It was a fun filled night with our friends at Casa de Mañana and their annual senior prom. The night got off on the right foot literally. The bands had music going and the LCS crew and our seniors were going to town on the dance floor. The event was so exciting because we set up a photo booth that was rockin’ the early 1950s soda pop shop classical theme. The seniors and LCS staff were instantly drawn in by the allure of the photo booth. It was really nice to see how the photo booth became a central hub for the seniors who were not only taking all sorts of photos with their friends and the LCS staff but also made for a great medium for socializing. The seniors were even suggesting taking pictures with all sorts of props such as large glasses, boas, and rainbow colored beads. It was obvious that the seniors were having a blast. The night festivities also featured an awesome raffle giveaway which was handled by our amazing LCS members who had the seniors laughing and on the edge of their seats with anticipation waiting for their lucky member to be called. The lucky seniors who won enjoyed different types of prizes such as succulent plants which seem to be the hottest item of the night and others received gift cards which they were very excited to receive. All in all, I feel that from the feedback I received from the seniors they enjoyed everything from the music to the photos to raffle and everything in between. This blast from the past was a complete success.
This week we started off with the second half of the classes EP presentations and group current event presentations. I got the morning started off by presenting my mother as my EP and shared with the class some of her finest memories relating back to her childhood and her Native American ancestry. I was really excited to present because I knew it would give me a chance to not only talk about how awesome my mother is but also allow others to learn a little bit about Native American culture. I was glad that the class enjoyed my physical element that I created which were three dream catchers that had symbolic meaning for my mother. After my presentation, others in the class shared their EP’s stories and it was such an honor and inspiring to hear about their life and achievements. Later in the morning we began the group current event presentations which were full of interesting topics. The group that stood out to me the most was the group that discussed how in Europe they are proposing that robots act as caretakers for seniors. This topic sparked amazing discourse because the idea that robots could assist seniors I believe could be a positive thing in terms of medication reminders or some type of digital interface where doctors could communicate directly with seniors through the robot for example. On the other hand, cost was brought up and who would be able to afford this type of technology and would this lead to further widening the gap in healthcare based on income. In the end it was a nice day full of great presentations and conversations.
Wednesday was very eventful because we had our oral history project presentations and a group book review. I found the oral history presentations to be very inspiring because I got a chance to listen to my classmates discuss stories about their exceptional person and some of the reasons as to why they chose them. It was also nice to see the many physical elements that the presenters created such as origami flowers, intricate jewelry boxes, and even a hand molded model airplane. Overall I thought the presentations were nicely done and I could see the joy my classmates had in presenting their family members. After the presentations, we began to discuss the book Selling the Fountain of Youth. I feel we could have discussed this book for days because there was so much to talk about within the ideas of intervening with the aging process by creating so many untested products that claim it can reverse the aging process. This ideology is further compounded by the fact you have celebrities endorsing these untested products. I believe that this book further strengthens my belief that marketing and advertising play a large negative role in promoting this “idea of what youth is” and “what youth should look like,” while at the same time making older people feel less confident about aging naturally which leads them to purchasing a plethora of anti-aging products which can be harmful. In the end I feel there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way society views aging and only then as a collective whole we can truly see the beauty in aging naturally.
After spending the past couple of week outside of the class visiting different sites, we finally made it back to our classroom. This session back in class was very interesting because this was our first set of presentations on current events regarding aging. The first presentation was about elderly driving and when and if they should have their license removed due to old age. This got me wondering how and if this could be a positive thing because maybe on the surface people may think one’s numerical value should be the ultimate determining factor in when one should stop driving however, I would challenge that argument and discuss the fact that there are studies that show some 80-year-olds have the same cognitive ability and reflex ability as those who are 50 years younger. I also feel that by preventing someone from driving based on their age not only perpetuates ageism but it could also place an elder in a situation where one can no longer enjoy the freedom of mobility, which can have a harmful effect on their mental health and also can prevent them from accessing healthcare and participating normal daily living activities. Our group followed that presentation by discussing loneliness which seemed very fitting because transportation can be one’s means to interacting with others based on their location. As a group we felt that loneliness in the senior community seems to go unscrutinized on a large scale so we thought it was a perfect opportunity to discuss some aspects of senior loneliness and how it can lead to health problems. It was also nice receiving feedback on how community leaders can use technology to reduce the amount of loneliness seniors experience especially those in rural areas. All in all, it was a very productive class session which made for great discussion.
Visiting the retirement community Casa De Mañana made for a pleasant day. On arriving to the facility greeted by a stunning panoramic view of La Jolla Cove. The friendly staff welcomed us and discussed some of the demographics about their community. I found it very interesting that this community is for the most part comprised of seniors that are highly educated and affluent according to the marketing manager. As one would expect Casa De Mañana is full of amenities ranging from fine dining to well-being and fitness programs to libraries that promote lifelong learning. Later we were able to meet a few of the residents and hear about their background and discuss how much they enjoyed the community. While touring the facility, we noticed there were plenty of people enjoying themselves and we even walked through a couple of fitness classes that the seniors were participating in and they gladly invited us to join in. The thing that struck me the most was finding out how much it costs seniors to live in the retirement community. Casa De Mañana offers traditional apartments, deluxe apartments, and deluxe villas ranging from $4300-$13,000 per month. This was a dramatic difference in price as compared to other senior centers we visited, so it was really interesting to see firsthand how one’s social economic status in life can have a dramatic effect on living conditions later on in life and witnessing how wide the wealth health gap really is. At the end of the day it was nice to see the seniors at the center living and enjoying long healthy life.
