2nd Session
Through this environment module, we learnt that the different races in each community have different opinions on each other. Some of these opinions may be stereotypes which repel them from befriending each other. For example, Chinese might think that Indians are dirty, scary and so forth. On the other hand, Indians may assume that Chinese are arrogant. There are also physical and non-physical barriers that set them further apart, such as language barriers. This does not only apply to people of different races. Age gaps, special needs and disabilities can also prevent the community from being inclusive. During this session, we were shown a video about a man in a wheelchair after an accident. This man was invited to a party but he feared being seen as a burden to the other people because he could not go down the stairs due to his disability. He was reduced to a fire hazard just because of his special needs. This shows that physical problems can also be a barrier separating both sides from accepting each other and living together in peace and harmony in the same community. Overall, this session was not particularly useful in helping us understand the elderly as we only learnt about the stereotypes between different races, and not ages.
1st Session
Through this module, we learnt about the two types of environment: inclusive and exclusive environment. An inclusive environment is formed by people who take the initiative to invite others to join them in various activities that allow them to bond together. An inclusive community encourages greater participation from everyone, regardless of their social economic background. The citizens feel safe and respected in this community. They do not feel judged, they are comfortable being themselves and expressing all aspects of themselves. We were taught to empathise and look at things from the point of view of the people we are serving. We think that even though the elderly may face different physical problems, their emotional challenges are one and the same. Most of the time, they may feel excluded from society and as a result, suffer from depression. They could be discriminated against or being treated unequally by the rest of society, especially the younger generation. As such, an inclusive community is needed for them to truly feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. All in all, we feel that this module was generally useful as it allowed us to better understand what challenges the elderly are facing and what they need.
