Trip #2: North Center Senior Satellite Center (2015-16, T3)

On Wednesday, April 6, students from our class visited the Catholic Charities North Center Senior Satellite Center. We joined in the weekly Zumba class, spending an hour doing a good cardio dance workout with men and women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s!

Here are some thoughts from Antonio Diaz, Brahim Fall, and Sylvester Trotter:

Antonio Diaz

This week in our Catholic Social Teaching class, we took a trip down to the senior center on Irving Park and Oakley. When we got there we had to participate in a Zumba class, which a very humbling experience to not be able to keep up with the older people. The people who come to this place either live in the apartments nearby or come from all parts of the city to have a good time and relax. The people being marginalized are the senior citizens in society. And it isn’t just happening here in Chicago; it is happening all over the world. I don’t know the answer to why this is happening, but I think it happens because older people are seen as fragile and not interesting, and instead of communicating with them, we just push them to the side.

In our society there is a huge culture barrier between the older people and the younger people. We usually put elderly people in retirement homes or provide housing for them, but we don’t pay attention to them. We do this because we think by just providing them with a place to live in we are caring for them but just like us elderly people need love and affection just like we do. 

A bible verse that I connect to this is Exodus 20:12: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." I connect this bible verse to the marginalization of the elderly because not that many elderly people go into retirement homes by choice; many are put there by their children. By doing this you are going against God's call because you are not honoring your mother and your father by putting them in a retirement home so you won’t have to take care of them. This doesn't match up because your parents job when you are born and fragile is that they are supposed to take care of you. So, just like how your parents took care of you when you were fragile, you should make it your duty to take care of them when they are older and fragile.

I cannot make a personal connection to how the older people are being treated because my family has never believed in retirement homes. To us, putting a family member in a retirement home is a sign of betrayal. For example, my Grandma passed away two years ago at ninety-seven years old, but before she passed, she lived in my uncle's home. We would visit her three or four times a week, but every holiday we would go to my grandma's house. This I believe is an example my parents and family set for me because they showed me to not forget anybody in my family, not even the older members. Because of that, I know that as long as I am living, I will never forget about my parents.

Brahim Fall

From what I learned through my experience with the elderly people at North Center Senior Satellite Center, these seniors seem like happy, motivated, energetic, and positive people. They look more alive than seniors at other centers that I've visited; it’s a different atmosphere. You can tell by just being there that there is a big difference. They don’t just sit around without doing anything, like other centers. It seems like elderly people are sometimes just waiting to for their death to come, but at North Center, seniors have a positive vibe, which is a great fact that like about them. For an example, every Wednesday, the seniors are doing this dance called Zumba, which a great exercise to keep their bodies moving.

At North Center, they have this system where they charge the seniors who live there depending on their budget and adjust their rates to fit their income.This is good because people have different budgets, sometimes low or high, so they will charge you depending on how much you have in your budget.

The Bible verse, Matthew 25:35-36 says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” This means that we have to treat everybody equally. Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” This teaches us to always be generous to people because God is in everybody.

I believe people should always treat each other with respect no matter how much they make or what they have save in the bank, and that’s what this senior center is applying. I have not been in this type of position before, but I can understand other people’s situations. Becoming involved in marginalizing people is something I stay away from. I know it is never a good thing to do that to people. I do feel like a part of the marginalized people sometimes because of the way I am treated. People treat me differently based on how I act around them. People who are looked on as lower than others should turn to their faith and realize that it is not just them in their own little world. God is there to help protect people and guide them to a good path in life. Everyone needs to learn to respect each other and not judge others on how they look, how they act, where they’re from, or how rich or poor they are.

We can start by closing the gap between the rich people and the poor by showing them that there is nothing they need to be afraid or ashamed of. Their lives are just as important as every other person’s life in the world. Something people can do to help them is to treat them equal to each other. This is a good way to get a closer look at how they are living with their lives. It is a good thing to get personal interaction with the people to understand how they survive, what they go through, and how to help them. Church communities are also a good place to be because then we can connect our interactions with the marginalized to our faith in God. This type of support for people can’t really be done with just a few people. It really takes a large amount of people to make a huge impact on these people in our society.

Sylvester Trotter

In this week's service trip, my classmates and I were able to attend a Zumba session at the North Center Senior Satellite Center. The center hosts a fitness program that helps seniors become more active, helps the seniors to go on trips, have senior club meetings, and dance. I was able to dance and get to know more about the seniors who visited the center. I loved the experience. I was able to connect with them and even get some life advice from them. I learned so many new things. Through this experience I was able to unite with this marginalized group. I felt like my presence was enjoyed, and it made the seniors' day to see teens take their time and spend it with them.

Seniors are truly neglected in our society. They are unaccounted for and are seen as weak and unable. Our respect for them and their hard work has gone down the drain. We forget that we are united and should work as a team, rather than create borders for the people. No one is benefitting from being marginalized. The elderly deserve a voice and should be heard. I felt like that was why we were called to go do Zumba with them. We have to speak up for them. Political leaders have the money and opportunity to shed light upon this social issue but often choose not to. The elderly are often dependent upon the services of which community has to offer them. There should be more local aid.

This issue relates to many bible stories, such as Genesis 24:1-10. In this story, Abraham was an elderly man, yet God was able to bless him in every way. The idea of aging is prevalent within this story because it is a part of life. It is a natural process that all must go through. It does not make one less able. It allows us to grow and become wise through our own personal experiences. A theme of Catholic Social Teaching that’s relevant here is solidarity. Christ calls us to respond by being mindful of all people no matter how old and to view them as brothers and sisters. The elderly should be seen as equal regardless of their state in life. I believe that we are all created to be united in solidarity. As a society, we should choose to uplift one another rather than exclude. We are all equal in the eyes of God. There are so many things to be learned that we have not yet understood. The elderly hold wisdom and understand the trials and tribulations of life. Their insight can be helpful. They should have a say within the community and around the world. It is unjust to take away these rights from them. Christ would expect us to come together as brother and sisters in unity. We are all created in His likeness, and the judgment should no longer be placed upon this group of people. Christ wants us to work together in order to end the separation that we have in the world. There should be more unity between the people by including the elderly and speaking to them. 

We may bridge the gap between social reality and what we hope for by providing more assistance to the elderly. We can continue to help contribute by donating some of our funds to help build local centers around the city that allow the elderly to be united within society rather than excluded. We may also simply volunteer at a senior home and learn more about them by a simple conversation. Political leaders and the media can also shed light upon this issue due to their large following. The more emphasis placed upon this issue will help others realize that the elderly deserve a say.

Note: Minor grammar/style edits have been made to each post not affecting the content or perspective of these students.