Bridge Meadows

EDITOR’s NOTE: Each week, we’ll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United’s endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part 12 of our series, we feature Bridge Meadows, a unique multigenerational community located in the Portsmouth neighborhood of North Portland.

(Read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.)

Bridge Meadows is where adoptive parents, foster children and elders - those over 55 - find a true home built with love and the shared vision of a better tomorrow.

At Bridge Meadows, current and former foster youth have the stability, caring connections and educational supports they need to succeed and re-calibrate the trajectory of their lives.

Investing in the safety and security of these children today improves the quality of life for everyone tomorrow.

Children move out from the instability of foster care placements to permanent homes, families and parents receive essential resources and guidance, while elders find safe, affordable housing and an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of families and their children.

Bridge Meadows is an innovative solution at the intersection of child welfare, aging and affordable housing - issues that impact each of us; not just socially and emotionally, but economically as well.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas? You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. Youth Jumpstart Grantees can share ideas here. Or just text us through the Facebook Messenger app (friend me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!  Share the inspiration.

Ring House Inc.

Deloitte employees and their families constructed a miniature golf
hole and brought it to the Home for the putting enjoyment
of resident golf enthusiasts.

EDITOR’s NOTE: Each week, we’ll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United’s endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part 11 of our series, we feature Ring House Inc., a senior living facility on the campus of Charles E. Smith Life Communities in Rockville, MD.

(Read parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10.)

During nine months a year, the Ring House Activity Department works with "Technology Helper" students and teachers from the C & T Youth Technology Academy, in Rockville, to give our senior population learning opportunities with technical tools.

The students and seniors have developed relationships and shared learning experiences together while creating a blog site. This intergenerational collaboration has expanded into summer sessions, musical performances, and an intergenerational garden.

Each summer session incorporates opportunities for integrating language arts, public speaking, growing plants, and outdoor exercise.

These sessions are documented with photography for an annual intergenerational exhibit open to the public.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas? You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. Youth Jumpstart Grantees can share ideas here. Or just text us through the Facebook Messenger app (friend me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!  Share the inspiration.

Multigenerational Housing in an Expensive Locale: Problems and Solutions Part I - Problems

Brandon Baunach is an architect
with 17 years of experience in designing
multi-family projects.

This post appears courtesy of Brandon Baunach, an architect with 17 years of experience

Out of pure necessity, I've stumbled into a lifestyle that is not only supportive and rewarding for my entire family, but also is incredibly affordable. This might sound impossible living in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I've discovered a new housing typology that can make this happen.

In 2007, my wife and I, living in San Francisco at the time, had our first son. Although we owned our home and had a very reasonable mortgage, we couldn't see ourselves living in a 600-square-foot one-bedroom condo for much longer. We also discovered that we both needed to work to continue supporting our family. We quickly started childcare with our son, and found that the two thousand dollars per month that we spent was absolutely debilitating. We could not sustain our San Francisco lifestyle any longer and sought alternative solutions. That’s when we came to the very strategic decision to buy a house with my mother, and she would help with the childcare.

As it turns out, we were not alone in this decision. In fact, the National Association of Realtors reported that 14% of all homes sold in 2013 were to households of two or more adult generations. This is a massive and enduring demographic shift.

As we set out to buy a home together, we made many assumptions on how we wanted to live and decided to buy either a duplex or a home with an accessory dwelling unit, or “granny flat” as it’s often referred. 

Stock Image

We initially looked to buy a home in San Francisco. After all, my wife and I had spent the past fifteen years in our Mission District neighborhood, and had no intention of leaving. My mother loved the neighborhood, as well, because it was very walkable which she loved. We also had a fairly good budget based on our collective multigenerational buying power.

Problems

Although our budget was good, when we started looking we saw reoccurring problems that went well beyond budget issues. Nearly every duplex we saw would have required us to make a heartbreaking eviction for us to be able to occupy the home. In one instance, we went to an open house where there was an older tenant with an oxygen tank waiting in a bedroom for realtors and their clients to leave.

