Little Angels Preschool & Daycare will celebrate
National Senior Citizens Day on August, 21, 2013. The preschoolers will bake dozens of cookies
and deliver them to the Ypsilanti Senior Home and to the CHS Group. CHS, which shares space in the same building
that is home to LAPD, assists the elderly and people living with Alzheimer’s,
Autism, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and other challenging health issues.
Celebrate National Senior Citizen’s Day along with Little
Angels Preschool & Daycare.
See the press release for this event.
There are several volunteer and school-based programs
throughout the country that encourage interaction between children and the
elderly or “inter-generational connections.”
This concept appears to be successful in many ways. Elders have extra time to spend mentoring and
passing their wisdom onto the children. Children
learn social responsibility and compassion for elders. Children also reciprocate by bringing an
immense amount of joy to the elders. Thereby,
reducing the elder’s depression, loneliness and boredom.
One such program is The Grace Living Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Grace Living
Center houses two
classrooms with 60 kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students with 170
elders. The “grandmas” and “grandpas”
mentor the children with their academic and social development through reading,
dramatic play, crafts and more. There
have been proven results of higher competency in reading and vocabulary. Children
also learn more about aging including illness, physical limitations such as mobility,
eyesight loss, hearing loss and ultimately even death.
There are many ways to encourage your child’s
“inter-generational connections.” Spend
time with grandparents, elderly family members or neighbors. The elders can teach your child skills such
as fishing, knitting, cooking, story telling etc. Your child may help elders learn about
technology perhaps with e-mail, Facebook, games, cameras, iPods or iPads.
If your child doesn’t have an elderly relative or neighbor close
by, here are several alternative suggestions:
- Volunteer at an assisted living home.
- Read to the elderly and allow the elderly to read to your child.
- Serve and/or deliver Meals on Wheels.
- Volunteer with a pet therapy program that takes pets to assisted living homes.
- Be a pen pal to an elderly person. Everyone loves getting mail!
- Do crafts together. It will help fine motor skills in children and the elders!
We all can learn a great deal from our elders. Listen to their life stories: happy moments,
times of struggle, proud accomplishments, regrettable mistakes and so much
more.
Read more about The Grace Living Center posted by Lisa
Morehouse
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