I also realized that older folks are not a monolithic group. Some may appear younger, look their age, be more active, have no health problems, and defy stereotypes about what “being old” means. Seeing the variety of different abilities and attitudes of older people not only gives me hope, but also hope for my parents. I worry about them since they are older than most parents of kids my age. I’m afraid I won't have them for as long as some of my peers will have their parents. After learning about how others age and ways to age better, my anxieties have been calmed. I need to cherish all the time I have with my parents and not take them for granted.
This course has also taught me to appreciate my life. Visiting the West center allowed me to better appreciate all that I have. What Paul said about my peers and I probably never experiencing homelessness is so right. There would have to be an enormous amount of things to go wrong for us to experience homelessness. The West center also made me realize that it isn’t just young people who experience homelessness. I have only ever seen young people experiencing homelessness and seeing how many older adults the West Center helps was eye opening. These folks are not only experiencing aging which can be stressful, but also aging without a home which has a plethora of risk factors on top of aging.