Linking Young and Old

I really enjoy being with young people. Their energy is contagious. Our energy level seems to drop as we age, but a few hours with teenagers can rejuvenate eighty and ninety year olds. 

We have been given the privilege by schools here in Sherwood Park to take part in a visit once a week with an organization called Linking Generations. It has been the source of many happy hours for myself and others, as a senior residing in Chartwell Country Cottage Residence. The youth arrive just before 4:00 pm, and a buzz of conversation breaks out as they drop their backpacks to wrap their arms around “their” senior, amid hugs and kisses, and hoots of “Hi!”

No matter what stage of old age, deafness, or inability we are at, they empathize, laugh with us, and share their weekly experiences. We count the days in between visits and look forward to Tuesdays as a group. We roll up our sleeves, young and old, and jump in with paste or paint to participate in the next activity or project. 

This camaraderie certainly gives me a sense of being valued. What a great gift to be given from the heart by these kids. Any of the letters to the editor complaining about teenagers can be refuted. The unanimous opinion of the seniors is that these students are our friends. 

In the last six years, I have been active and enjoyed these young people from grades eight, ten, and twelve. The pleasant time I have spent with them has been reciprocated, but I feel I have been the winner. I smile and remember good times. The youth have been at different ages and developmental stages, but have harbored a special place in their heart for seniors. 

The dedicated people who run the program should be proud of the results from the many hours spent in preparation for each session. 

For more information on the Linking Generations program, visit the Linking Generations Society of Alberta website at http://www.linkinggenerations.ca.

Many of the seniors here see the world differently than I do because they lived in a different time where the world was also different. Many of them do things a certain way and I have learned how to create an activity that we both enjoy. I also learned how to be grateful for what I have. By interacting with the seniors here and listening to their life stories, I see how much society have changed. A lot of these changes are because the generations before us tried to make things better for the younger generation. 

By participating in this program, I have also learned to be patient. Even though I am the volunteer, our visits here are not just about me. I have learned to go with the flow. Sometimes my senior may want to play cards. And sometimes they just want to talk. My favourite word to describe my role in the program is flexibility. There have been times when my senior has not wanted to do the activity that the group is doing so we end up playing another game or just talking. There also may be times when my senior is not there so I go with another group or another senior joins my group for the day. Most of the seniors just want someone to talk to, someone to play games with and someone to interact with. They just want to be appreciated and be told that they are important for no other reason than they are a living, breathing human being. They want to know that they have not been forgotten.