As the American population’s life expectancy continues to grow, the United States is faced with a concerning demographic crisis. The Elder Swell is reshaping the landscape of our economy, with birthrates lagging as the nation’s aging population outpaces the rate at which the care economy can scale.
Increasingly, the elders of our community are forecasted as a crisis — a threat to America’s economic well-being — and subsequently suffer neglect. According to the John A. Hartford Foundation, over 70 percent of older adults are unwilling to live in a nursing home in the near future.
After experiencing the realities of the care economy, Michelle Ogasawara PZ ’27 is dedicating her time to bringing comfort to elders in the Claremont community through her non-profit, Pouches of Petals. Ogasawara and her team are working to break down barriers to essentials for elders in our community by delivering hygiene products.
Ogasawara decided to create the organization after volunteering at hospice centers and working as a phlebotomist — a healthcare professional responsible for drawing blood — throughout her time in college. As a part of the care economy, she experienced the scarcity of standard necessities and saw how shortages served as a roadblock for elders already struggling with illness.
“Patient interaction is great, you know, like in a hospital, drawing people’s blood was great. But also, today we felt like friends. It was so peaceful.”
“[For many elders], taking a shower is an accomplishment, that’s their marathon, just being clean,” Ogaswara said. “It takes a while for somebody to stand up, walk to the shower, wash their hair by themselves, as they have to get cleared by a doctor. So when they finally have that opportunity, there should be no reason at all why they can’t do that.”
Beyond delivering essential hygiene supplies, Ogasawara wants elders to feel cared for and empowered when they receive donations. As an Orange County native, Ogasawara has partnered with the faith-based organizations she grew up in and reached out to the greater Japanese community in her area to gather donations of hygiene products. To add a personal touch, Pouches of Petals partnered with Pomona Florist Mia’s Fiore to include flowers in each package.
Beyond petals, each package contained a handwritten note courtesy of Ogasawara’s friends and team.
“I really liked that she [Ogasawara] was doing it,” Elizabeth Wang PZ ’27 said. “I thought it was sweet and I thought it was impactful. For the letters, I just wrote things that I wanted to say to my grandma.”
As soon as the team returned to campus, they spent days assembling their care packages before their first delivery on Friday, Sept. 5 — 55 personalized packages to Pilgrim Place, a service-based Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the village of Claremont.
Ogasawara and Pouches of Petals volunteers, like Lilianna Costello-Wiginton PZ ’27, spent the morning distributing care packages and getting to know the residents of Pilgrim Place.
“Many years ago, my grandma was in one of those places, in a retirement facility, in a home like assisted care, and it was not a great place for her,” Costello-Wiginton said. “I think a lot of people, especially when they’re older, are isolated. It can make people sad, to make them depressed. I think she would have really liked something like that, especially the flowers.”
After the first distribution cycle, Ogasawara was refreshed by the intimacy and relationship building that she was able to engage in, and enjoyed a reprieve from the routine and coldness she experienced during her time on the provider side of the care economy.
“Patient interaction is great, you know, like in a hospital, drawing people’s blood was great,” Ogasawara said. “But also, today we felt like friends. It was so peaceful. And I didn’t have to poke them and be like, ‘Okay, so today we’re testing for your thrombin and remind them of their poor cholesterol.”
Pouches of Petals’ impact was felt immediately. Pilgrim Place requested another order of care packages before the team had even left the facility. Ogasawara’s dorm, already filled with boxes of donations and flowers, is ready for a year of late-night assemblings and Friday deliveries.
If you are interested in getting involved, follow pouches of petals @pouchesofpetals on Instagram or inquire at pouchesofpetalscom.com.
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