Written Reflection 3- Cassadi Cordea

My most recent visit to Best Friends reminded me of why I like going there. Every time I go I leave with a new funny story or a heartwarming moment to talk about. My most recent visit happened to be my last, but I do think I will volunteer again in the future. I don't think this will happen until after the break though.
Today when I went it was a volunteer's birthday, so everyone was celebrating. We had cake and ice cream and sang happy birthday, some of the participants also demanded for more ice cream. Their demands were not met, but that was okay. The cake was really good and it was a nice perk being there for that. We also had a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt, and Madilyne and I were asked to help one of the participants with his clues. The clue led us to the tv in the other room, but our friend quickly got tired and sat down so it was mostly Madilyne and I doing the scavenger hunt. We were fine with this because we were still having fun. Later on all of the participants wrote on a puzzle piece what they were thankful for and they put the pieces on a painting of a tree, like they were leaves. It was kind of sweet to hear all of the things they were thankful for. Some of them were specific people and others were simpler things like blue skies. I could tell that they all really liked that activity.

One of the CD's they listen to. I recognized this album very well. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and being thankful and such, I am thankful that I got to volunteer here. It taught me a lot about putting the needs of others first. I am also thankful for the people I get to work with there. I've met some pretty interesting people there, but I can tell that they are really good at heart. They like to laugh, have fun, and find joy in the most simple things. Song-time is one of my favorite activities. Most of them know every song in the songbook and they seem to really enjoy singing as a group. The other volunteers there who have been going for a long time really love what they do and are such an important part of this place. I hope that the work that I've done has left a positive impact on the people there; they have certainly left a positive impact on me.

The bird cage at Best Friends. Some of the participants really love spending time here.

TED Talk Analysis- Cassadi Cordea

Jared Diamond believes the elderly population in America has greater value than they are being treated with. He gave his speech on the elderly in March of 2013 at TED2013. Jared Diamond, an aged individual himself, spoke about how we as a society treat our elderly population today and compares and contrasts that to traditional societies and even tribal societies. This is an issue that is very relevant to the Best Friends Day Center because it is a place for the elderly who aren't staying with their families anymore. He begins with asking who in the audience is 65 years or older or is close to someone who is, and this pretty much covers everyone in the room. The audience doesn’t know what to expect from Diamond, but they know it can be considered credible considering his age and experience. This topic was very relevant to the audience and they politely listened to Diamond. Although there were some light moments, this was not meant to be a funny speech. Diamond wanted to point out all of the things we are doing wrong with our older population.

Jared Diamond speaking at TED2013

Diamond decided to deliver his speech in a very simple way. He was very relaxed and kept his tone conversational and persuasive. It was easy to see that he was completely comfortable with his words. Being someone who is also older gave him more credibility. He did not have any visual aids on stage with him other than a podium and a typed copy of his speech, which he occasionally read from. His firsthand experience with this topic and his age made up for the lack of visual aids. Diamond also was able to effectively paint mental images with his words, so no part of his speech seemed lacking or confusing. If he had wanted to use visual aids in his speech, he could’ve provided more statistics or testimonies from people who are experiencing this problem firsthand.

Diamond’s first major point began with a compare and contrast segment. He explained the horrible treatment of the elderly in traditional and tribal societies that we in a modern society would not think to do. He then led into how those societies were good to their elderly. Traditional societies valued their elderly’s wisdom, while our modern society today seems to think that the elderly are not as valuable in that aspect. He also points out that in traditional society the elderly lead much richer social lives because they are not sent off to live alone somewhere with people they don’t know. Nursing homes isolate our elderly and socially inhibit them for the rest of their lives. Another point that promotes the value of the elderly today is that they are able to help the younger people with their lives. Their children grow up to have kids, and since more young women are working now and both parents now are more likely to have jobs, there is a need for babysitters. Grandparents are perfect for this role. Diamond states the obvious: most grandparents love their grandchildren and want to spend time with them, and they can also provide a nurturing environment that the children will learn and grow in.  

The elderly population will continue to grow to the highest it has ever been

To wrap up his speech, Diamond points out that there are more elderly people than ever, so this is a problem that cannot be ignored. He asks the audience to try and understand how we can learn from traditional society and apply it to ours. The elderly have value and to ignore their value is doing a disservice to society.

https://www.ted.com/talks/jared_diamond_how_societies_can_grow_old_better#t-5841

Video Reflection 2- Cassadi Cordea

Here is the link to my Video Reflection 2

So far I have had a wonderful time volunteering at Best Friends. I love working with the people there and doing what I can to make them happy and to help them has been such a rewarding experience. I look forward to going back each time. 

Written Reflection One-Cassadi

 My group visited the Best Friends Day Center this past Friday and we all had a great time. When we arrived it was ice cream time, which is always Friday at 3. We are very happy to have figured that out. After the treats we played a simpler version of a hangman game by guessing cereal names and all of the residents seemed to really enjoy doing that. Next was song time, which is one of my favorites. The people really get into it and some of them got up and danced, I was even pulled along to join them. It was heartwarming to see them having so much fun. I didn't know most of the songs but I could tell that some of them were very meaningful to some of the residents.

This is the room where we played games and sang songs

The last hour of our time at Best Friends was very interesting for me. I got to sit down with one of the residents there and just talk to them for a while. The man I talked to was such a nice person and at first I couldn't really tell if he had dementia or not. After about 15 minutes I started to notice some small things, but for the most part he's a pretty sharp person. He told me about how he came to Lexington when he was a young boy. He would also talk about things like some of the jobs that he's had and how Lexington has changed a lot over the years. He never ran out of things to say and would even ask me question. When it was time to leave I didn't realize we had been talking for so long. We all said goodbye and I am looking forward to going back and visiting him and getting to know some of the other residents.

Here is part of the view inside the Best Friends Day Center

Best Friends

         I, along with the others in my service learning group, am very excited to be volunteering at the Best Friends Day Center. Best Friends is an center that houses assisted living residents during the day that have dementia ranging from early to late stages. Those with dementia experience a decline in their mental capabilities and progressively lose their ability to function normally in their daily lives. When I heard about Best Friends, I knew this was something I've had zero experience with. I chose it because I believe I can learn the most from it.  

We will be playing games with the residents,
much like what is shown in this picture.

         My first impression of Best Friends was that it seemed to have a welcoming atmosphere, as it should. We spent a good part of our time there filling out forms, and once that was over we got to enjoy ice cream that the people there decided to share with us. After we were given all the information about what was expected of us, we then headed into a big room where all the residents were. This room is used for all of their daily activities, and today they were playing a game called "two truths and a lie." While we didn't get to join in on that, we heard that it was a lot of fun. Later on everyone was sitting around in a circle and they were singing songs out of a book. All of the volunteers joined in and we sang with them. Some of the residents there have absolutely beautiful voices, it was a treat to listen to them. I could also tell that they really enjoyed it because we must've sang at least fifteen songs. But it was all enjoyable and the two hours we spent there seemed to fly by. I was surprised when it was actually time to leave.

         Best Friends is the only adult day center in the central Kentucky region that is geared toward dementia care. I spoke with Ms. Harkless, who is one of the people in management there, and I could tell that she takes great pride in the work she does for these people. She took a lot of time making sure that we understood that we were there to give our time to the residents. We dedicate our time to giving the residents a positive daily experience. I look forward to regularly going back and getting to know the people there. I think I will enjoy the activities and games that they have. More importantly, I think that I will learn a lot from my time spent here with these great people. 

-Cassadi