Bright and early Saturday morning we loaded up on a shuttle to go and visit different affordable housing options for seniors primarily in the downtown area. The first stop was the Potiker Family Senior Residence. I really enjoyed this housing option because the ambience was very relaxed. The facility featured plenty of areas that let in natural light to give the place a greater sense of openness. While the staff at this facility focuses on key areas such as lifelong learning, nursing care, legal services, and advocacy, I was intrigued at seeing how the residence utilized some of the amenities there such as the large vegetable garden, the fitness rooms, the library, and the computer lab.
Continuing on our tour we stopped by the Celadon @9th and Brodway which was a new construction. We did not get to enter the facility however the outside of the building looked amazing while at the same time using sustainable products in its construction. It was also nice to know that out of the 250 affordable units 25 of them would be allocated for youths who are aging out of foster care. Our last stop on the tour was the Northpark Senior Apartments. This is San Diego’s first LGBT affirming senior housing community. This facility features 76 affordable apartments for people 55 and older and for seniors of all sexual orientation. I found this facility to be one of the best not only was the building decorated with artwork it also featured some very nice community areas for social gatherings. Lastly, I think it was great to see that there are multiple housing options and programs across the wide spectrum of living circumstances that seniors are faced with that can help them continue to live long meaningful and healthy lives. Visiting the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center was a pleasant experience. We arrived early and were greeted by kind personnel who then directed us to meet with the CEO Paul Downey. Mr. Downey gave us a brief introduction to the facility and also information about the demographics of people who utilized the center. What stood out to me the most from his presentation was the fact that there are 12,060 seniors in San Diego County that are living at or below the federal poverty level. What is even more discerning is the fact that the federal poverty level was created in 1963 and uses data from 1955 to assess the poverty level today. Although, they have adjusted for inflation since then, that just allows one to measure what it means to be poor in current times in 1960's terms. I believe the federal poverty level is out-of-date and too slow to keep up with current needs so that is to say we need new measures.
After our presentation we took a tour of the facility. The facility is a complete one-stop shop in a sense because it provides seniors with meals, exercise classes, educational classes for life-long learning, dental care, and plenty of socialization opportunities. I found these socialization opportunities to be great because I got to meet two wonderful people Jess and Frank, where we discussed things such as how they were enjoined the facility and we even talked about their background and upbringing. It was great speaking with them because I could see the excitement in their eyes from interacting with someone who is genuinely interested in their story and it was my pleasure being able to listen to them. All in all, it was a great time at the center and I can’t wait to visit the friendly staff and people at the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center soon. What started off as a cold rainy day, quickly turned into a bright sign day full of joy, laughter, and new experiences which is how I would describe my time during the retreat at the Martin Johnson house. The Johnson house is a unique cottage that is cozied up right along the Pacific coastline providing spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla Cove, and the Scripps pier.
After being whisked away by the venue’s charm, we started off our day doing some icebreaking activities such as playing a who am I game where we had to guess the name on our backs and then find our matching partner. This was a great experience because not only was I “made aware” of who Hermione Granger was,(I know nothing about Harry Potter, I thought he was from Lord of the rings) I was also able to find my partner and discuss some of the things we have in common which is fulfilling when you are meeting someone for the first time. Later in the day we formed groups to discuss social determinants of health in the form of a life course board game. This game really stood out to me because it explained privilege, disadvantage, and it put contexts behind the circumstances that affect one’s health, life, or death. While playing the game everyone soon realized that depending on your socio-economic status just one setback can have a profound effect on a person’s health outcomes or life. Another highlight of my day was when we had the chance to meet with Patricia Benesh. Patricia gave us the opportunity to ask questions about writing memoirs and partnering. During this time Patricia also had us share a photo with others in the room and discuss certain aspects of that person’s life during the time the photo was taken. This was a significant point of the day because I had the utmost pleasure of discussing one of my dear friend’s new experiences. Lastly, we ended the amazing day by taking a walk up a few of the trails to assess the age friendliness of the area while reflecting on our day. If you thought Zumba class was going to be some lackadaisical exercise routine then you would be wrong. Visiting our friends over at the Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista we engaged in a Zumba session for the ages (no pun intended). As soon as the instructor showed up it was full throttle, she didn’t waste any time getting started. We were bombarded with all sorts of dance moves and amazing music ranging from salsa to hip-hop. Initially everyone was flailing around trying to get the steps down, and then once we figured out how to do the move she would change it up and at the same time speed up the rhythm. A few minutes in and my shirt was drenched. At this rate I felt I would either be dancing like a professional salsa dancer by the time this was done or the room would just be spinning. I found it awesome that a few of my community elders had the steps down like a pro. It was nice to exercise and dance with some of the elders because I was able to create a few social bonds and learn some things about their lives that they wanted to share with me while dancing alongside each other. This group activity was important to me because it allowed me to interact with joyful people while at the same time giving me the opportunity to speak with the elders of our community and make them feel important and as an integral piece of our society without marginalizing them as some in our society tends to do. I guess in the end finding my “salsa hips” was definitely a bonus.
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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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