Bridging Time

GENERATIONS LEARN FROM EACH OTHER

Intergenerational gatherings like this allow youth and older people to share knowledge and values and help to build community. Seniors who participate often experience an increased sense of self-worth and well-being as they take on the role of the wise elder. For their part, young people who may not have much contact with their grandparents get to hear stories from the past that add meaning to their own lives.

Learning From Our Elders brings members of the Habonim Shul Youth Group together with Baycrest seniors. Th e program is designed to “uphold the time-honoured role of older adults as bearers of history and keepers of the culture by using story telling to share their life experiences with younger people.” The program challenges stereotypes and shows that relationships can grow between younger and older generations if opportunities for coming together are made available.

What we need as we grow older is a sense of purpose, says Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a professor of neurology at Case Western University in Cleveland and a visiting scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute.

Dr. Whitehouse is also co-founder of the Intergenerational School, a charter public elementary school in Cleveland. Th e school is described as a place of community and lifelong learning, open to anyone regardless of age. “We strive to create an environment where children learn better and where older adults stay more vital because they have a purpose,” he says.

A randomized, controlled study found evidence of that sense of purpose. A group of older adults who worked with children at the intergenerational school had less stress and a better quality of life when compared to another group living in a high-end retirement facility where they interacted only with their peers. “

The addition of the kids created something special,” says Dr. Whitehouse.