The Andrus Volunteer Program: Older Adults Assisting Students
Last week, Pallas Care had the pleasure of interviewing Leon Watts, a learning and development specialist at USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology as well the manager of the school’s Andrus Volunteer program. The Andrus Volunteer program gives older adults the opportunity to assist students at the USC School of Gerontology with research and projects. The program is free to join and accepts volunteers of any age. Watts serves as the coordinator for the program, helping connect students with older adults.
From a very young age, Watts knew that he wanted to work with older adults. Born in Chicago, Watts grew up in a very diverse community. He describes himself as a very adventurous kid, riding his bike all over and striking up conversation with those he met along the way. Watts quickly learned that he loved hearing people’s stories, and appreciated how different everyone was. He recounted the time that the owner of his local bicycle shop told him about his experience during World War II, and how he had survived living in a concentration camp. He realized the older adults had stories from times he couldn’t have even imagined living in— and he set out to hear them.
After moving to Los Angeles as an adult, Watts started a business in home repair and remodeling. It was here that he became aware of the struggles older adults face when homes are not accommodative of disability. He worked with many older adults to make their homes accessible and make living easier. Inspired by these experiences, Watts went back to school and studied gerontology at California State University Fullerton. While working for the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence— a then joint project between USC, CSF, UCLA, and the Veterans Association— Watts met Maria Henke, dean of the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence is now based entirely at USC and works to provide support and education for those interested in working in home modification and fall prevention
services. After meeting Dean Henke and being invited to study at USC, Watts graduated in 2017, after which he took on his position in the Andrus Volunteer program.
Watts expressed deep gratitude for the support networks he has had throughout his life, thanking them for helping him reach the place he is today. He is grateful for the many people he has met throughout his life who have inspired him to follow this career path. Watts finds himself very hopeful for the younger generations pursuing the same interests as him. He believes that knowledge combined with younger cohorts technological literacy will help make resources for older adults much more widely available. In the future, Watts hopes to see more financial protections for older adults as well as federal and local programs providing home modification services to older adults. He has noticed that many homes are ill-equipped for their residents to age in place, especially for those faced with more extreme disability. Older adults
should have the choice to age in place regardless of their status or ability. Watts hopes to see more support for this cause in the future.
To learn more about or join the Andrus Volunteer program, Watts suggests searching “Andrus Volunteers at USC” on your search engine. He can be reached at leonwatt@usc.edu for those who would like to learn more about the program and application process.
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