In a December 2016 New York Times Op-Ed, Dr. Dhruv Khullar, a resident physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, recounted a sad story about one of his patients.
The guy was dying. “He would die today,” Khullar wrote. “Maybe tomorrow. And if not tomorrow, the next day.”
When he asked the man if he had family. “Not a one,” Khullar remembered him saying. “No immediate family. No close friends. He had a niece down South, maybe, but they hadn’t spoken in years.”
That’s when the weight of the guy’s solitude hit the doctor, who wondered if that might have led to his patient’s premature death.
Khullar’s thinking is relevant now, when all ages are encouraged to “social distance” themselves during the coronavirus outbreak. It’s too early to know if social isolation or COVID-19 will kill more people in the long run.
A heightened awareness of how a lack of social connection negatively impacts individuals as they age and their networks diminish has fueled a significant interest in intergenerational programming in recent years.
Those conditions have long been thought to largely afflict older people, who may be homebound and isolated.
But, according to a 2018 British study, about one in 20 people “always or often” felt lonely.
The highest proportion in that category were people between the ages of 16 and 24 (10%).
A study by Cigna reported that adults are reaching “epidemic levels” of loneliness. Of those surveyed, 46% reported “sometimes” or “always” feeling lonely and younger generations reported feeling much lonelier than older ones.
Other research offers a more ominous warning, with health dangers associated with loneliness. A study published in March 2019 found socially isolated people are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, compared to people with strong personal networks.
But not all the research is grim.
Intergenerational engagement has been shown to confront ageism, break down the barriers of age-segregation and forge long-lasting and life-changing intergenerational bonds.
A proven example of this are intergenerational shared sites, or spaces and places that serve young and old together, like the Champion Intergenerational Enrichment and Education Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Every day at Champion, the young children and older adults get together in the welcomingly bright multipurpose room that does double-duty as a lunchroom and is the bridge between the childcare and older adults’ areas of the building. Students from The Ohio State University also play a role, and everyone—young, old and those in-between—refer to each other as “neighbor.” The connections are genuine and the effect long-lasting.
While far from a household name, shared sites may well be a concept whose time is now.
Our survey with The Eisner Foundation, All In Together: Creating Places Where Young and Old Thrive, found plenty of support for programs that bring diverse age groups together to fend off loneliness.
Eighty-nine percent of Americans believe serving both children/youth and older adults at the same location is a good use of resources.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans think that senior centers (64%) and schools/universities (62%) should be creating opportunities for children/youth and older adults to interact.
Given what we know people want, even in this time of social distancing, we can prepare for the future by planning intergenerational shared sites and programs now. The demand for quality children and youth services compounded with the increasing need for creative older adult programs creates an environment ripe for innovative age-integrated care.
These creative approaches include Messiah Lifeways, a residential community for older adults in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, that opened 40 years ago with a child care/preschool on its campus and continues to operate as a shared site.
Another is ONEgeneration in Van Nuys, California, which also opened 40 years ago. But, unlike Messiah, ONEgeneration was a center for older adults only until 1994, when the addition of a childcare facility changed the nonprofit’s course.
It’s now a model for developing an intergenerational shared site and one that serves a multicultural population where preschoolers learn Mandarin and Spanish, teachers speak 12 languages and the adults enrolled in the day program hail from 24 countries.
What’s clear about these and other successful intergenerational shared sites is that it’s an inclusive model that bridges many of the typical divides, which is what’s needed to combat social isolation. Given this global pandemic we are currently experiencing, we are practicing physical distancing now so that we may enjoy our intergenerational, shared spaces and the connections and positive impacts they provide as soon as we are able.
It’s imperative that we make our communities healthier for all ages. One way to do this is for those who invest in community reinvestment to proactively promote intergenerational spaces and places, shared sites, as part of community rebuilding strategies.
Getting a shared site in all communities takes visionary, inspirational and tenacious leaders; innovative and creative frontline staff; and families, caregivers, older adults and younger people who are willing to participate.
Donna Butts is Executive Director of Generations United, a position she has held since 1997. Founded in 1986, Generations United’s mission is to improve the lives of children, youth and older adults through intergenerational collaboration, public policies and programs for the enduring benefit of all.
Photo by Paolo Bendandi on Unsplash
