Our Young & Old Written

Our Young & Old

Written By: Amy Lang

This year, I and several other youth volunteers at Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC) were given the opportunity to help out with the Chinese American community health services’ “Elders Have Fun” event. This event (after its success in 2023) took place over the course of 12 weekends at the WorldShine Adult Medical Day Care Center, of which each session (lasting from 2pm to 5pm), would spend 3 hours of its time pertaining to the elderly people who would come and participate in the activities provided by the funding organization. The first hour would be dedicated towards educating the elderly of health and welfare services and concerns, while the remaining 2 hours would be focused on leisurely and cultural activities, some of which would include traditional Chinese exercise or fun chinese games to appeal to the aspect of Chinese culture.

Helping prepare the snack trays for the elders

In general, this event mainly revolves around social welfare and ensures that participants know the ins-and-outs of their healthcare, while keeping them engaged and having fun with each other. Speeches and lectures were given by certified specialists and other professionals in the health department to ensure the credibility of all information given to the participants. The “Elders Have Fun” was free for those who met the criteria for being a participant and accommodations (including travel) were made to those who may have had less accessibility to the event. All-in-all, the event was tailor-made to be inclusive to all Chinese elders, truly encapsulating the generosity of the local Chinese community. Moreover, me and other CYOC volunteers worked together to provide both Chinese and Western snacks to those participating in the event during “tea time”, working together as one workforce to efficiently prepare snack trays and distribute them accordingly.

One critical concept discussed during these sessions was disease. In particular, speakers would discuss how to manage one’s health if affected by a particular disease, specifically one that could serve as a permanent, lifetime impairment. I found the discussion of Alzheimer’s Disease to be an important topic that not only elders, but the average person should also be made aware of.

Signing in event participants and handing them water

Alzeimer’s Disease slowly destroys the brain, leading to the degradation of cognitive function over time. Alzeimer’s is diagnosed through a series of both physical and practical examinations; doctors could ask the patient of their daily habits or conduct a series of blood/urine examinations along with brain scans to assist with the diagnosis. Alzheimer's Disease is currently incurable, meaning patients will receive treatment not by eliminating the disease, but rather by mitigating its effect on the patient. Treatment can be administered through drugs that either preserve existing cognitive function or lessen the impact of the disease on the patient’s brain. Unfortunately, Alzeimer’s Disease will eventually cause the affected individual to lose their sense of self-care regardless of any treatment taken. As a result, it is essential that patients are given a caretaker and a daily routine to follow before they become fully dependent on others to live. Families and loved ones must be made aware of Alzeimer’s causes, effects, and results to understand what they are going through and act accordingly to their needs.

Moving on from the topic, CYOC volunteers were given a chance to participate in a talent show for the last session of the “Elders Have Fun” event; playing instruments, singing and dancing were some of the acts that were welcomed by the people organizing the display. In the end, both the volunteers and the elderly participating in the event had fun and the series of sessions hosted these past few months ended off on a good note. I foresee this event happening again in the future and being better than the last; this event is a step in the right direction towards providing care for our elders and I look forward to the future.