CSUS
Gerontology Student Lives Her Homework
Social
Security: Spousal Benefit Clarifications
Klockwork: Analysis
Paralysis: A Far Cry From Good Governance
Yovana Gojnic’s 2012 Journal Excerpts
By Yovana Gojnic
“My goal is to hopefully enrich the lives of the residents
here as much as they enrich mine.”
3-13-12 — I’ve had a lot of mixed emotions since I moved
in, but things are starting to change for the better.
3-22-12 — It is late at night and I’m tired of the screaming
from across the hall by the lady’s daughter and her boyfriend.
5-8-13-12 — Went walking around the community with Dale, Donnell,
John and Joyce. Donnell was a Marine. He’s so funny and loves
cookies.
6-18-12 — Sometimes I dread coming home because I don’t
want to talk to anyone and certain residents always want to talk
forever. ... Once I do talk to the residents I feel better because
they really like me and I know they just want to socialize.
7-19-12 — I know this is a great experience for me and that
this truly is the field I want to be in ... I’ve learned in
gerontology how important social connections and relationships are
to age successfully.
7-25-12 — The people across the hall got evicted! Woo!! ...
Started reading the book Early Bird ... I am going to get a lot of
good ideas and insights. I would like to find out from the residents, “Is
retirement what you expected?” “Do you feel more comfortable
being in a neighborhood with all older adults?” I also want
to know how many feel isolated; what sorts of things do they do every
day to stay occupied. I wonder how many residents may be depressed.
8-4-12 — Just got back from having breakfast with Dale. We
went to Waffle Square at 7 a.m. Haha! When ... I go to breakfast
with friends or family it’s always around 10 a.m.
8-10-12 — Went to the resident meeting today and the ice cream
social. ... Nice to chat with residents who I haven’t spoken
to that much. ... I am making a conscious effort to participate in
more activities at Henson.
9-13-12 — Key insights I got from Faye. She is mainly around
people with no more zest for life, who are just waiting to die. She
says that nine out of ten people around here always talk about how “sick” they
are and it’s annoying to go to activities because they’re
only talk about their ailments. I asked her what she thought about
me living here. She said she objected at first because she thought
of college kids partying and not being quiet. She’s good with
it now though. She likes senior living because there are no loud
kids and it’s pretty quiet.
9-21-12 — Some interesting things I am learning from a couple
interviews this week. One resident told me the most important thing
I can learn from older generations is to listen to their life experiences.
That it would save me time, money and heartache. Also, she advised,
to not let anyone get started on their medical problems because I
would be there all day. I asked about worries: Not being able to
drive anymore, outlasting money, don’t want to be a burden
on children, want to die quickly with no suffering.
9-27-12 — One resident said when she was younger she swore
she would never live in a senior community. She said that she chose
to live here mainly because it is so pretty. She would have chosen
to live here even if it wasn’t a senior community.
10-21-12 — I have learned a lot about myself this year. I’m
really excited about the direction I plan to go with my career ...
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