It may surprise you to know that 60% of nursing home elders receive no personal visits. Please consider this chance to engage your youth group in an intergenerational program with elders in care facilities. This is an opportunity to utilize service learning and social/emotional learning, while making a difference in your community.
Youth Group Requirements
- Age range: Preschool through high school.
- One-time visits or ongoing visits.
- Before the first, or one-time, visit is scheduled, the youth must complete an education/training session to be equipped with information and communication tools in order to have comfortable, mutually beneficial interaction with elders of all cognitive functioning levels, including advanced Alzheimer’s Disease.
- For best retention and successful interaction, the training session should not be scheduled more than a week from the visit. Same day is optimum.
- Group Leaders must complete the Group Leader Training to maximize the intergenerational experience for all involved.
- While we understand dates may need to be changed if something comes up, it is much more efficient to try schedule several visits at one time. This also helps our elder care communities plan their calendars. Elders look forward to their time with the youth, so cancellation must be treated as a last resort.
- All youth group leaders must fill out an application before the first visit. http://www.bessieshope.org/forms/youth-and-elder-application
- All youth need to return the Bessie’s Hope waiver and release, signed by parent, before the first visit. Download Form