About three dozen senior citizens recently gathered for Grandparents’ Day to cap off their weekly summer camp activities sponsored by the East Aldine Management District and BakerRipley.
Sory Mingo
They shared box lunches and snow cones, got health advice from various vendors and swapped stories about their crazy camp activities led by Sory Mingo, a vivacious human services specialist from the Dominican Republic and founder of the non-profit Everyone-Counts.
Mingo leads the twice weekly “summer camps” for eight weeks, with help from BakerRipley staff and volunteers. The activities serve the elderly residents of the assisted living apartments Pilgrim Place I and Pilgrim Place II near MacArthur High School.
Mingo’s programs provide healthy meals and “entertaining but educational activities” for the fiercely independent seniors.
Only one grandmother brought her two grandsons to the event, while other seniors enjoyed sandwiches and snow cones, as well as $10 gift cards from Walmart.
“These seniors live by themselves, even if they have family close by. They like living by themselves and being independent,” Mingo said. “But they do want to participate in activities that are entertaining or educational.”
“Although family is important to them, because many of them do have family nearby, they prefer being independent,” Mingo said.
The U.S. Census Bureau, in a report issued on Grandparents’ Day, noted that the percentage of grandparents living with their grandchildren has dropped in recent years. In 2000, more than 9 percent of Hispanic grandparents lived with their grandchildren, but that has dropped to about 7 percent.
The Census Bureau also noted that there has been a drop in grandparents who are their grandchildren’s primary caregivers across several ethnic groups, including Hispanics.
There has, however, been an increase in younger grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States. Two key events contributed to the increasing numbers of younger grandparents stepping in to care for their grandchildren. The crack epidemic of the 1980s and the economic recession of 2007-2009 forced more grandparents (many in their mid-to late 30s) to take on child-rearing duties. According to the Census Bureau, more than 40 percent of children being raised by a younger grandparent are there because of at least one parent’s substance abuse.
More recently, the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and the Centers for Disease Control found that the highest percentage of grandparents age 30 and over who are raising grandchildren are in Southern states with the highest percentage of opioid use.
According to the non-profit Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, there are 314,000 Texas grandparents raising their grandchildren. According to TxGRG, 67.4 percent (211,617) of those grandparents are under age 60. About half of those grandparents do not have the grandchildren’s parents living with them.
Mingo, who holds an associate’s degree in human services, said she learned the hard way that her client seniors want to be around their friends in the same age group.
“We tried having family bingo, but the seniors didn’t really enjoy it,” she said with a laugh. “The younger people were going too fast.”
During June and July, the summer camp activities included a “safari” day, a “casino” day, a “beach” day and an “arts” day, in addition to a special Fourth of July party.
The senior participants clearly enjoyed those activities, dressing in costumes befitting each special day.
Mingo recognizes the important role seniors have played in the East Aldine community, raising families and working hard to pass along cultural traditions.
“I believe this is the first summer camp for seniors in Texas,” Mingo said. ”I am so happy to be part of this project, the creator of this program. I am thankful that God has placed this passion for the elderly on my heart.”
(When summer ends, seniors can still find instructional and recreational services, and more, nearby at facilities such the Harris County Precinct One’s Hardy Senior Center).
“(Seniors) deserve inclusion in our community. I am incredibly grateful the East Aldine Management District has supported us,” Mingo said. “They are so important in our community, and the senior population is getting bigger. And it’s going to get bigger each year.”
Mingo is right.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 8.6 percent of East Aldine residents are over age 65.
However, the most recent census data shows that 8.3 percent of East Aldine residents are between the ages of 55 and 64. And the next age group will soon be receiving mail from the American Association of Retired People, since 45-year to 54-year olds make up 10.75 percent of East Aldine’s population.
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— By Anne Marie Kilday
