Intergenerational programs foster touching connections
With a bicycle wheel and a story, the 5-year-old walked into the care facility with his class. For children all around the country, intergenerational programs are their way of giving back to their communities.
At Senior Concerns in Thousand Oaks, visits from kindergartners are greeted warmly. Martha Shapiro, Director of Programs, oversees the direct care programs, including the intergenerational aspect of Adult Day Care. “It’s always one of our favorite days when we have children visiting […] Even other staff will come in to watch because we all get so much joy from watching the interactions,” Shapiro said.
Most recently, Suzanne Gardella, a kindergarten teacher at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, brought her class for a visit. “We had the kids make Family Books with pictures […] They brought buckets too, with things they brought from their homes and it was like a little show and tell,” Gardella said.
As the items leave buckets one by one, the children and the seniors are left to share their hopes and experiences. “One little boy had a stethoscope, [and] he was pretending to listen to the hearts of the older adults and they were playing along with it, so it was really adorable,” Shapiro said.
From talking, to Bingo and singing, different schools have had different ideas for their visits. Nine years ago, Zoey Sarrazine, junior, was one of these children visiting senior homes with her class at Pinecrest Elementary School.
“My school was walking distance from two senior homes, so my second-grade class would visit them during the holidays. Not everyone was able to visit their families, so I think the interactions helped them to still feel connected with the community,” Sarrazine said.
Beyond an uplifting atmosphere in the moment, intergenerational programs have helped children make connections apart from those with their peers through emotional experiences with families and pets in both the past and the present. “You wouldn’t think a five-year-old would have anything in common with a senior, but they do, so it’s that connection [that is] really heartwarming,” Gardella said.
From kindergartners to seniors, everyone involved in the program has taken something away from the interactions and carried those experiences with them. “I think there are such wonderful lessons to be learned and respect to have for older adults in the community, so it’s made me realize how important it is that I keep those intergenerational things happening in my own family,” Shapiro said.
