September Blog: Boom Boom Pow

Who are the Baby Boomers?

• The population born Post World-War II between the years 1945 and 1964
• 76 million Boomers
• The "new generation" of senior citizens

 

The creation of the Boomers:

• Pre-World War II, couples were hesitant to have children and start families due to the Great Depression. After husbands came back from World War II, couples had faith in the future and that there would be a growth in economic prosperity. The economy did in fact "boom" with growing corporations, jobs, goods, all suburbs. All these factors led to the high rate of baby making and growing populations.

 

Growing up with the the Baby Boomer Genration:

•  The majority of the Baby Boomers grew up in during the 1960s-1970s, during the civil rights movement. This generations lived through the moonwalk, vietnam war, and civil rights movement.
• A lot of these boomers were considered "rebels" for being less traditional than previous generations. They had more liberal ideals, especially when it came to the sexual revolution, drug use, racial acceptance, and the environmental movement.

 

Accomplishments of the Boomers:

• This generation si known to be the largest, richest, and best educated.
• This generation were the first to have life changing technologies like computers, phones, and appliances.
• Some famous and powerful Boomers include Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, the Clintons, Oprah, Madonna, and Donald Trump.

Why it is important that senior centers prepare for the Baby Bomers?

• Life expectancy for seniors has grown by 12 years
• About 10,000 Americans turn 60 every day
• This new genration of seniors have different prefrences from the older ones
• They are the now and the future of centers, the boomers are comming, and they are coming quickly

What center activities and services do most boomers prefer?

• The reason for the increased life expectancy rate is for the lifestyle of the Baby Boomers. This generation is more cautious about their health. Health, nutrition, and physical fitness calsses asre quite popular amongst the boomers.
• They enjoy being more active compared to the older genrations who like to play cards. Many of these "new seniors" do not want to feel old. They choose to steer away from the stereotypes of senior centers that have "applasauce and bingo".
• A modern trend amongst the boomers is technology and social media. Classes to learn how to use technology are in demand. Apps made specifically for seniors are also quite popular.



 

 



Blog 6: Second Interview Preperation

• My mentor is Augustine Alvarado, the Program Recreation Leader at the West Covina Senior Center.

• My questions for this interview will be :
• What interested you to work at a senior center?
• What have you learned from working at a senior center?
• What skills are needed to work at a community center or with older adults?
• Have you had any experiences while working at the senior center that has stood out to you?
• How long have you been working with seniors?
• What differences have you noticed at the senior center since you first started working there?

Blog 5: Mentorship and Research Reflection

1. Mentorship Question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship.

• Over the summer I was in search for a place to get some community service hours, and my parents recommended that I volunteer at my local senior center.  I really liked the environment at the center. Volunteering was fun because the staff was nice and I had interesting conversations with seniors. I had such a great time that I decided to do my mentorship at the center. In June I was still undecided about my senior project. I never would have thought that my senior project would be on City Senior Center Services, but I am glad that I decided to volunteer at the center because I really enjoy it.

2. Research Question: What has been the most important article you have read so far?

• The most important article I have read so far is "The Evolving Role or Seniors in the 21st Century" by Ronald H. Aday Ph. D. Aday is a professor and has studied Aging and Social Gerentology. 

• This article was based on a study of several senior centers throughout the United States. The article provided information and statistics of these senior centers. There was information on the purpose of senior centers and the effect they have on seniors. There was also a section on the key to "successful aging". This article has helped me build a foundation on my topic so I can now decide on which area to focus more on. I now have an idea as to why senior centers are so important and what these centers can do to improve.

Senior Project Art Poster

• Senior Project Art Poster: For my art poster assignment, I decided to make the theme the movie "Up". This movie is about how an elder man completes his childhood dream. He didn't mind his age when he went after his dream of visiting Paradise Falls, which is drawn at the center of my poster. On the poster are two main characters Carl and Ellie Fredricksen, featured on the bottom corners of my poster. Above them are the childhood versions of themselves. I drew these characters because I wanted to address my quote at the bottom center, "Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional." I wanted the entire poster to represent the movie's meaning of it never being to late to follow your dreams, even if you are a senior.

• Golden Years: I relate the movie "Up" to my senior topic of City Senior Center Services, because I believe that senior services where created to help seniors live independently and enjoy their Golden Years, just like Carl Fredricksen did by achieving his goal in life to visit Paradise Falls. While mentoring at my senior center I want to help celebrate the lives and Golden Years of the seniors.

• Senior Center Menu: Personally I love art, so whenever the senior center employees let me write down the menu on the white board at the entrance of the center, I add drawings. Like Popeye and Olive above, I usually draw characters that the seniors might enjoy seeing. This week I drew Wilma and Fred Flintstone to advertise the senior dance. Everyone sees the board everyday to see what the center lunch program will be serving that day, so I like to add extra like drawings or quotes for everyone to see. I do this because I noticed that the center looks very plain and I want to brighten things up and remind seniors of happy childhood memories or  inspire them with a quote. Im taking small steps to make a positive difference. 

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?

• I plan to interview Spencer Rich, a West Covina Senior Center employee.

• I plan to interview Spencer because I want to understand the Senior Center through the perspective of an employee. The employees, whom most are younger adults, are responsible for running the senior center and providing the services. I would like to know more about how the employees interact with and fulfill the needs of the seniors.

2. What additional questions do you plan to ask?

• The basis of my questions is reflecting on the past, present, and what my interviewee would like to see in the future of senior services. With my senior project, I plan to help my local senior center thrive so that more seniors can enjoy and spend more time there throughout the day. With my interview, I will create a foundation for my research so I can get a better idea of a possible essential question.

• How are seniors affected by sharing services with non-seniors?

•  How does the West Covina Senior Center compare to other senior centers?

• How can a senior center attract more seniors?

• What changes can be made to better serve both the older generation of seniors (silent generation) and the newer generation (baby boomers)?
• In your perspective, what is the mission of a Senior Center?
• Can you tell me about some positive and negative experiences while working at the senior center?
• What would you like to see improve at the senior center?
• Why don’t most seniors stay at the center after lunch?

Topic Choice and Working EQ

1. List your Topic:

• City Senior Center Services

2. Possible EQ:

• What is the most effective way to attract seniors to a senior center?

3. My Working Bibliography (WB) can be found on the right hand side of the blog, and also in the link below.

• WB

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship Component

1. Make a log of the specific hours and descriptions of your duties:

• Mentorship Log

2. What is the contact name and number of where you volunteered? 

• West Covina Senior Center (626) 331-5366

3. What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of  experience?

• Why don’t most seniors stay at the center after lunch?
•  Are senior services adversely affected by sharing services with non-seniors?
•  How does the West Covina Senior Center compare to other senior centers?
• How can a senior center attract more seniors?
• What changes can be made to better serve both the older generation of seniors (silent generation) and the newer generation (baby boomers)?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

•  I believe that learning to understand the differences between seniors and the youth of today, is the most important thing I gained from my experience.  I believe this because many people in both generations have different opinions on the other and argue as to why theirs is best. I have come to realize that there are some positive and negative aspects of both generations that should be shared with one another.  

5. What is your senior project topic going to be? How did what you did help you choose a topic? 

• My senior project is going to be City Senior Services, understanding the Past, Present, and Improving the Future. Spending most of my summer volunteering and having my mentorship at the senior center helped me decide on my topic. I enjoy the environment of the community coming together to provide the best services possible to our seniors. I also discovered how much I enjoy conversing with seniors, they are the window to the past and they should be honored.