We also saw many homes with illegal granny flats built into the ground floors. Until very recently all granny flats were illegal in San Francisco. We didn't mind buying a home with an illegal granny flat, but we definitely felt that because of San Francisco’s previous ban, the quality of construction did not give my mother much confidence if she were to be an equal partner in this home.

Our defiance to evict long term tenants from their homes or accept badly constructed accessory units left us with little choice of inventory. After two years of searching, we eventually gave up and decided to move to Berkeley, CA, where we found cute duplexes and multigenerational neighbors in greater supply.

This multigenerational home, designed by Deltec,
has a 2,000 sq ft living space with a 500 sq ft "granny flat."

Solutions

Our experience made us wonder how any family with multiple generations could survive in San Francisco or any dense urban area. This led me into studying how we live as a family and how developers, city planners, and financiers could respond with novel solutions for families of multiple generations. 

In future posts,  I’ll explore different designs developers could implement that would be attractive to multigenerational buyers, I’ll suggest planning strategies that would loosen the grip planning codes have on multigenerational housing innovation, and  I will suggest mechanisms for financing multigenerational projects from an individual buyer level and a development financing level.

Brandon Baunach is an architect at BAR Architects in San Francisco, CA. He lives in Berkeley, CA, with his wife, mother, and two sons. 

Grandparents Day Blog: "Fortunate"

Picture of Sheri with her grandparents on her wedding day,
December 26, 1999.

I was a very fortunate kid.  I grew up just a short drive away from all four of my grandparents (and even three of my great-grandparents).  My parents and my grandparents made sure I was able to spend plenty of time with them.  In retrospect, I think I also demanded to spend a lot of time with them!  When given this assignment, I had a hard time pinpointing specific memories to write about; mainly since my grandparents play such integral parts in all my memories.

I remember countless sleepovers with both sets of grandparents.  At one house, I slept between my grandparents in their bed, where my grandfather would sing songs and tell spooky stories.  At the others’ house, I remember the impromptu sleepovers where I would get to wear one of my grandmother’s nightgowns and my grandfather would cook pancakes in the morning.  Whether swimming in their pool with my aunts and cousins; snapping beans in the basement; hiding in the dog house with the dogs; sledding down the massive hill in their backyard; spending weeks at their house during the summer and then begging my parents to let me stay longer (I remember a lot of begging); working for my grandfather during high school and college; or many, many more wonderful times; my grandparents always made me feel very special and very loved.

I am also a very fortunate adult.  I still live just a short drive away from all four of my grandparents.  Although I don’t get to see them as often as I like, they remain incredible grandparents to me and incredible great-grandparents to my two children.   Things really haven’t changed, they are still helping me to create wonderful memories, and they still make me feel very special and very loved.

Written by: Sheri Steinig

Grandparents Day Blog: Grandma Fannie

My grandmother was married 3 times and she outlived all three of her husbands.  Her last husband, known as “Mr. Jim” and referred to as “Big Daddy,” reminded me of a kind-hearted old workhorse.   He chewed tobacco and would not let us play cards in the house, nor could we listen to the radio on Sunday.  Being the resilient children that we were, we found other places to play where we would not get caught with the cards.

During the visits to North Carolina we had a wonderful time playing on my grandmother’s farm.  Granny had nine children and also raised two of my mother’s nephews (with nine children already, what were two more?).  There were always plenty of other children to play with, and hide-and-seek was a favorite, as there were so many good places to hide on a farm.  It was great sport to harass the chickens, feed the pigs and hide near the outhouse.  It was a great improvement when a bathroom was installed on the enclosed back porch but it was still a chilly venture.  Granny was very frugal and children were the recipients of the thinnest slice of her rich, buttery pound cakes.  And you dare not make your dishpan water too sudsy as this was an indication that you had used entirely too much soap!

