A beautiful thing happened recently: Some elementary school-aged children came to visit the residents at the assisted living facility where I work. I was privileged to observe and to help facilitate some of the interactions between the children and residents who chose to participate in the activity that included music and a simple art project. I especially enjoyed the introductions. As I presented one of the ladies to a lovely child at her table, the little girl said, “I already know her. She’s my Nanna.” The woman (Nanna), said, “Yeah. We’re already.” The girl just smiled and continued to do her busy work of coloring a page for Nanna. It didn’t matter that “We’re already,” didn’t seem to be a complete thought. There was no judgement at all. Children are generally accepting of the differences in others, and this little one was very much so. It was a kindness to her nanna, and though she may not recognize it, the time Nanna shared was a kindness to the child. Not just exposure to, but increased quality time with the senior population is a worthy endeavor, and serves to strengthen both the oldest and the youngest among us. Intergenerational connectedness was once a part of daily living in society though the modern family has become increasingly separated. Instead of relating across generations, we’ve divided ourselves into social peer-groups; from our babies to our retirees. It’s our societal design, but doesn’t necessarily best meet our human needs. Recognizing this, wise social engineers have started a movement toward combining child-day-care with nursing home facilities, including care centers for those with dementia. Hundreds of such facilities exist around the world and interest in intergenerational day-care is on the rise. In such centers, elderly people (who choose to participate) mentor and interact with children five days per week. Some activities are structured, some aren’t. Not surprisingly, children in intergenerational daycare programs tend to be more patient, express more empathy, have more self-control and tend to have better manners when compared to children in traditional daycare. There’s less loneliness-related depression among the elderly, too. In a society where we’ve seen a growing divide between generations, any efforts to decrease ageism are worth exploring. Time shared with grandparent-aged adults helps children to become more comfortable with elderly people, allowing them to move past wrinkles and walkers or wheelchairs; to individuals with whom they can feel accepted and appreciated. Children who come to appreciate seniors as individuals possessing a lifetime of knowledge and experiences, can begin to see through eyes of respect. Respectful children are more easily moved to compassion toward the elderly and toward anyone. Be a social engineer. Adopt a grandparent. I can help. Be well

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