Connecting generations even in Senior Living

Senior Living and Care can be a hub for connecting generations. While this may sound unfamiliar, it is already a part of many lives around the world. A generational gap exists in our society and is now more rampant due to the advancement in technology. Many youngsters and millennials do not even think or have a clue about what they would do for their own aging or financial security when the time comes for such needs. Ringing to a new era or future will include empowerment through literacy, education, enlightenment, and acceptive intelligence. We are breaking ground for a whole new world where connected generations can create mass mihygge for all. 

It is always easier said than done. Having encountered grandchildren caring for their grandparents who have outlived their own parents’ there is another generational gap between these youngsters themselves, some who have matured early due to parental loss and some who could care less. Such awkwardness in people is not liberating but instead confining as solutions are hard to come by in closed spaces. Hence closing the generational gap in every way is the key to bringing mihygge to everyone.   

Without further delay, we would like to share some ways generations can be connected, in random order: 

1. Include all generations in family gatherings, events, and celebrations, instead of just the children and siblings.
2. Create a day or days every month to have a meetup day for the elderly to meet youngsters and vice versa. 
3. Invite grandchildren to visit with their grandparents and see what it is like to be older. What care do they need? What care is given? How choices are made etc. 
4. Make healthy aging a part of the school curriculum, introduce it as part of self-care and redesign the thinking processes in our society. If done, then senior living will be an extension of that educational empowerment. 
5. Maybe a collection of recipes or stories by young and older can be part of a senior living fundraiser! 
6. Including children to come to visit a senior living facility and be read to by a senior can help alleviate reading anxieties, dyslexia perhaps? or even give children newfound strength and courage to do things outside of their capabilities. 

7. Experiences do count. For example, storytelling by seniors to a group of voracious listeners ( children ) can be fantasy, fun, and fundamental to their growth and development. 
8. Health is wealth. Having health fairs at the senior living community can bridge generational gaps, create curiosity, and instill an interest in the world of healthcare as a career too. 
9. Mutually beneficial projects, like working together with children and seniors to cook, bake, or even decorate a Christmas tree together, can bring joy to all. 
10. Continual improvement, feedback, and skill building are important for a great relationship. 

While we could write on and on, we would love to hear your take on this. Many of us have had the pleasure of working on some projects this way, while others might be pondering getting started. Wherever we are in the journey, it is best to always be learning, connecting, researching, and growing! This is a very powerful time of change and I am excited to see where we can take this… Ideas are everywhere, and we would love to hear yours. Thank you for reading our blogs; we hope we could inspire you as much as we were inspired to write this. Until next time, we wish our elderly and families, a wonderful connected mihygge experience in their senior living!