In her later years, she developed a skin condition known as vitiligo and in my naïve youth I thought it came from drinking water from the well.  I remember when my mother brought her up North to live with us a short while, the doctors wanted to give her a pacemaker but she was having none of that.  And she was right. In a short period of time, whatever was wrong with her heart corrected itself without the pacemaker.  Another time I was upstairs in my bedroom reading a book and finally realized that someone was calling my name, “Tina,” “Tina” I heard faintly.  When I ran downstairs, I found my grandmother lying on the floor beside the bed.  She had just missed falling into a glass storm door pane left leaning against the wall.  Even though I was visibly shaken, I made light of it by putting my hands on my hips, cocking my head to the side and saying, “Granny, now what are you doing down there on the floor?”  She laughed when I said that, and as I helped her get up and back into bed, I thought that bones must get heavier with age because it was extremely hard to lift her.

My fondest memory is combing her thin silver hair as she sat in a chair in the dining room.  As I was combing her hair, I told her that she looked like an old Native American and that made her laugh gently and smile.  Before she passed at the age of 94, she said she was “tired, just tired.”  To this day when I tease my 86-year-old Mom by calling her “Miss Fannie” we laugh together in memory and understanding as we both know that name means the spirit of Grandma is nearby.

Written by Bettina Thorpe-Tucker

Grandparents Day Blog: The Joy of Baking

Leah (right) with her husband, daughters and Oma

I remember going to visit my grandparents in Utica, NY (a couple times a year) and knowing that there would be lots of homemade baked from scratch goodies waiting for my family’s arrival.

My grandmother would bake my dad’s (her son’s) childhood favorites along with those of my mom, my brother and myself.

During our stay, we would bake more to make sure we had a different dessert every night after dinner, and plenty of homemade treats during the day.

I knew, as a child, that baking was something my grandmother not only enjoyed, but also a way that she expressed her love for others.

As I got older, I began to bake, and realized not only do I enjoy the actual art of baking, but also making others happy by baking their favorite treats, just like my grandmother.  I, learned from the best, and only bake from scratch, just like my grandmother.

Every Thanksgiving, I make pumpkin cheesecake, a favorite of many of my guests, especially my grandmother.

Oma's birthday

My grandmother and I are passing on the love and enjoyment of baking to my daughters.  Now, every time I bake, I have 2 or 4 extra little hands measuring, pouring, mixing and tasting.

I don’t know which part is more fun – laughing with them as they make a mess, accomplishing our goal or enjoying the final product!

I often have conversations with my grandmother about baking, recipes and sweets in general. There is nothing like food to elicit conversation and connections.

Happy Grandparent’s Day, Oma……….I’ll be over with some black forest cake later!

Written By: Leah Bradley

Grandparents Day Blog: "I Love You"

I don’t have the stories of long nights listening to my grandpa tell stories like many kids.  My grandfather was born deaf.

Until I was in high school, he lived in a retirement community in Florida, and I would usually see him once a year during a family visit. Although American Sign Language was my father’s first language, he and my mother are both hearing and sign language wasn’t spoken in my home regularly. I learned to finger spell the alphabet, and a few basic signs, but my communication with grandpa as a child was mostly limited to pantomime, facial expressions, and written notes.  My grandmother was also deaf. She lost her hearing as an infant. She would often vocalize some of her words in soft strained tones, but grandpa never made an intentional vocal noise.

Grandpa moved in with my family in high school after my grandmother died. Occupied with schoolwork, clubs, band, sports and friends, I never learned much more sign. However, I did have many warm and sometimes transforming moments with grandpa doing puzzles, watching Wheel of Fortune together, and hearing stories about his childhood thru my dad, the interpreter.  Grandpa, who died at 98,  remains today to be one of the most direct, humble, gentle and patient men I have ever known.

