Communal disturbance to our schools, work, and play, together with an increased awareness for your loved ones who are elderly seniors of what it means to worry about our close ties with other people, add up to fuel for sparking a movement. Many high school students were in school just a couple of days back, looking forward to spring break, graduation, and fretting about strategies for the summer. In light of Covid-19 outbreaks across the world, many of those programs have abruptly changed.
Simultaneously, older adults also have discovered that their senior centers and social clubs have closed. Regular public spaces, such as grocery shops, have come to be potentially dangerous places near you. Not only social isolation and Covid-19, but both are a substantial risk. In a time of so much doubt and change, the mutually beneficial activities that foster relations between the old and young cannot stop today. They are more significant than ever.
The connection between younger and older adults who are senior citizens strengthens community ties and social bonds and, facilitates the sharing of knowledge and wisdom, and reminds us that generational differences are theoretically more generous in theory than in practice. But traditional considering intergenerational connection needs to change through a pandemic.
Even though it might not be possible to connect across generations in the usual ways, it doesn’t mean those relations will need to stop entirely. Instead, today can be a time for new creative measures: Individuals need to support one another and leverage technologies to encourage our relationships. It is more critical than ever to live until this “men’s et manus” (“hand and mind “). Here waysin which the Age Lab is thinking about to help connected for a better life tomorrow:
Mutual aid: Neighborhood apps like Nextdoor can hook you up with neighbors nearby who may be concerned about the chance of exposure to the virus from public spaces. With the program, you can volunteer to run an errand, like shopping at supermarkets., with school districts shifting over to online learning, adults may provide phone or virtual tutoring to students who may require academic support. These intergenerational forms help offer a chance to check in with one another and have a dialogue.
Whether live or pre-recorded, virtual performances are an excellent opportunity to practice your talent while still sharing the live energy with other people.
Informal discussions: Whether it is “old school” via the telephone or reside on a movie chatting application, like FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom, we could talk in real-time with others — or participate thoughtfully through social networking. Look at using these formats to check in with folks, to discuss news or interesting information, or perhaps to do an activity together, including a puzzle, game, or book club conversation.
Video messages: Pre-recording digital video messages to share with folks you can’t see today to let someone you love that you’re thinking about them. You can get very creative with these, such as how they’re produced, what you discuss, and how many you accumulate from others.
