High School Intergenerational Program

Bridging the Gap High School program is a one-of-kind Intergenerational Program that brings together high school students with the well, frail and seniors with dementia, who may not have the fine motor skills, or cognitive skills to write their own life-stories. The purpose of the intergenerational program is to foster cooperation, understanding and friendship between the generations.

There are several variations of focus for the Bridging the Gap Intergenerational  Program - Memoirs, Music and Drama. In each of these programs, interviewing occurs to obtain the life stories from the senior partner. In the Memoir focus, the students produce a Life Story Album. In the Music version the students write lyrics, compose music and produce a CD for the senior partner. In the Drama focus, the students create vignettes which are performed for the seniors with an accompanying DVD of the performance.

 The program affects the youths attitudes and perspectives towards aging, and dementia and promotes feelings of life-satisfaction and self-worth for the senior.

Objectives
- provide one-on-one activity with dedication and commitment to the senior partners from the students
- form meaningful relationships between seniors and students
- provide understanding and sensitivity to the process of aging, stereotypes, and dementia
- stimulates the seniors' brain while answering questions and discussing their life stories

Benefits
- presents the seniors in a new way: they are perceived and appreciated as interesting people with vibrant pasts
- produce a tangible outcome for each senior and their families
- the students and seniors benefit from the personal relationships developed with each other
- the interactions and personal sharing re-enforce the seniors life purpose and self satisfaction


Train the Trainer Programs are Available
Storylines provides training workshops for on-site-staff to facilitate their own Bridging the Gap Intergenerational programs. All resource materials are supplied.


On-Site Delivery
Storylines provides an 8-week on-site delivery of the Bridging the Gap Intergenerational  Program in the many formats as described above.

For more information on any of the above programs:
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