EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a two-part series. Research shows intergenerational relationships can benefit both children and older adults. While these programs often focus on social and emotional benefits for individuals, one organization in Colorado is taking the intergenerational concept a step further. A story exploring those efforts will be published at this site on Tuesday.
CANTON — A dozen young children shyly took the hands of their assigned “grandparents for a day.” Their faces lit up with excitement as they toured the Fannie May chocolate factory in Canton.
Field trips are one example of the intergenerational activities at JRC (named for the Rev. John Robert Coleman). It’s a combined preschool center and adult day care facility for independent seniors seeking therapeutic care and a community for socialization.
“It’s really nice to see two generations come together, to see the connections,” said Julie Abicuenas, JRC’s chief executive officer. “It brings a lot of purpose for our seniors and a lot for our children.
“They need and crave that kind of one-on-one (attention).”
JRC was the brainchild of Father John Robert Coleman, who founded the program in 1974 as an outreach ministry of St. Paul’s Catholic Church. Today it serves 215 preschoolers at two centers in Canton, along with 92 enrolled senior citizens at one of the facilities.
Each weekday, JRC offers a variety of learning activities for individuals on both ends of the age spectrum. Seniors can take classes on gardening and cooking, play board games, make jewelry and other crafts or work on puzzles.
Intergenerational activities are scheduled once a week, according to Abicuenas. Together, children and elders dance, paint, do yoga or crafts, plant seeds or make ice cream onsite. They also go on occasional group field trips offsite.
Interactions between the age groups also happen organically throughout the day whenever kids and seniors cross paths in the centers, which are physically connected by a hallway in one location.
Program offers seniors a sense of purpose
To make sure all their children get the full benefit of an intergenerational connection, JRC recently started a pilot program that matches one designated senior with one individual preschooler.
“We’ve paired them with a senior that we feel would be like a good mentor, a good person for them to do an activity with,” Abicuenas said.
“We’re just going to do a 20-minute activity weekly, almost like a pen pal, to go down and make a bracelet and talk about your day,” she added. “We want to analyze the deeper connection.
“What is that like when you have one person that you’re with one-on-one, week to week?”
Not all seniors at the center are interested in joining these activities.
“We have some seniors that are like, ‘I don’t like kids,’ or ‘I don’t really want to be around them, they’re too loud, they’re too whatever,’” Abicuenas said.
There are other challenges as well. The short attention spans of young children limit the duration of activities. There are occasional communication obstacles due to speech issues for some seniors.
But overall, participants and staff at JRC said the program is beneficial for all involved.
“A lot of our seniors, we find, are losing purpose, or they might not be around grandkids,” Abicuenas said. “They might be parents, and their kids might be in another state. They might have lost their spouse.
“It’s something for them that they can look forward to.”
Intergenerational connections may boost social skills, improve behavior in children
Kent State University’s College of Public Health is researching the impact of intergenerational care at JRC. Preliminary findings show high participant satisfaction and strong support for a program.
They say the intergenerational connections have resulted in a predominantly positive and engaged community.
The Kent State researchers said 92 percent of preschool parents and 84 percent of caregivers for older adults endorse the intergenerational activities at JRC.
Several parents also noted positive behavioral changes in their children, such as increased empathy, as a result of the program.
Researchers also observed increased joy and a sense of belonging among the seniors and found participating children are learning respect for elders.
Program participant Marvin Rose said it’s important for kids and seniors to spend time together regularly.
“We always have things to tell each other, to compare,” Rose said.
“That’s how they learn,” added Jeff Michel, another senior citizen member. “If they like you, they’ll want to be with you the whole time.”
Intergenerational program member Ha Nguyen, who is originally from Vietnam, said she likes helping children learn things they need to know.
“Kids, they listen, but they may forget. But still, if we keep repeating, they will remember something,” she said.
As the chocolate factory tour began, 4-year-old Na’vae Reid took the hand of her grandparent for the day, Paula Dunn, and summed up her feelings about the intergenerational program very nicely.
“They help us, and we help them,” she said solemnly.
