Arriving at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center was a very insightful experience as not only did I learn about the alarming demographics and poverty level of senior citizens in the US but also was able to spend time talking to some seniors in those categories. 85% of seniors at the Wellness Center live at or are below the federal poverty line as the median income they receive is only $950 per month. That’s insane to even fathom because they barely have money left over after paying for expensive housing rates, especially in downtown San Diego. The places they live in, such as single-room occupancies (SROs), are very small yet the cost is massive compared to the space lived in. This is why the Wellness Center has a program called “Serving Seniors” in which breakfast and lunch is provided for those seniors in dire need of aid due to financial crisis. Learning about all these stats surprised me as I realized not a lot of people, me included, know about these numbers and financial situations. Taking a tour of the center was also a great experience as I go to learn that they provided an abundance of resources like a dental center, game room, monitors, health services and other providers to help the seniors with resources they needed to have but could not attain. I talked to one of the seniors, Eddy, who told me how if it wasn’t for the center, he would be homeless because he runs out of food stamps towards the end of the month and relies on the “Serving Seniors” for nutrition. He also mentioned how he is happy to be close to the center as he can walk over and meet his friends frequently but also how he very much misses his mother and nine other siblings! Learning about where he grew up, his family, how he was his mom’s favorite (me too), and how he came to SD helped me learn each journey, like his, has its ups and downs and to appreciate help as never know when we may need it. I also saw how efficient serving seniors was as the servers were fast in preparing and we received clear directions which tables to give food to and how: Ladies first!!!
|
SHIVANI PATELWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
Categories |