Generations: making the connection
While tech offers seniors connectivity options – combating isolation and loneliness – let us not forego or forget the impact of ‘in real life’. Ironically, this is a throwback to a time gone by when it was expected that grandparents lived with their children and children’s children (grandchildren). Then, a ‘positive’ experience was rarely planned for, or even considered an objective. Increasingly, creative solutions are being explored and researched, with the hope of addressing generational needs by bringing generations together.
One of the success stories is based on teenagers teaching elders the basics of social networking.
The documentary, Cyber Seniors is the engaging and inspiring result
Getting elders and youngers together where they live and play
From the METLife funded, Generations United
Bringing different groups of people together at locations that already exist helps not only them, but a community that may be otherwise low on financial resources. Intergenerational programs not only meet critical needs in schools and communities, but also help build a future that values all generations
- Schools
- Day care centers
- Assisted-living facilities
- Community centers
- Libraries
This 9-minute video shows the possibilities
TAGlab attracts youngers who feel for elders Many who chose TAGlab did so because of a relationship with a grandparent, or because they missed that in their lives. As a Social Worker in a seniors facility pointed out:
“Elders have what parents often don’t: time, patience and stories.”
Teens in the Cyber Seniors program created this tribute to Shura Eadie, who died in 2013.