Ah yes, the famed Healthy Aging Project of the LCS Program. Towards the beginning of my first quarter with LCS, I was very unsure of what I wished to do for this project. We had already learned so much about aging and I didn't know which aspect I wanted to tackle with a project that may have the potential to prove useful for the senior population in San Diego.
When my classmates Meena and Esthel brought up the original Phone Pals, Snail Mail, I knew right at that moment I wanted to be part of something that allows students to have direct contact with the seniors of SD. Additionally, the project highly appealed to me because of how it tackles the situation with loneliness and isolation in this vulnerable population. All was well, we began to figure out how to deliver mail, pair up partners, and ways to keep in contact with all our participants.
However, regardless of how much COVID-19 ruined already, corona had the audacity to mess with our HAPs project too :( I was so disheartened by how much effort we put in to plan out the original idea and how much the HAP initiation was getting pushed back. However, our team proved strong and reliable as we quickly adjusted to all the unforeseen circumstances that arose and, thus, Phone Pals, (Snail Mail 2.0) was birthed into this virus filled world, ready to alleviate the social isolation that the senior population faced and that the younger, college students now face due to quarantine.
And though our team faced many set backs, it was quite the learning experience and proved to be successful! We paired off senior residents from Talmadge and Potiker with UCSD students; these wonderful pairs were able to engage in phone calls for 3-4 weeks and some will continue past the end of this project. What is SUPER cool is that one of our team members, Elizza, was featured in KPBS San Diego, showcasing our partnership with Serving Senior's Potiker Residence. Though there were many things I wish I could've changed or done differently, I am still proud of the effort our group put in, and the willingness to take on more responsibility when things got rough.
I truly loved working with my groupmembers: Esthel, Elizza, Meena. They are truly the best and inspire me to achieve great things, just as we did for Phone Pals. I wish to see programs similar to Phone Pals implemented in senior residents in order to foster intergenerational connections and combat social isolations.
When my classmates Meena and Esthel brought up the original Phone Pals, Snail Mail, I knew right at that moment I wanted to be part of something that allows students to have direct contact with the seniors of SD. Additionally, the project highly appealed to me because of how it tackles the situation with loneliness and isolation in this vulnerable population. All was well, we began to figure out how to deliver mail, pair up partners, and ways to keep in contact with all our participants.
However, regardless of how much COVID-19 ruined already, corona had the audacity to mess with our HAPs project too :( I was so disheartened by how much effort we put in to plan out the original idea and how much the HAP initiation was getting pushed back. However, our team proved strong and reliable as we quickly adjusted to all the unforeseen circumstances that arose and, thus, Phone Pals, (Snail Mail 2.0) was birthed into this virus filled world, ready to alleviate the social isolation that the senior population faced and that the younger, college students now face due to quarantine.
And though our team faced many set backs, it was quite the learning experience and proved to be successful! We paired off senior residents from Talmadge and Potiker with UCSD students; these wonderful pairs were able to engage in phone calls for 3-4 weeks and some will continue past the end of this project. What is SUPER cool is that one of our team members, Elizza, was featured in KPBS San Diego, showcasing our partnership with Serving Senior's Potiker Residence. Though there were many things I wish I could've changed or done differently, I am still proud of the effort our group put in, and the willingness to take on more responsibility when things got rough.
I truly loved working with my groupmembers: Esthel, Elizza, Meena. They are truly the best and inspire me to achieve great things, just as we did for Phone Pals. I wish to see programs similar to Phone Pals implemented in senior residents in order to foster intergenerational connections and combat social isolations.