Visiting Senior Citizens at the Queens Herald Church
The
Dragonbotz robotics team went to Queens Herald Church in Flushing, NY to
interview senior citizens. Overall, the team thought the experience was
challenging. For example, the interviews were done while the seniors were
eating lunch, so this was a little bit of a distraction. Another challenge was
that the majority of the seniors there only spoke Chinese, so we had to depend
on a couple of translators, our Coach Anne was one of them.
Dragonbotz
team members were surprised to learn that seniors had quite a lot of hobbies.
They included making stained glass, knitting clothes, collecting stamps,
beading, and folding origami. One elder even did woodworking, and made
cabinets/closet shelves for an orphanage in China! Others read the Bible, traveled, and talked with church friends in their spare
time.
The
physical health of the seniors was fairly good. However, one person in
particular had a cane. He had back problems, and was a bit shaky in trying hold
a hot cup of tea while walking back to his seat, but he made it without
spilling it. In fact, most of the seniors were able enough to set the tables
for lunch and clean the area after eating. Showing that seniors can be
independent.
The
condition of the senior citizens was well above average. One person though did
have epilepsy. Epilepsy is a brain disorder, which causes seizures. The woman,
along with others, had to take pills every so often. They sometimes forgot to
take them, and that was one of many troubles seniors have – remembering to take
their pills and vitamins.
When
asked if they had a robot what they would like it to do, the seniors said that
they wished for it to clean, cook, remind them to take medications, and assist
them in walking. Overall, the experience of interviewing senior citizens at the
church was memorable. The Dragonbotz team learned a lot about seniors and that
there is a lot that needs to be done for them.
By C.J. & S.C.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment