STUDENTS BRIDGE GAP
Connecting to seniors
The Greater Essex County District School Board is piloting a new program that will attempt to bridge the generation gap. Beginning this week, two classes of students from Ford City Public School and one from Southwood will begin paying monthly visits to Amica, Huron Lodge and Sunrise seniors’ residences during the school year.
The 60 students, who will be from a split Grade 2/3 class, a Grade 5 and a Grade 6 class, will each be paired with a resident. “We have an aging population and it’s important for young people to feel comfortable with elderly people,” said Emily Li Causi, head of experiential learning for the public board.
“It could be their work in the future or they may have to care for an elderly person.”
Li Causi said the board is planning to expand the program next year.
“We’re always looking for new ways to involve our residents in the community,” said Sara Nussey, a life enrichment assistant at Amica. “It’s important for residents to remain connected to the outside world. What better way to do that than have kids come in?” Windsor is only the second region in the province to launch the Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Program. It has been operating in the Brantford area for 13 years. Retired teacher Valerie Houston pitched the idea and the board set aside the funding to launch the program from its experiential learning budget. The program will be self-sustaining through fundraising efforts led by Houston in the future.
“The benefits of intergenerational programs are well documented,” said Amanda Caslick, Huron Lodge’s manager of resident services.
“They provide lasting, therapeutic benefits for residents living in long-term care.
“The children bring energy and enthusiasm and residents’ faces just light up as soon as they enter the building.”
Huron Lodge will receive monthly visits from Southwood’s split Grade 2/3 class. Caslick said the school board has also been very receptive to suggestions on what would work best with their residents. Activities will include reading, art, games designed to promote co-operation, and interviewing the residents about their lives.
“The nice thing about the program is it will allow our residents to develop meaningful relationships with the same children coming back each month,” Caslick said. “That’s especially important for residents who are physically or emotionally more isolated than other residents.”
Li Causi said the two schools picked to launch the pilot program had already expressed some interest in just such a project.
The students’ visits will be structured around curriculum-related lessons designed specifically to engage with the seniors.
For example the Ford City students will be paired with a resident at Amica or Sunrise and will conduct an interview about the resident’s career.
That information will be used as the basis for a project on that career choice, which will be presented to other classes at the school. “We have a lot of teachers and professors who are residents, so I think they’ll find it interesting hearing about what’s new in education from the kids,” Nussey said. “The kids will get a lot of wisdom and advice on how to live a successful and happy life. Our residents are really looking forward to their visit.”
Both the seniors and students have been given some orientation on the program to prepare for this week’s launch. Students will be regularly surveyed to measure the program’s progress.
“I’m excited to see how this program impacts the seniors and students,” Li Causi said. “I think it’ll benefit both parties in so many ways.”