Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 22, 1994 TAG: 9405260046
SECTION: SENIOR STYLE PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This gives the elderly a the chance to gain a perspective of their life, said Dr. David Trinkle, a geriatric psychiatrist at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. And for the children, it helps them view elders in a more complete role.
Becoming old does not necessarily bring dementia, said Trinkle, and realizing this enables children to overcome what he calls ageism, a bias against the elderly.
Ageism can be expressed in the forms of beliefs or remarks that the elderly are no good to society, that after retirement there is no sense of purpose. At a time when the whole population is growing older, there is still a vital purpose that the elderly can serve.
They are grand storytellers, and intergenerational activities can bring them back into society with this role.
"It allows them to reminisce, and being able to reminisce resolves old conflicts, which is very beneficial," said Trinkle. "The goal, from a developmental perspective for the elderly, is to come to terms with what their life has been. That's when wisdom comes in - when people are content with their lives."
The Adult Day Care Center, which is part of the Family and Child Development department at Virginia Tech, has had intergenerational interaction for about six months. Shirley Travis, the director of the adult section, said the adult and children's sections are separate, but joined in the middle by an intergenerational room whose doors are generally left open.
She, too, says she believes the elderly serve an important role as historians in our society, and that those who attend her day care center feel that it is vital for our children to understand their history.
"Historically, society has always felt positively about bringing the generations together. The old have the time to teach us about our heritage and culture, and they are in need of attention. But now, with the extended family disappearing as we know it, we create programs like this for linkages," she said.
Beyond that, "You can see them open their arms, with smiles on their faces. We assume, because of the beautiful smiles on older adults, when a child walks into the room, that they get a great deal of joy out of this," said Travis. But, as both she and Trinkle emphasize, intergenerational integration is not for every elderly adult and should not be forced on members of either age group.
Travis has been very cautious, as have those manning the children's section, about integrating the ages. Travis said that early in the planning stages some faculty members voiced concern because of the frail and impaired conditions of some of the adults.
Travis said her program provides carefully planned activities as well as spontaneous interaction (through their open door policy). But it takes into consideration that a roomful of 3-year olds might be disturbing to someone with a mental impairment. The interaction could cause agitation or confusion.
Because of sight impairment, many of the elderly tell rather than read stories to the children. Travis has also focused on sensory activities which are beneficial to both groups - she said sometimes the adults help the children out during water play.
On the other hand, little children may be hesitant at first with adults who act different, or who are in wheelchairs.
"We have several folks in wheelchairs, walkers, some who have had strokes and can't talk. Some of our children have never seen anyone like this before, and they're very timid. One of the things we're trying to achieve here is that people are different, and it's appropriate to introduce diversity," said Travis.
Her program, she said, has tried to wed both ends of the spectrum for the benefit of both. She says children need more love and attention than many families are able to give them, and at the same time, there are many older adults in the same situation.
"We've decided to be cautiously optimistic," she said, adding that in the last six months she has noticed a change in the children. Some that at first were hesitant are now more assured. And Travis said that one elderly person in particular, who has since died, would calm down among the children - and this was someone who had a high activity level.
In Roanoke the same kind of cautious optimism is apparent at the Adult Care Center of the Roanoke Valley. Mariellen Heron, the executive director, said that since last September the children of Greenvale Nursery School and her adults get together each day, and what has come of this is "some real bonding," said Heron.
"Yes, I have seen excellent changes with the adults. They look forward to it." They alternate visiting and going on field trips together, she said, and have had some planned activities such as a Thanksgiving feast where the children were the Indians and the adults were the Pilgrims. Another time, one of the advisory members made gingerbread men and read the story about the gingerbread boy, "but in this story the man didn't get eaten" said Heron.
She and Doray Feeser, the program coordinator, said they would like to see expanded intergenerational programming. The children, Feeser said, have become used to seeing their adult friends, and they climb right into their laps and give them hugs. One child who didn't speak very much became friends with one older woman, who worked with the child quite a bit. Feeser said there has been a definite, positive change in the child.
Where intergenerational activity has proven, thus far, to have positive results, Trinkle said the opposite - isolation for the elderly - can put them at risk for psychosis, depression, physical illness, and not taking their medication properly. There are still a vast majority of the elderly who live alone, he said, and this is one step in bringing them back into the family unit.
by CNB