The year I left for college, grandpa turned 90. Midway thru my first semester, Grandpa and Dad decided to make the 14 hour trip from Illinois to Pennsylvania to come visit. They called me at my dorm from their hotel when they arrived.  Dad launched into how the trip went and was starting into making plans to meet up for dinner, when grandpa interrupted and asked for the phone.  The next thing I heard was the gentle but dragging murmur of what sounded like a tape recorded voice playing on the wrong speed, “III  LLLOVVE  YYOUU”. My dad got back on the phone, choked up. “I have never heard my father speak,” he said.

I may not have gotten to spend hours listening to my grandpa tell stories like many kids, but the words I did hear from him, I will never forget.

Written By: Jaia Peterson-Lent

Geriatric Career Development Program at Jewish Home Lifecare - 2014 Program of Distinction Designee

PHOTO: Jewish Home Lifecare

In part 3 of our series on the 2014 Program of Distinction Designees, we highlight Geriatric Career Development Program at Jewish Home Lifecare, a LeadingAge member based in New York City.  (Read parts one and two.)

In addition to helping at-risk New York City high school students climb career ladders in health care, Geriatric Career Development (GCD) program enjoys the bragging rights and national legitimacy that comes from joining an elite group of programs celebrated for their effectiveness.

(See our post, “What is a Program of Distinction Designee and why is it so important?”)

Since 2006, GCD served as a pipeline to develop the next generation of diverse, culturally competent leaders in long-term care.

The program serves 200 at-risk high school students (10^th-12^th grade) annually through a comprehensive three-year curriculum that encompasses rigorous academic tutoring and college preparation; extensive workforce training and healthcare certification; professional mentorship; intergenerational learning; family involvement; and life-skills counseling.  

PHOTO: Jewish Home Lifecare

The students spend three years working directly with the elders at Jewish Home Lifecare in a variety of capacities.

Students host social group events for the elders, select an elder mentor for specialized one-on-one activities and assist the nursing staff in a clinical role focusing on person directed care.

Students leave the program college-bound and with a certification in one or more allied health occupations (Medical Billing and Coding, Certified Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Technician, CPR, Electrocardiography Technician, and Phlebotomy Technician).

The Program continues to mentor and track its growing alumni chapter (now 313 young adults) by providing support services related to college persistence, employment opportunities and life skills.

A program object is that GCD graduates attend college or gain employment in the health care system. Mohammed Abdullah, a recent grad, did both. He’s currently a certified nursing assistant at Jewish Home Lifecare’s Bronx campus and attends Jersey Collage School of Nursing.

“I didn’t think a program like GCD would benefit me,” said Abdullah, who remembered his high school days when he walked the halls with his friends, showed up to class late and talked back to his teachers.

“But then when I started,” he concluded, “I became more responsible.”

Kendal at Oberlin

EDITOR’s NOTE: Each week, we’ll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United’s endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part 10 of our series, we feature Kendal at Oberlin, an Ohio-based nonprofit and retirement community that promote civic involvement with the wider community and social relationships.


(Read parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine.)

Through their residents’ work with Kendal Early LearningCenter, Kendal at Oberlin’s multifaceted intergenerational program reaches the larger community of Oberlin and Lorain County featuring an onsite Early Learning Center.

Kendal residents and staff play a significant role in mentoring students from more than nine educational institutions. Our community believes in the commitment to mentor the next generation.

Examples of Intergenerational Experiences include:

·    the one-to-one support of a resident volunteer during the morning preschool curriculum (i.e. a special story in quiet area, or help to create a John Deere tractor from a cardboard box, an extra pair of hands on a walk to the Russia Township Park or learning about the life of the honey bee from a special visit from an on-site resident beekeeper.)

·    A trip on the Kendal bus to the public library, or a field trip to a local apple orchard or one of the Lorain County metro parks with resident volunteers supporting hands-on learning.

·    Joining our Stephen's Care friends to make Green Eggs and Ham and celebrate Dr.Suess' birthday or enjoying an art or music experiences planned through the creative arts department.

