next week, we will be presenting our NAPS. I am looking forward to learning where everyone decided to visit, and how senior friendly neighborhoods in San Diego are.
During the evening today, we hosted a dance at Casa de Manaña, the senior living community in La Jolla that we previously visited before and took a tour of. The theme for the dance tonight was Rock N' Roll. The decorations included mini convertible stands, vinyl record banners, a pop up 50's diner photo opportunity, mini jukeboxes, streamers and large banners that said rock n' roll. There was also soda, champagne, and mini cheesecakes and brownies. I came at 7:00 because I had class. There was a band singing songs from Tennesee Waltz, to Pretty Woman, and other great hits that I didn't recognize. A lot of my classmates walked to the dance floor and danced, with each other and with other seniors who decided to dance as well. There was also a raffle held, where we raffled off prizes from soaps, Starbucks gift cards, succulents, teacups, hand creams, treats and other plants like lavender. I prefer to observe everything that was going on from the side, because I am kind of shy when it comes to dancing. I helped clean up the dance afterwards, and took down streams, vinyl record banners, and other tasks. At the end of the dance, we all took a group photo to commemorate the event. Then we all left at around 8 o clock after cleaning up. The dance was a success. I am definitely interested to see how the dance at the Gary and Mary West Center will go later on in the quarter.
Today's class consisted of more Oral History Project presentations, the group presentation on This Chair Rocks, and current event presentations. I liked listening to everyone's oral history projects and finally presented my oral history project on my mom. I am really thankful for the opportunity to be able to do this project because I learned a lot more about my mom that I didn't know before. My mom has lived a wonderful life so far and it was pretty cool to put all of those memories into a powerpoint and booklet. From the book presentation on This Chair Rocks, I learned about ageism. The part of the presentation that stood out to me was the author's quote that compared aging to race, and I agreed with the critique by my classmates how that is a terrible comparison to make. However, the book is still very educational and has a lot of useful information in it. Out of the current event presentations, the one about robots and how they could potentially help the elderly was very fascinating. I personally think that unless robots have the emotional connection that humans crave, they would not be the best for helping the elderly. In terms of progress on my NAP project, my group visited Little Italy on Saturday during the farmer's market and got a really good look at the neighborhood, environment and landscape. Little Italy is designed to be urban and hip, and is not senior-friendly in many ways, besides the fact that there is a trolley station to get there in the first place. I am looking forward to working on the NAP project and combining everything I have learned about it, after researching and exploring the landscape.
Today's class consisted of learning and listening to other classmates' Oral History Projects about their Extraordinary Person. It was really cool seeing what people had come up with for their projects- from a jewelry box to an origami flower. I really enjoyed listening to people's stories about their extraordinary person- from their best memories, favorite memories, and personal struggles. I look forward to sharing my mom's memories with the class soon. During this class the group I was in presented about Selling the Fountain of Youth- from what the book was about, what we learned from the book, and whether or not we would recommend it. I personally would recommend the book, because I learned a lot of information about anti-aging that I had no idea about before. However, I also felt that the book was not impartial and had a lot of bias. I found the part of the book about celebrity influence the most interesting, especially with the Suzanne Somers "Effect." We also discussed individual healthy aging products, which will be coming up in the spring. I would like to do a nutrition type of event or something interactive that involves food, such as hosting a healthy no-bake cooking demo, because it would be easy, simple and safe. I was kind of thinking along the lines of a no-bake cheesecake since it is something that I have made before. I would like to make that kind of recipe with modifications, like less sugar. I am also considering microwave recipes as well.
Today's class was the first one after traveling to different sites in previous classes. We recapped our experiences and what we learned and saw at Casa de Manana. Professor Bussell and Professor Lewis then delved into what NAPS and HAPS are. NAPS are Neighborhood Age-Friendly Assessment Projects. We are expected to work in small teams to look at different San Diego neighborhoods and check out how age-friendly they are. The professors wrote out on the whiteboard names of neighborhoods students suggested. The group I am in is going to explore Little Italy, which has easy access to public transportation, a weekly Farmer's Market, and a lot of restaurants and shops. From what I know about Little Italy though, it isn't very cost-friendly, so I am looking forward to see what else we will find when we go and explore it. I also learned about HAPS, which are Healthy Aging Projects. Our class was split into two groups, one in charge of planning a prom for the Gary and Mary West Center, and one was in charge of planning a dance for Casa de Manana. I was put into the Casa de Manana group. We were given time within our NAPS and HAPS groups to discuss plans on how we were going to do these projects. We were also told to start thinking about our individual HAPS as well. I am still not sure what I am going to do for my individual HAP, but I will think about it and see.
