This week we had our site visit at the Gary and Mary West Center. Before we took a tour, we were briefed for about thirty minutes on what to expect. We had learned that a majority of the people there were under the national poverty level and were incredibly dependent on Social Security Income. This money, however, primarily covers their costs for housing because rent costs in San Diego are so expensive. Therefore, a lot of the people there are dependent on the center for food. The center provides breakfast and lunch every day, 365 days a year and free of cost. Not only that, but the center also takes care of basic doctor checkups, dental care, and provides resources and referrals to legal and psychiatric services. Health in elderly people is reliant on healthy and nutritious foods, and not only that but a healthy social life can also significantly aid health. At this center, all these things are provided in order to maintain health in the people that come there because in the long run, that makes things much easier and affordable than having to cover healthcare costs of a person with already deteriorating health. A lot of the people I had spoken to there said that they were alone and without family in San Diego, or that if they did have family there, they were too afraid to live with them because they felt that they would be a burden. It’s heartbreaking to hear these stories but witnessing first-hand how this center had acted as a means of gaining a second family was really great. You could really tell that a lot of these people have formed strong friendships and bonds with each other because they see each other there every day.
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Tanveer MoundiWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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