Today, the LCS crew visited the Gary and Mary West Senior Center—the place where our Group HAP Intergenerational Prom will be held in a month. I didn’t really have any expectations for the visit; I knew what kinds of programs they held, but I couldn’t envision what it would look like and how it would feel to be in there. It was amazing how the center embodied Serving Senior’s CEO Paul Downey’s vision of the center “not feeling like a senior center.” The amount of detail and attention given to each aspect of the building shows the commitment and efforts Serving Seniors puts into providing the safest, most comfortable space for the local San Diego senior community.
Right before our group served lunch at the cafeteria, we had the opportunity to mingle with the seniors at the center. If a year ago I had to do this, I would be terrified out of my mind to speak to anyone; however, that day, mesmerized by the beauty of the center, I was beyond excited to meet the community. I spoke with a gentleman (whose name I actually do not know) about his daily life and childhood. It almost seemed like he doesn’t get many chances to reminisce about his past because he kept saying “Oh, I haven’t thought about that for a while.” He also shared about the difficulty in eating at some of his favorite food places as he has to wait for social security money to do so; when he can’t afford to eat out, he has to come to the center to have a meal. I always imagined myself as a senior with everything: food, shelter, family, and money. But visiting the center made me realized how real it is to not have those things at that age, especially given how unsupportive the government and community can be. Nonetheless, Serving Seniors gives me great hope for the low-income senior community at San Diego.
Right before our group served lunch at the cafeteria, we had the opportunity to mingle with the seniors at the center. If a year ago I had to do this, I would be terrified out of my mind to speak to anyone; however, that day, mesmerized by the beauty of the center, I was beyond excited to meet the community. I spoke with a gentleman (whose name I actually do not know) about his daily life and childhood. It almost seemed like he doesn’t get many chances to reminisce about his past because he kept saying “Oh, I haven’t thought about that for a while.” He also shared about the difficulty in eating at some of his favorite food places as he has to wait for social security money to do so; when he can’t afford to eat out, he has to come to the center to have a meal. I always imagined myself as a senior with everything: food, shelter, family, and money. But visiting the center made me realized how real it is to not have those things at that age, especially given how unsupportive the government and community can be. Nonetheless, Serving Seniors gives me great hope for the low-income senior community at San Diego.