Category: Intergenerational Programming

Intergenerational Activities: Using the Best Friends Approach with Children

With the Best Friends™ approach, activities are more than just what’s on the calendar. Using Best Friends, almost everything can become an extended, interesting opportunity for engagement. A simple handshake can lead to a discussion about fingernail polish, gloves, work done by hand, “lifelines,” rings on fingers, promise rings, weddings, and more. A teapot can be enjoyed for its beauty, and discussions can follow about making tea, reading tea leaves, the different flavors of tea, and the Boston Tea Party. Because the bottom line of the Best Friends approach is to focus on the person rather than the task. In…

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Intergenerational Programming: Getting Started

Montessori in Elder Care People of older generations may have memories of standing at their grandmother’s side in the kitchen and baking bread or helping their grandfather plant the vegetable garden in the spring. Many of us have wonderful memories of growing up in an extended family. Today, however, young adults often move far away from their families to build careers or take advantage of other opportunities. As a result, they are raising families away from their parents and grandparents. The decline of the extended family support system means many children grow up disconnected from their grandparents and lacking the…

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5 Inspiring Stories of Meaningful Person-Centered Memory Care

Small Ways Care Partners Have Improved Quality of Life and Made a Difference This post was excerpted from Getting Dementia Care Right: What’s Not Working and How It Can Change by Anne Ellett, M.S.N., NP. Copyright © 2023 by Health Professions Press. I have had so many meaningful experiences over the years working in memory care. I have worked with countless wonderful support partners and leaders, people who took the time to listen to an individual resident, advocated for him or her, and provided a gentle touch at just the needed moment to improve that person’s day. The following stories…

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