Together, anything's possible
Seniors, young kids benefit from mixing at care centers
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By Melissa Eiselein and Douglas Quan/The Press-Enterprise
Aging Demographics
The percentage of the U.S. population age 65 and older is increasing.
1920: 4 percent
1970: 9.9 percent
2000: 13 percent
2030: Estimated 20 percent
Source: Generations United, A non-profit organization promoting intergenerational programs
MORENO VALLEY – Swing music filled the air at Integrated Care Communities Village assisted-living center recently as preschoolers greeted a group of seniors with hugs and joined them in a series of feet-tapping, arms-moving exercises that got the blood pumping.
It's a twice-weekly ritual that Lucy Whitfield says her 92-year-old mother, Maxine Williamson, did not get at a previous home for the elderly. And she believes it's helping to improve her mother's health. Williamson, who uses a wheelchair, moves her feet and can sometimes stand, which she was unable to do before moving into the center, Whitfield said.
"Mama tells me about every time they (the children) come over and what they do" together, Whitfield said. "I think that's something that gives the seniors life."
The village in Moreno Valley is one of a growing trend of so-called intergenerational facilities that offer day care and other services for preschool-aged children and the elderly in one location.
It is the only one of its kind in the Inland area, said Carl Rowe, executive director of Integrated Care Communities.
Nursing Homes/Riverside County
Homes: 52 – 48 for-profit, 2 non-profit, 2 government
Beds: 4,243
San Bernardino County
Homes: 54 – 44 for-profit, 6 non-profit, 4 government
Beds: 4,963
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
The $6.5 million assisted-living portion of the village opened in 2001 and was funded with a 40-year loan through the Riverside County Housing and Urban Development department. The Jan Peterson Child Development Center, which opened a year later, cost $1.5 million. It was partially funded with a $250,000 federal education grant, Rowe said. Rowe took out a personal loan to finance the remaining cost of the center, he said.
Both centers are licensed by the State Department of Social Services.
Generations United, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that promotes intergenerational programs, estimates there are 300 such facilities across the country.
'SANDWICH GENERATION'
Experts say the popularity of these facilities is bound to grow as more adults find themselves caught in the "Sandwich Generation," having to care for young children and aging loved ones. Rather than put the two generations in separate facilities, they can save money and put them in one.
In 2000, there were an estimated 35 million people age 65 and older in the United States. That number is expected to increase to 71.5 million by 2030, according to a March 2004 U.S. Census report.
"Baby Boomers are now looking at their own mortality for the first time. They don't want to be put away in some isolated place," Rowe said.
Studies by the Marilyn and Gordon Macklin Intergenerational Institute in Ohio and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute have shown that older adults and children benefit from the interaction. Older adults suffering dementia become happier; children display better manners and are able to focus for longer periods of time.
Intergenerational programs also help break down stereotypes the two generations might have of each other, advocates say. In an increasingly mobile society, the generations are losing contact with one another and often form opinions of each other based on misleading images they see in popular media, said Vicki Rosebrook, executive director of the Macklin institute.
"Children are accepting of differences... they're the first to accept people with breathing tubes and funky glasses," she said.
However, research by the University of Utah cautioned that treatment of the elderly at intergenerational-care facilities varies widely across the country. Some programs give older clients the freedom to choose their activities. Other programs force them to participate in programs that they may find too stimulating.
BYGONE LIFESTYLE
Rowe said he designed the village to mirror a bygone lifestyle where the elderly were cared for at home by family.
The village's assisted-living center is made up of four buildings that resemble houses with a number of bedrooms. In all, 68 seniors who are unable to cook their own meals or perform routine tasks such as bathing and dressing live here.
A day-care center for 120 children ages 6 months to 5 years shares the 9-acre village lot.
ICARE VILLAGE: Integrated Care Communities Village is next to the Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley. ICARE has a child-development center and senior assisted-living facility on the same site. There are plans to break ground for a skilled nursing facility in 2007 followed by an adult day health-care center.
Skilled nursing facility – Breaking ground next year
Jan Peterson Child Development Center – Existing
Adult Day Health-Care Facility* – Planned
Assisted Living – Existing
*Different than Adult Day Care
Source: Integrated Care Communities
During exercise time, children and seniors tap their feet, lift their arms and raise their legs.
Arloa "Billie" Hawley, 92, claps her hands to the beat, encouraging the youngsters to participate. She said she always looks forward to their visits.
"I think they're great. They seem to be so energetic," Hawley said. "I remember at that age I was very timid. They are so outgoing."
Recently, it was teddy bear day at the center. The children clutched their stuffed animals as they listened to Cliff Gallup, 85, talk about how stuffed bears came to be known as teddy, the nickname for President Theodore Roosevelt.
Later, the youngsters took turns showing their stuffed animals to the seniors. Williamson, Whitfield's mother, joined in, letting the children hug and kiss a bear she had and then letting them hug her.
STUDIES SHOW BENEFITS
Older adults with dementia who take part in intergenerational programs seem to be happier, said Shannon Jarrott, an associate professor of human development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, whose observations were published in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Also, older adults prone to agitation or who frequently pace around a room appear to be calmer because they're engaged with the children, she said.
Other studies have reported positive benefits for the children in such programs.
A 2001 study by the Macklin institute and published in the International Journal of Early Childhood showed that children in intergenerational programs had personal and social development scores that were six months ahead of other children. A follow-up study, which has not been published, showed children's scores were 11 months ahead, Rosebrook said.
Her study found that children in intergenerational programs were better mannered because the older adults demanded "Thank yous" and "Please."
The children also had a greater ability to express their emotions, likely because the older adults were inclined to ask them questions, such as, "Why are you crying?"
Children also were able to work in groups for longer periods of time.
But it's important to do research before putting a loved one in an intergenerational program, said Sonia Salari, an associate professor of human development at the University of Utah, whose observations about intergenerational-care facilities were published in The Gerontologist. Some programs treat older adults like children, which is dehumanizing and can cause some adult participants to withdraw, Salari said.
While the staff may be well-meaning, "they don't realize how limiting it is for the older person and how much they resent it," she said.
Participants in some programs also complained that they didn't have enough freedom to opt out of certain activities and that the children could be too overwhelming at times.
Salari said better programs treat older adults as mentors and give them choices about what programs they want to join.
OTHER PROGRAMS
The idea of combining the activities of seniors and youth isn't just for elder- and child-care centers.
HeadStart in San Bernardino offers a volunteer program for seniors. The public library in Mentone is building a senior center that will also offer activities for children, said Rosemary McCaslin, a Cal State San Bernardino professor of social work who specializes in geriatrics.
"More often than not, young people and old people have needs that fit together perfectly," McCaslin said.
While McCaslin is a supporter of mixing the generations, she said it needs to be done carefully.
"You can't just throw older people and children together and you can't throw them together all day," McCaslin said. "To do it really well takes a lot of thought. You're dealing with children of various abilities and adults of various abilities."
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