Today, our class visited Casa de Manana, a senior living community in downtown La Jolla, right by the ocean. Casa De Manana is extremely luxurious. The community offers many amenities and resources for seniors, including provided meals, field trips around San Diego, a library, beauty salon, gym, pool, healthcare services, a bistro, movie theater with weekly showings, a saltwater aquarium, fountains, board game lounge, a little shop boutique, opportunities to make art and of course the beautiful ocean view. Housekeeping and third party services like dermatology are also provided. Casa de Manana also gives residents many opportunities to get to know one another and build social bonds.
This is the place to live, if you can afford it. The cheapest housing starts at $4300 for apartments all the way to around $12000 for deluxe villas. The cost was kind of jaw-dropping for me. It made me realize how money can play a factor in your long-term health. Socioeconomic status absolutely factors into decisions people make and for their entire lives. It is easier to access the resources you need if you have the money to do so. We were told that on the tour that a lot of the residents do live longer, and some live past 100 because they can pay for the healthcare services, and physical and mental wellness resources they need. In comparison to the affordable housing options I saw last week, this was on the opposite side of the spectrum. Something that I liked was that they plant a rose bush for every resident that lives there. That is a really nice personal touch that adds to the welcoming environment at Casa de Manana. I really appreciated how warm and friendly the staff at Casa de Manana were, and can't wait to come back for senior prom later this year! In the morning, everyone boarded a shuttle to check out some affordable housing options for seniors in San Diego. The first stop was Potiker Family Senior Residence, where we learned a lot of information about the space. I was shocked at the number of people on the waitlist for housing options like Potiker, compared to how many housing units there actually are.
We also visited a housing unit where a woman named Irene currently lives, and heard her story. She mentioned how before she came to Potiker, she had to deal with bedbugs and cockroaches. She had a very positive energy, and was incredibly nice and welcoming. We also visited the Sara Francis Hometel, where I noticed that the housing was drastically different. The rooms are smaller but provided the basic necessities needed. We then hopped back on the shuttle and traveled to Celadon, for a quick stop. I learned that the housing units are designed to fit right in with other buildings in the area. I would never be able to tell that that site had affordable housing if not for this trip. What is really nice about Celadon is its proximity to transportation and other amenities. We then traveled to the Path San Diego's Connections Housing, and learned about the services it provides. The building is a one stop homeless services center, and provides a number of services which include medical service, and housing. After that, we visited Atmosphere. Atmosphere also has a sleek style of architecture that blends in with the surrounds, just like the previous places as well. The housing options don't look like what you would typically expect affordable housing to look like. We then visited New Palace Hotel, and learned about its history and affordable housing costs. The final place we visited was North Park Senior Apartments. This was my favorite location, because not only is it the first affordable housing for LGBTQ seniors, but it is also incredibly eco friendly, spacious and comfortable. When I first looked at the center from the outside, it didn't seem that big, but after going on the tour provided Sylvia Martinez, I was surprised by the intention and purpose behind every architectural aspect of the place. The attention to detail was amazing. The apartments had different door colors for every floor, alcoves in the stairs, windows and open hallways, and even different kinds of doorbells depending on accessibility needs. Overall, I learned a tremendous amount of information from the field trip. My biggest takeaways were that having affordable housing let alone enough housing is a major issue in San Diego. However, the affordable housing options in San Diego having amazing services and resources for seniors who need them. Hopefully in San Diego in the future, there can be more housing options available for people who need them. For today's class, we visited the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center. We were introduced to the Center and learned some history about it. We were also provided a tour of the space. I was surprised to learn about the number of resources that the center offered, including free dental care, health care services, exercise classes, meals and a computer lab, because of the size of the space. The inside was actually very spacious and had many different rooms. According to the staff, the dental care services offered at Gary and Mary West Center are one of the very few services that is free in the entire country. I was also surprised to learn that most of the people who visit the center are living below the poverty line. I learned about issues that seniors face in San Diego, which included affordable housing. Housing is so limited and expensive in San Diego which drastically affects seniors the most. The center does an amazing job of taking care of the seniors that visit.
After learning more about the Center, we were then given time to interact with seniors at the space. I got the opportunity to talk to a man named Cherense (I'm not sure if I'm spelling that correctly) and learned about his family and his background. He shared that he came to the United States from the Phillipines, and eventually ended up in San Diego when he was in his 60s. I also learned that he did a lot of farm work when he was younger, and that he has a lot of family in San Diego as well as in places like London. After talking to him, I also joined Victoria in mid-conversation with another woman named Dwaina. She definitely had the life of the party inside of her. She mentioned that we should all go together to Las Vegas sometime and explore. Before I knew it, it was already 11:25pm and it was time to go back to school. I would have loved to talk to more people and listen to their stories, but the time was too short. The visit to the Gary and Mary West Center was one to remember for sure, and I look forward future trips for the class! |
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June 2019
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