The Early Learning Center opened at the same time as the Kendal at Oberlin retirement community and focuses on children 18 months – 5 years old. The Center creates opportunities for residents to continue their passion for teaching young children, as well as being with surrogate grandchildren.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to #cooligideas? You can also post them to our Intergenerational Connections Facebook Group. Youth Jumpstart Grantees can share ideas here. Or just text us through the Facebook Messenger app (friend me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!  Share the inspiration.

Grandparents Day Blog: Jack and Marion Hlava

Adam Hlava's grandparents

Jack and Marion Hlava were married on June 18th 1949 in the central Wisconsin town of Mosinee. They had five children, and among them was my father. After leaving Mosinee, Grandma and Grandpa Hlava spent the rest of their lives in the small paper town of Green Bay, and their house sat on Ridge Road just a few short blocks away from the famed Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.

When I was very young I remember the car rides to their house marked by the left turn just in front of the colossal football shrine. Often I was forced against my will to wear an itchy sweater in my best effort to be as photogenic as possible for the family photo. But I toughed through it, because going to grandma and grandpa’s house meant great food, hanging out with the family, but most importantly there was usually a Packer game involved.

Speaking of the Green Bay Packers, for anyone from the great state of Wisconsin (Green Bay in particular) watching the games were as commonplace as breathing. Being a fan is simply a part of everyday life there, and there were no bigger Packer fans that I knew of than my grandparents. If anything I remember of them, it was the look of sheer jubilation at every great win, and the heart retching agony of every loss. But we shared in it together as a family and it was a special bond that I’ll never forget. In 1996 the Packers went on to win the Super Bowl for the first time in my life, and I was there at Grandma and Grandpa’s house cheering them on with my family.

This year when I celebrate Grandparents Day, I’ll be thinking about those car rides past Lambeau Field to my grandparents’ house. I’ll remember those awful striped sweaters I used to wear during the holidays at their house, and the hearty meals we ate when the temperatures dipped below zero. I’ll remember the jubilation of every Packer victory and the agony of every loss when we all watched the games together. I’m proud to say that the time spent with my grandparents made me who I am today; I cherish the time with my family, am a lifelong Packer fan which I will be passed down to the next generation, and I still hate itchy sweaters.

Written By: Adam Hlava

Family Care Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems - 2014 Program of Distinction Designee

In part 2 of our series on the 2014 Program of Distinction Designee, we highlight Family Care Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems in Richmond, VA. (Read part one.)

The Family Care Center – among this year’s honorees, including AARP Experience Corps and Geriatric Career Development Program at Jewish Home Lifecare – enjoy the bragging rights and national legitimacy that comes from joining an elite group of programs celebrated for their effectiveness.

(See our post, “What is a Program of Distinction Designeeand why is it so important?”)

"When it opened more than 30 years ago, ours was one of the very first employer sponsored on-site child care centers in Virginia. When we added our adult day services program in 2006, it was the first of its kind," explains Maria Curran, vice president, Department of Human Resources and Family Care. 

"We have long known about the many significant advantages of integrating the care of seniors and children and are thrilled to be recognized by Generations United as a Program of Distinction," Curran continued. "Our program is one of the flagship benefits we offer our employees but it also is open to our community, which extends the benefit even further."

Family Care Center, like our past designees, went through a tough consideration process facilitated by our panel of experts in the intergenerational field.

The VCU Health System Family Care Center is a shared intergenerational site located on the Medical Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.  

“We are very excited about receiving 'The Program of Distinction Award' offered by Generations United," said Patricia Moon, director, VCU Health System Family Care Services.. "It is both an honor and a privilege to receive this recognition of our efforts to ensure best practices in the field of intergenerational programming and elder care when there are so many programs deserving of this distinction."  

"Our elders and our children have been the recipients of the improved quality of life initiatives that have come from their experiences," Moon concluded.  

The diversity of ages and opportunities within this center is a result of its NAEYC-accredited childcare center serving children ages 6 weeks to 12 years and an Adult Day Center licensed for 10 adults with varying abilities who need or desire opportunities for engagement, supervision and socialization. 

