With the Spring 2021 semester coming to an end, we wanted to reflect on everything we have done so far! Our first semester as a club was certainly filled with a lot of learning experiences and growth, and we cannot wait to see what next year brings! Now, let's get into what we did this semester!
Testimonials
We believe the best way to understand the true impact of our work this semester is to hear from our residents themselves. Read on to hear what this experience was like for Villa Gardens residents and staff.
"All of us here at Villa Gardens very much appreciate the thoughtful and excellent targeted programing that the USC Advocates for Healthy Aging have so generously brought to our retirement community. Last fall, we benefitted from the expertise of many USC experts as we explored during the Dimensions of Wellness Speaker Series, shared pandemic coping strategies, and had so much fun interacting with such bright, enthusiastic, and caring USC students. What a wonderful surprise that the USC interns returned this spring with a wide variety of creative programming that offered us the opportunity to learn, share, and interact in a way that has certainly enriched our lives and helped us adapt and learn new skills in response to this new world we all find ourselves in during these challenging times. We feel very fortunate to have this connection with USC and these exceptional, special interns and human beings."
- Lisa Tanashi, Resident
"Writing on behalf of the 250 residents of the Villa Gardens retirement community in Pasadena and particularly as Chair of the Senior Advocates committee, we have welcomed, enjoyed, and benefited from the generous activities and thoughtful programs of the Healthy Aging group of students from USC. These college students have sponsored numerous quite appropriate mini-lectures and discussions of topics of direct concern for our older residents — nutrition, exercise, health, and community and as well a one-on-one buddy interaction
bringing together 90 and 20 year olds, which has shown that we are not so different after all. As we move in the hopeful future from virtual zoom contacts to person-to-person interactions, we at Villa Gardens look forward to a closer association with Healthy Aging."
- Brice Harrison, Resident and Chair of Senior Advocates Committee
"Advocates for Healthy Aging has been done a wonderful job in building programs that allows interaction with our older and younger adults. What a great way for both generations to learn from each other. The lessons and experiences learned via the programs the organization developed cannot be done in a classroom. Advocates for Healthy Aging is creating invaluable experiences that benefit all in the future."
- Kohar Kelkelyan, Director of Social Services
Programming Series
In our programming series, we brought in guest speakers to discuss wellness topics and bond with each other! This semester, Director of Programming, Mona, and the rest of our team hosted 8 events for the Villa Gardens residents. These events included:
Wellness Kick-Off
Intellectual Wellness with Dr. Kimberly Morris Eggleston
Occupational Wellness with Noelle Schorn
Emotional Wellness with Dr. Jennifer Hsia
Zoom Speed Dating
Tech Tips and Tricks
Show and Tell
Teach and Share
Technology Hotline
For our technology hotline, 11 of our amazing volunteers hosted weekly office hours on Zoom and via the phone to help troubleshoot any technology difficulties for the Villa Gardens residents. Below our first semester schedule is posted!
TeleSocial Buddies
We also had 13 TeleSocial buddy pairings this semester. Each of our pairings called at least once a week to chat and connect with one another. We had so much fun getting to know you all and can't wait to continue this.
Advocacy Discussions
Thanks to our amazing Director of Advocacy, Davis, we had great advocacy discussions as a club. We discussed topics such as elder abuse, telehealth, COVID-19 vaccination, and more! We can't wait to continue learning even more next year.
Thank you!
Thank you to all of our incredible residents at Villa Gardens, Villa Gardens staff, volunteers, and executive board. Together we have accomplished so much, and we cannot wait to see what comes for us in the future.