Meet Zoe Hawkins, SageHealth Network’s Newest Staff:
I would like to say “hi” to current readers and welcome to new readers of this blog. For the next three to four months I will be writing for SageHealth Network’s blog site, seniorsex.blogspot.com. My name is Zoe Hawkins and I am an intern for SageHealth Network. Currently, I am completing my Masters degree in Immigration and Settlement at Ryerson University and part of the degree requirements is to complete a 150 hour placement. I am extremely excited to be working with Michele Cauch of SageHealth Network and helping to achieve its goals to educate and inform seniors on the importance of healthy sexuality and socialization. To begin, I will tell you a bit about myself.
When I graduated from high school, I was accepted to Dalhousie University into the International Development program. Although a very rewarding experience rich with intellectual stimulation, the program was not for me. After some time, I decided to accept a job at a long term care facility and jumped at the opportunity. Never having worked with seniors before, I was both nervous and excited and almost instantly, fell in love with working with older adults. I had found my calling. Perhaps different from the other employees, my approach to working with seniors took the form of patience, compassion, treating them as unique individuals and finding ways to engage them on a daily basis. Because this experience made me realize the problems associated with society’s attitude towards the elderly, I enrolled in the Gerontology program at Laurentian University in Sudbury. Being an extremely small program, I was given the chance to explore avenues which larger programs would be unable to provide. I took a myriad of courses from ethical issues, counselling, palliative care, and optimal aging. For my thesis, I decided to focus on environmental issues as it pertained to senior perceptions and attitudes, the entirety of the time I spent studying Gerontology was unbelievably humbling, stimulating and heart breaking, quite simultaneously. After some time, I decided to go back to school. Although there were many alternatives to applying for a Masters degree, such as Law school and Medical school, I eventually ended up choosing Ryerson University and was accepted the following year. Due to the wonderful friendships and experiences of teaching immigrants, the choice of program was very much an easy one; immigration and settlement. As I previously mentioned, I am in the process of completing the requirements for this particular degree and will graduate in October. Not only is the placement with SageHealth Network part of this requirement, but also a Major Research Paper similar to a thesis. This MRP will focus on the personal relationships of immigrant seniors, pre and post settlement, highlighting how settling has changed cultural attitudes, sexual attitudes, beliefs and intergenerational changes etc. I feel that this compliments my placement perfectly. All this being said, my personal belief and passion that aging can, should and will be a vivacious time filled with learning, discovery, sexuality, honesty, integrity and independence will hopefully show through the blogs I will write and post, as well as through assisting SageHealth network with its current and future workshops and endeavours.
Please feel free to post any comments or questions directed to myself or anything to do with SageHealth Network and its upcoming workshops and speed dating events. Additionally, I will be posting on a regular basis on topics such as aphrodisiacs and food, physical appearance, aging and confidence, sex and disability, foreplay vs.sex, intimacy aids, lubricants and condoms and sexy celebrities over 60, as well as many others.
If you have any suggestions or topics you would like to bring to my attention, please email me at zhawkins@sagehealthnetwork.com or comment on seniorsex.blogspot.com
Thank you,
Zoe Hawkins
SageHealth Network
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