The opportunities for intergenerational interactions are significant and further expanded since the Family Care Center is part of a teaching hospital and supports students and interns from a variety of disciplines.

"I am thrilled to receive this honor from Generations United, and very proud of the exceptional care environment we have created at this shared site," observed Dee Caras, MSG, program manager, VCU Health Systems Adult Day Services. "This designation will help us continue and will strengthen our good work through increased recognition and awareness of our program."

Stay tuned for next week, when we introduce Jewish Home Lifecare’s Geriatric Career Development Program. 

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each week, we'll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This new series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United's endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part nine of our series, we feature the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, a nonpartisan political institution housed at the University of Kansas. (Read parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight.)

Launched in July 22, 2003, the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics recently started an intergenerational mentoring program with members of the Friends of the Dole Institute and the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board.

The Friends of the Dole Institute is an annual giving program made up mostly of retirees in the Lawrence, Kansas community. Members of the Student Advisory Board are undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Kansas interested in public service and civic engagement.

The Dole Institute Mentoring Program was developed with three goals in mind:1.    

1. To foster deeper connections between the Friends of the Dole Institute and our Student Advisory Board,  
2. To provide a forum for individuals of all ages to practice civil discourse by facilitating meaningful discussions on topics related to Dole Institute programs, and
3. To develop students’ skills, values, and a sense of empowerment, leadership, and citizenship.

Mentors and mentees were matched based on their interests and met at three facilitated meetings throughout the semester, as well as on their own.

The activity among mentors and mentees took off quickly after our first facilitated meeting. Mentors and mentees did everything together from attending Dole Institute programs, to touring art museums, and even attending sporting events!

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet your cool intergenerational ideas to  #cooligideas? You can also post them to our  IntergenerationalConnections Facebook Group. Youth Jumpstart Grantees can share ideas here. Or just text us through the Facebook Messenger app (friend me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion). We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter!  Share the inspiration.

AARP Experience Corps - 2014 Program of Distinction Designee

Lequetta Diggs, an AARP Experience Corps volunteer, working
with students at Maxfield Elementry school in St. Paul
to help develop their reading skills.

Photos courtesy of AARP Experience Corps.

In the four years Generations United, through our partnership with New York Life Foundation, presented the Programs of Distinction Award, we realized something: our applicants are adventurers at heart, whether they know it or not.  

While applying isn’t as dangerous as wingsuit gliding off a 13,000-foot mountain or kayaking over a waterfall, the consideration process is just as rigorous.

That’s why our successful applicants enjoy the bragging rights and national legitimacy that comes from joining an elite group of programs celebrated for their effectiveness. (See our post, “What is a Program of Distinction Designee and why is it so important?”)

This year’s honorees are AARP Experience Corps, Family Care Center at Virginia Commonwealth University and Geriatric Career Development Program at Jewish Home Lifecare.

This post is one of a three-part series, highlighting our 2014 designees. First up, is AARP Experience Corps.

What makes this an award-winning national program is how it engages people 50-plus years old to meet their community's greatest challenges.

Two thousand AARP Experience Corps volunteer members tutor and mentor in 19 cities across the country, providing literacy coaching, homework help, consistent role models and committed, caring attention.

Independent research shows that AARP Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become more successful, and enhances the well-being of adults 50 and older in the process.

They tap into the desire for 50-plus adults to be engaged in community, leveraging their capacity to create lasting change and making sure we conduct the research necessary to deliver the best results.

Their volunteer members tutor children who need basic literacy skills, they mentor students who count on them for guidance, they partner with classroom teachers to make schools better places to learn and they help create healthier communities. Learn more about AARP Experience Corp.

Stay tuned for next week, when we introduce Family Care Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems.  

Generations United Statement on the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act

Generations United applauds the bicameral, bipartisan agreement on the Preventing Sex Traffickingand Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 4980) for recognizing and supporting the needs of grandfamilies, families where children are being raised by grandparents or other relatives either inside or outside of the formal foster care system.

