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Brandon and Emerson: Caring for Seniors

Two new interns have recently joined the Pasadena Village family. They will support the Village in its office operations and administrative tasks, in program planning and execution, and in outreach and resource connections. They will also be helping with our monthly IT Cafe by offering bilingual one-to-one tech support to Villagers and older adults in the community. Brandon Martinez will focus on our SAFE (Seniors Against Fraud and Exploitation) Initiative and Emerson Gaspar will focus on programming – for example, the OnTheGo Expo.

Brandon is currently studying Computer Science at West LA Community College. His previous internship was with the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging. He was originally hired as an IT systems intern to support the employees. However, because the team was short-staffed, he often worked at the front desk, helping elderly community members with the resources and assistance they needed. Working the front desk opened Brandon's eyes to how meaningful it is to support the community, especially older adults. He often found himself going out of his way to make sure the older community members received the help they needed, prioritizing that over his regular IT responsibilities. In his free time, Brandon enjoys driving along Angeles Crest Highway, where he often stops to enjoy the mountain views. And he is passionate about cars.

Emerson is an incoming fourth year student at UCLA majoring in Public Health and minoring in Gerontology. Her main academic research interests center around health policy, HIV/ STD service accessibility, and injury and violence prevention among older adults. Upon graduation, Emerson intends to pursue a career in healthcare administration, using an administrative lens to better understand how healthcare can be more accessible and affordable. When she is not interning at the village or studying for school, Emerson works as a barista on campus, manages a pool back in her hometown Sacramento, and is an active member of various community service clubs at UCLA. 

In the very rare moments she has free time, Emerson loves adventure, particularly going  on hikes. Her favorite hike trail is the Lanikai Pillbox in Oahu. She also enjoys watching movies and TV shows, especially older Disney movies and Studio Ghibli films. Emerson also has a side hobby as an amateur DJ, mixing late 2000s songs with 80s throwbacks at parties at UCLA.

Brandon and Emerson both appreciate the opportunities for inter-generational interactions provided by the Village. Emerson expressed her gratitude for the wisdom and life experiences she's seen among Villagers. As a gerontology minor, she particularly appreciates any opportunity to talk to a member of the elderly set. One particular comment from a Villager resonated with her:  “There is no timeline on success. Take your time.”

Brandon is particularly taken by stories of experiences told by Villagers. Two such stories stand out to him - one from a Caltech professor and another from a bank program manager. 

A conversation with Ed Rinderle, long-time member of the Village, resulted in several insights on inter-generational interactions. First, there are, of course, significant differences between generations. Second, the best way to traverse this divide is through one-to-one conversation. Taking the time to get to know one another results in the discovery of common ground, which narrows the gap between us and paves the way for new friendships. The key is to initiate conversation and follow its trends.  

Bottom line:  Look for opportunities to strike up conversations with a variety of people. Thereby, we can begin to find the similarities between us and traverse the divide that separates us.