Program combats ageism as students live with seniors
Victoria Kozar, like many students, met one of her best friends while in college.
The now 23-year-old, who attended Quinnipiac University, says she and Beth lived in the same building and spent hours talking about everything from boyfriends to baking.
Her other friends are usually surprised when they find out that Beth Eichelman is 91 years old.
“I don’t refer to her as like, my elderly friend Beth,” she said. “She’s not like another grandma. She’s just one of the girls.”
Kozar, of New Milford, was among the first students to participate in the Masonicare-Quinnipiac University Students In Residence Program, which had her live during her senior year in 2016-17, at Masonicare at Ashlar Village, a retirement community in Wallingford.
Intergenerational learning isn’t new. Dozens of programs across the nation have opened assisted-living facilities on campus or given senior citizens access to college classrooms. But only a few, such as Quinnipiac, have the generations live together.
The idea of the program is to tear down generational stereotypes, combat ageism and introduce students to possibility of careers working with the elderly.
On Friday, Ashlar Village welcomed Cathleen Dacey, a law student. Dacey has her own apartment there and will provide at least eight hours of service each week in exchange for housing.
“I’m really interested in elder law and I find that the best way to help those people is to be with them to listen to them,” said Dacey, 23. “So I’m hopeful that this year, I’ll learn about their lives, but also how to help them.”
Kozar, who is applying to medical schools, said the program helped steer her toward a career in geriatrics. She helped run a jewelrymaking club and baking class at the center. Residents would ask her for help with computer tablets and technology.
“It’s nice to have someone come in who’s young, who is vibrant, who smiles, who talks to us,” said 85-year-old resident Clarisse Miessau, who wore a Quinnipiac University T-shirt Friday to welcome Dacey. “That’s what they have done for us.”
Kozar said she and the other students get just as much, if not more, from the program through living history lessons. Several of the women at the center, she said, had distinguished careers in science and medicine, breaking down barriers that she is now able to walk through. All of them, she said, are happy to share their stories and expertise.
“This place was more full of life than many of my college classrooms,” she said. “My other friends wanted to spend more time there than anywhere else.”