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SCitizen Projects
Aging, Memory, and Identity among Japanese Americans
Facilitators: Dr. Velina Hasu Houston, Dianne Belli, and Forrest Hartl
Abstract:
Participants will interact with a population of aging Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans who are residents of Keiro Retirement Home in the historic Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. They will visit the center, engage in an interactive discussion with Professor Velina Hasu Houston about the nature of dementia and Alzheimer’s, have lunch with select senior citizens, and discuss issues regarding memory and identity with members of the community. Students will end the day with a reflection on their experiences with the Keiro community.
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will achieve a general understanding of issues related to memory and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Participants will achieve a general understanding of Japanese American senior culture via memory/biography.
- Participants will document their reflections via a writing exercise in order to solidify the learning experience and to engage in a literary process as follow-up to live experience. These will be collected and later presented to Keiro.
Summary of the Organization:
Keiro Retirement Home is part of Keiro Senior HealthCare (KSH). KSH is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, certified under the laws of the State of California, providing quality residential, assisted living, intermediate, skilled nursing and rehabilitation care and community based services for seniors. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and led by President and C.E.O. Shawn Miyake. Keiro’s mission is to enhance the quality of life through culturally-sensitive senior healthcare services that meet changing community needs. Keiro’s vision is to be the provider of choice, and is known for its compassionate, dedicated, and innovative high-quality care. Also, Keiro hopes to provide a pleasant environment for residents and participants that promotes enthusiasm and loyalty among employees, volunteers, and supporters and acknowledges their value and contributions. Keiro’s history, dating back to the opening of the Japanese hospital in 1929, is a proud testimony to the dedication of skilled professionals caring for the health of their community. By targeting its resources and energies into the specialized field of geriatrics, Keiro has developed a distinct philosophy and understanding toward the health needs of the aging.
Facilitator Biographies:
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Dr. Velina Hasu Houston is a tenured faculty member of the University of Southern California. Professor of Theatre, Director of Dramatic Writing, and Resident Playwright of the USC School of Theatre, she has been teaching for seventeen years. Her research includes plays, films, books, and poetry that investigates identity and belonging vis-à-vis culture, ethnicity, and gender; particularly in a transnational context with regard to Japanese immigrants in the U.S. and the Japanese and African diasporas. Since her theatrical work first appeared Off-Broadway when she was 22, Houston has been recognized as a Japan Foundation Fellow, a two-time Rockefeller Foundation Fellow, a Sidney F. Brody Fellow, and three-time James Zumberge Fellow. She has been honored by Sidney Poitier and the Pinter Review Prize for Drama, and has received thirteen play commissions. “Tea” and Houston’s other plays have been produced internationally throughout the U.S and Asia at Manhattan Theatre Club, Pasadena Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Smithsonian Institution, Whole Theatre (Olympia Dukakis, producer), NHK (Japan, nationwide), Negro Ensemble Company, Syracuse Stage, and others. She founded the Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing program at the University of Southern California, School of Theatre, and its predecessor, the MFA in Playwriting Program in 1990. Professional memberships include Writers Guild of America, West and Dramatists Guild. Her works are archived in The Velina Hasu Houston Collection at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. www.velinahasuhouston.com
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Dianne Belli is currently the Executive Director of the Institute for Healthy Aging for Keiro Adult Day Centers throughout Southern California. She received her BS in Public Health from the University of Southern California and her Masters of Public Health from UCLA. Belli has worked as an administrator at a number of hospitals such as Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Santa Clarita Valley Medical Center, St. Francis Medical Center, and Century Community Hospital. She is affiliated with a number of professional organizations in her field and was awarded Person of the Year by the Venice Japanese Community Center in 2003. |
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Forrest Hartl writes, performs, and teaches theatre in the Southern California area. He holds a B.A. in Theatre from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in Education from Biola University. Forrest is in his first year of the MFA program in Dramatic Writing and is also a part-time theatre instructor at Cerritos College. |
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