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In November 2023, Keiro and East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center (ESGVJCC) officially opened ClubGenki, a culturally-sensitive senior adult day program for older adults aged 55 and older. This program promotes overall wellness focusing on one’s physical, mental, social and emotional well-being for both English and Japanese speaking individuals. What does a day at ClubGenki look like? Check out what participants enjoy on a typical day!
9:00-10:00 a.m. – Participants Arrive & Morning Snack
ClubGenki staff members begin the day by greeting participants as they arrive. Participants are either brought by family members or utilize ClubGenki’s transportation service that picks up participants at their home. Upon arrival, everyone enjoys a snack and socializes to get the day started.
10:00-11:00 a.m. – Activity
The ClubGenki schedule changes every day so that participants have a wide variety of activities to enjoy. On this day, participants had fun taking part in natsu matsuri (summer festival) activities such as making chocolate-dipped bananas and a goldfish-making craft.
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Blood Pressure Check and Chair Exercises
Twice a day, all participants have their blood pressure checked and the staff record and monitor their status. The group then joins in an activity that focuses on improving their mindfulness, strength, and balance, such as chair exercises.
12:00-1:00 p.m. – Lunch and Conversations
Everyone then gathers to enjoy a great meal together! The menu for lunch changes everyday, with meals ranging from traditional Japanese to American dishes. After lunch, participants take some time to chat with one another.
1:00-2:00 p.m. – Quiet and Rest Hour
After a morning filled with activities and a great meal, participants have the chance to rest up and relax. They can watch a film, work on an independent project, or even take a midday nap!
2:00-3:00 p.m. – Activity
During this time, participants begin a new activity that can range from going outdoors, playing a game, or doing a craft. Since this day was focused on natsu matsuri, everyone had fun playing goldfish scoop, ring toss, and chopstick shooter games. There were laughs and smiles all around!
3:00-5:00 p.m. – Blood Pressure Check and Afternoon Snack
After some excitement from the afternoon activities, everyone checks their blood pressure again and enjoys a nice snack. On this day, participants ate some edamame and their chocolate-dipped banana treat from earlier in the day. After this, participants are then picked up or taken home by ClubGenki transportation.
As you can see, there is never a dull moment at ClubGenki! The whole day is filled with activities that encourage engagement, connection, and wellness. Lindsay, a ClubGenki participant, shared, “The thing I like most is the interaction between people of many ages. They bring the [Kokoro no Sato child care] kids in here, we have the elderly and middle aged individuals. It is kind of like a hodgepodge of everything. ”
Tony Tang, the Program Director of Senior Services at ESGVJCC, said, “I’ve heard from a lot of the participants and their loved ones that they enjoy talking with all the people at ESGVJCC, because otherwise they would just sit at home watching TV all day. But when they’re here, they can do culturally relevant activities, eat delicious (often home-cooked) foods, do arts and crafts, activities, and just be around other people.”
Tony shared that several participants started out part time, only coming in two days during the week, and enjoyed the program so much that they now come five days a week. He encourages older adults living in the San Gabriel Valley and their loved ones, who are looking for something fun during the day, to come check out ClubGenki!
For more information about ClubGenki and to enroll, visit https://www.esgvjcc.org/senior-adult-day-program/