Specifically, children being raised in grandfamilies will benefit from the provisions which: 

• extend kinship navigators and family finding through Family Connection Grants,
• expand the adoption incentives program to include permanent guardianships and increase incentives for older youth,
• promote “normalcy” for children in foster care including kinship foster care,
• more fully engage youth in planning for their permanency,
• require adoption assistance de-link savings to be reinvested in post-permanency services, and
• preserve eligibility for kinship guardianship assistance payments with a successor guardian.

While we affirm these important steps to supporting grandfamilies, we elevate the need for further reforms and ladders to stability and permanency for children.   In particular we are committed to working with both parties to ensure the Family Connection Grants are extended beyond the current year. These grants support kinship navigator programs, one of the few sources of information and support for grandfamilies who are both keeping children with extended family and saving taxpayers more than $6.5 billion each year by keeping children out of foster care.

Generations United looks forward to supporting future efforts related to child welfare finance reform and ensuring the availability of additional prevention, post-permanency services and other supports for grandfamilies who step up to raise children when they cannot remain with their birth parents.

Thank you for your commitment to ensuring safe, stable and permanent homes for children and preserving their family and cultural ties whenever possible.

Meet Nick Partsch - Seniors4Kids Profile

Looking back on his time as the Daily Nebraskan's advertising manager, Nick Partsch's responsibilities went beyond discussing budgets and contracts with department heads or staff. It went beyond developing marketing plans and directing the paper's advertising and promotional campaigns.

In the 14 years he worked at the University of Nebraska’s student newspaper, the Lincoln, Nebraska-resident also recruited and trained young people on being successful in the advertising field. That's when he discovered something.

"Working with students enforced my belief that there's something amiss with society," said Partsch, who retired in 2012.

Of his observations at the Daily Nebraskan, he continued, "More students are coming to college lacking many life skills necessary to be the kind of person to advance rapidly in their chosen field."

So he took it upon himself then to provide those young folks the life skills necessary to succeed. Today, that same passion drives him as a grandparent who not only looks out for his 11 grandchildren but also advocates for future generations of Nebraskans.

Just looking at the stats, that future seems grim. Nearly 40 percent of Nebraska’s children, age 0-5, are considered at risk of failing in school and life, according to a study by First Five Nebraska, an early learning advocacy group.

That's what makes living in Nebraska, as Partsch puts it, "more of a challenge than a resort area."

But knowing that high quality early childhood experiences and environments decrease crime and improve community safety, Partsch is ready for his generation to step up and hold elected officials' feet to the fire when it comes to early childhood education.

But that's easier said than done. "One of the biggest problems of people my age is that we think this doesn't affect us anymore," Partsch said.

The questions he often hears are: Why should I vote for school bond issues since I don't have kids in school? Why should I support early childhood learning when all my grandkids in this area aren't in school?

But Partsch sees the connection. He knows a child’s earliest environments and experiences will help shape who they are as adults. He believes that providing quality early childhood experiences leads to quality adult citizenship.  It stands to reason that quality adult citizenship leads to a brighter future for Nebraska’s way of life.  That’s why, despite most of his grandchildren living outside of Nebraska, he stayed invested in the young people at the Daily Nebraskan.

His suggestion for bridging the gap between young and old includes more communication between them to understand  how interdependent they are. "We have a lot of wisdom to share," Partsch said. Of the future, he added, “Those kids are going to take care of us some day, one way or another."

PALETTE - Promoting Art for Life Enrichment Through Transgenerational Engagement

PHOTO: Courtesy

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each week, we'll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This new series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United's endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part eight of our series, we feature PALETTE, an intergenerational program based in Richmond, VA. (Read parts one, two, three, four, five, six and seven.)

PALETTE was launched in Richmond, VA in January 2014. Through this intergenerational art program, active older adults are paired with interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate students to participate in creative arts activities. 

The purpose of PALETTE is to foster intergenerational relationships, thereby challenging stereotypes and ageist attitudes towards older adults.

