In this week’s class we got a chance to share the results of the succulent workshops that we held at different senior centers and everyone was glad to hear we had such a good turn-out. We provided the class with plenty of pictures showing how the seniors were enjoying themselves and how creative they were in designing their succulent jars. The event was a complete success, so much so where the next cohort of students may put on similar activities. Next, we were able receive feedback on our poster designs for the healthy aging projects we created. This was a great opportunity to make adjustments to the posters and also see how other members of the class organized and designed their posters as well for the upcoming Healthy Aging Symposium. After going over the posters, we began to discuss our individual assignments on debunking ageist stereotypes and bridging gaps of understanding about the aging population. This was one of my favorite individual assignments to do because it allowed me to look into some of the myths society holds towards the aging population and investigate how these myths came about and provide factual data as to why theses myths are not true to counter society’s ideas. Also I had fun in creating an easy-to-read brochure that disseminates positive information that shows how seniors in our community possess a large body of knowledge and how they continue to contribute to society in multiple ways through tasks such as volunteering, community service, pursuing higher education, and contributing to the workforce. I believe this information is important because seniors have been marginalized by a large amount of people in society which has implications on their life course in terms of healthy aging and housing so hopefully with the help of the LCS program and the Healthy Aging Symposium we can remove some of the stigmas associated with aging that continue to have an negative effect on our aging population. Lastly, at the end of class we all got together and helped other group’s package up their donation bags for their upcoming event and we discussed dates for the next HAP activities. All in all, it was a very productive day going through and planning all the upcoming events.
This week was very exciting because we had our second installment of our succulent workshop. The event was held with our friends at the Bayside community center. The morning got off to a great start we arrived early and began setting up the room with decorations and arranging the tables for the seniors to assemble their succulent jars. Once we finished setting up, the seniors arrived and they were so excited that we were putting on this event for them they were saying things such as “we have been waiting all week for this event.” I had a really good time interacting with every senior there because I was at the station where the seniors would pick out which succulent they wanted and I would help them fill their mason jars with soil and help arrange their plants which afforded me the opportunity to have some amazing conversations with them. While talking with Jacqueline, she told me that she always wanted to have a succulent garden but due to yard space constraints she was unable to do so that is why this was the perfect opportunity for her to be able to have a succulent that she could put in her windowsill. In another instance, Mary was excited about building her succulent jar because she told me that she has many succulents at her home and she was glad she was able to find different types of succulents while attending our event. By the end of the event it was nice to see all the smiling faces and how happy everyone was at the Bayside community center. The LCS crew and I had an amazing time there and look forward to visiting again.
In this week’s class, we began by discussing the second half of our book by John Leland Happiness is A Choice You Make. Our group presented the overall findings of the book and created some interesting questions for the class to discuss. Overall, I found the book to be quite intriguing and I really enjoyed how the author inserted himself throughout the book because it gave the book a tone that was more conversational rather than a one way reading of text. I also gained a lot of insight from many of the stories and examples given in the book. For example, the fact that it is better to focus on what makes you happy now instead of worrying about the future and I reveled in the fact that one can still find happiness even during strenuous times. These main takeaways are something that I will be integrating throughout my life. After discussing the book presentations, professor Bussell give us information on how to make our posters for Healthy Aging Symposium. Lastly, we began by talking about our healthy aging project event and how we were so excited for our first succulent party this quarter. The succulent party was a complete success! My group and I had an amazing time at Potiker. We really enjoyed the senior’s enthusiasm learning about what it takes to care for their succulent plant and how much they were excited about choosing which type of plant they wanted and how they were going to decorate it. The seniors were having an amazing time, they were finishing their succulent plants then they would go and grab some of their friends and bring them to the party so they can participate in the event as well. We had seniors coming out of the woodwork trying to get succulent plants, we literally had lines of people and gladly enough we ensured that they were all able to leave with plants putting smiles on their faces. During the event it was so nice to see all the inter-generational interactions that were taking place and especially how the seniors were thanking us so much throughout the event. This event really brought joy to my heart because you could feel how appreciative the seniors were for us putting on this event. Overall, I feel this event has connected me deeper with the people in this community and I can’t wait to put on the next event at Bayside!
Today we visited our friends at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Ctr. I was very excited to be coming back to this location because I feel I have created strong bonds with some of the people there, strong enough in that they recognize me and shout for me from across the room when I arrive as in the case of my two good friends Francis and Nelly. It was so good seeing them again. Initially they wanted to know what our class visit was going to be about and I told them we were going to be doing a life exchange group where we had some cards with some questions on them that they could answer. They seem interested initially then they began just talking about their lives and how things have been going for them since we last talked and I was totally okay with that. Francis began talking about how she started driving for lyft and how exciting that was and it was really nice to see that she was enjoying it because she said she was meeting a lot of different people and I believe this is a great opportunity for her to be able to socialize with different groups of people. Also, Francis gave me an update on her status on moving into a more permanent home situation and that she has been on the waiting list for a long time and she just received news that she moved up to sixth place on the list which is a significant jump from where she was prior. Francis was really excited about this because it will create a better living condition for herself she says. Talking to Nelly for a bit was quite joyous as well she was excited to see everyone and you can truly get a sense that it completely brightens her day when the LCS members come to chat with her. All in all, it was a great day spent at the West Center.
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WAYNE B HARRISONWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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