Senior year of high school is a busy time; students are involved in numerous activities, while concurrently bearing the weight of college applications. In order to get to where they are, they relied on help from adults—namely parents, teachers, and even grandparents. Many WHS seniors make time to give back to senior citizens during their final year in high school.
Seniors Ava Lee and Evalyn Tesler spend their time caring for older residents at Bride Brook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Niantic. They became Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) this past July through the Three Rivers program.
Lee says, “It is a perspective altering experience to be helping [seniors] at such a young age. I love to hear the stories they share with me as they retell the stories from their lives.”
“It’s a weird feeling to see pictures on the walls of rooms where the [now] immobile patients were dancing with their friends 10 or more years ago.” Enjoying the time we have as kids is the best message to take away.
In Puzzle Club, numerous seniors spend afternoons with the elderly at AHEPA Senior Living. Puzzle Club member Lucy Mullen says, “We go over there once a month and do puzzles with them and paint with them. It’s really fun to talk to them and listen to their stories, and they love to hear us talk about our stories.”
The residents at AHEPA enjoy the younger presence, and the seniors make meaningful memories with the older generation. Mullen says, “I have some friends there that I call sometimes. It makes me sad to hear about how lonely they get sometimes, but I’m glad that I can give them something to do during the day.”
Selmar Institute of Education notes that the most prominent benefits of intergenerational outreach with regards to the elderly are increased mood, further enjoyment of life, and reduced dementia symptoms. For students, this time can shed light into what it is like to age, as well as providing new educational experiences. Socializing with the elderly is a mutually beneficial act, making it extremely important to spend time with them when possible.
It is the responsibility of younger generations to live their most fulfilling life; this becomes much more apparent once time is spent with the elderly.
Senior at WHS and organizer of TechSag—a senior citizen technology help program—Arthur Dhervilly says, “Organizing TechSage and volunteering at AHEPA has become the highlight of my weeks. Teaching residents to paint, learning life lessons from them, and just taking always makes it a fantastic experience for everyone.”
Senior Zaya Haglund helps the elderly through her church. “We do yardwork and clean houses of elderly people who are at my church who are unable to do it themselves. We also have made dinner and hosted events so that they can hang out.”
When asked how helping the senior citizens has benefitted her, Haglund says, “It helps me realize how fortunate I am and helps me look beyond myself and my small world of school and sports. I hope that if I’m ever in that situation that some people will be there to help me.”
Make time for the seniors in your life; reach out to your grandparents, do puzzles with the elderly, and help wherever you can.