Over the course of 14 weeks, PALETTE engages students and older adults in creative arts activities including visual arts classes and cultural outings. Participants of PALETTE experience the program in pairs: older adult/student Partners in Arts Learning (PALs) spend the entirety of the program working and engaging together.

Additionally, student participants of PALETTE attend two seminars: a training seminar at the start of the program to discuss aging and aging-related topics, and a reflection seminar at the end of the program to discuss insights and responses to their experience in PALETTE.

These program activities help to break down generational barriers and to challenge the way we view aging.

Got something cool you tried that was successful? Why not tweet them to #cooligideas, post them to our Facebook Group, Intergenerational Connections? If you're a Youth Jumpstart Grantee, share your ideas here or text us through Facebook's Messenger app by friending me to join our Cool Intergenerational Ideas group discussion. We want to highlight innovative age-optimized programs and practices through our blog, social media and weekly e-newsletter! Share the inspiration.

Canada’s Day for All Ages

(l-r) Sharon MacKenzie, executive director of i2i Intergenerational Society
of Canada with Mary Lattenville (a Meadows School Project participant),
former student participant Erin Sturrock and another Meadows School
participant Marie Firth during the June 1 Intergenerational Day
Canada celebration.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each week, we'll feature intergenerational program ideas that were tried and successful. This new series is a tool to highlight various age-optimized programs and practices. The program descriptions are provided by representatives of the programs. Inclusion in this series does not imply Generations United's endorsement or recommendation, but rather encourages ideas to inspire other programs.

In part seven of our series, we feature i2i Intergenerational Society of Canada, an organization based out of British Columbia and created to assist Canadians in the building of bridges between generations. (Read parts one, two, three, four, five and six.)

This blog post and photos appear courtesy of Sharon MacKenzie, Executive Director of i2i Intergenerational Society.

In my country, we celebrate Intergenerational Day on June 1^st. Last month marked the fifth year we recognized this commemorative day.

It’s a time when provincial, territorial and over 100 municipal governments across the country acknowledge the importance of respectful intergenerational relations.

The i2i Intergenerational Society’s charge to Canadians is a small one: reach out to someone of a different generation. (See our history.)

The Meadows School Project's former students and participants

We spread the word through newsletters, social media (Facebook and Twitter), our website and those of our colleagues, and through official proclamations shared within community by city councils and provincial/territorial legislatures.

The citywide events spread from Toronto, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta to Victoria and Vernon, British Columbia, where the Victoria City Parade drew a crowd of 200,000 seniors and children.

Another great event was the Vernon reunion, which brought together students and older adults from the Meadows School Project, an intergenerational immersion program that ran from 2001 to 2008.

Other cities and local groups opted for intergenerational picnics, sing-a-longs, media coverage with stories of the value of their relationships, ice cream parties and sharing of bridge building activities that involved teens making videos to help older adults understand appliances in the home.

The one-day initiative on June 1st brings attention to the power of intergenerational relations in building a more resilient community by breaking down the issues of ageism. 

Clip from i2i's documentary Whose Grandma Are You?

The i2i Intergenerational Society sees the immense value for health, education and the community at large when older adults and children/youth are given time to build respectful and reflective relations.

Our research of eleven years, which incorporates the Meadows School Intergenerational Immersion Project template into four care facilities and schools in British Columbia and Alberta, proves that intergenerational activities improve sense of well-being, reduce isolation and create a greater sense of contributing meaningfully to the local community.

This has huge implications for health in an aging demographic and a world where children and youth are increasingly confronted with the insecurities of our changing society.

Our mandate is to partner with all of the local intergenerational initiatives in Canada to create a larger advocacy group and a resource base for others wishing to get involved in their locales.

We encourage others to see the benefits of bridging generations every day in every way, which speaks to our slogan: “It’s not about doing different things, it is about doing things differently.”

For more information and to download resources, go to www.intergenerational.ca