Intergenerational Day Care
Where the Older and Younger Generations Meet
For those of us who are members of the Sandwich Generation, people caring for our children and aging parents, intergenerational day care may be the answer.
With over 35 million people in the United States over the age of 65 and an expectation that this number will rise to 55 million by the year 2020, there is an increased need for programs that will provide support for our aging population. Intergenerational day care is one such program designed to offer daily care and support to older adults and young children.
Programs such as ONEgeneration in Van Nuys, California, or My Second Home, in Mt. Kisco, New York, mix older adults and preschool children into one daycare center to encourage their interaction and foster their well being. Where once young people visited and performed for senior centers with little or no intermingling, now there are shared-site facilities specifically designed for interaction, a key component in developing a bond between generations.
Lois Pellegrino, Director of My Second Home, an adult program of Family Services of Westchester, agrees that these programs are becoming much more popular, “because of the graying of America and the fact that the aging population is so much more visible. People are starting to stand up and take notice.”
It wasn’t too long ago when many families lived with two, three, or even four generations under one roof, or at least within close proximity of each other. Now most of us are spread out all over the map. In fact, according to a recent survey by AARP, 45 percent of grandparents live more than 200 miles from their most distant grandchild. Add to this the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimation that 44 percent of Americans have an aging parent and children under the age of 21 to care for, and this type of blending creates a perfect solution to finding quality day care for both, in addition to helping the overtaxed caregiver.
A study by researchers at the Marilyn and Gordon Macklin Intergenerational Institute in Findlay, Ohio, showed that preschoolers who had regular interaction with older adults showed advanced social development over kids in regular day care. According to this same study, it also improves their manners. And additional studies are being done in the hope of finding that children involved in intergenerational day care have improved language skills and self-confidence.
As for the adults, it provides an opportunity to share past experiences and to be a positive role model for the young. “You can really see there are reciprocal needs that link adults and children. Adults want to nurture, and children want to be nurtured. Adults have something to teach, and children have something to learn,” says Jennifer Tiller, Director of Adult Daycare at ONEgeneration. In addition a study taking place at ONEgeneration has already found that people with mild to moderate dementia are benefiting from the program through demonstrated improvement in their mood and interaction during the time spent together.
Overall it is believed that these programs can enhance physical, emotional and cognitive development by providing a variety of activities from reading, gardening and cooking to games, arts and crafts and music. And all while providing much needed assistance to the family members who would normally be the caregivers.
But this concept of reaping benefits from intermingling generations is hardly new. It has long been believed that as we age we continue to need social contact to thrive. In fact a recent study indicated that isolation might be as deadly to aging adults as cigarette smoking because of the increased risk of disease.
So rather than perpetuate the myth that the older we get the less we have to offer, these programs create an environment where everyone seems young and generations come together to share the everyday experiences of living, laughing and friendship. Not a difficult concept really, just one that sometimes gets lost in the rush of our everyday lives.
