Tamar Shovali

Eckerd College, a small, private liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, FL, earned the Age-Friendly University (AFU) designation in 2019. Guided by the evidence-based Age Inclusivity Domains of Higher Education (AIDHE) model, we adopted a multifaceted approach to launch our AFU status and foster campus-wide awareness and engagement across the seven domains. The AIDHE model outlines that campus-wide strategies for this launch should focus on raising awareness, providing information and education, and assessing campus constituents. Our first goal was to raise awareness of age diversity, friendliness, and inclusivity on campus. A multi-tiered approach began by forming a coalition with The Inspired Network center for teaching, learning, and faculty development and engaging in conversations with administration and key staff from various domains, including advancement, OLLI, the Academy of Senior Professionals, admissions, and human resources. This was followed by an AFU Lunch and Learn for faculty, staff, and community members to raise broader awareness about our designation, highlight the value of working in an age-diverse environment, and assess attendees’ specific resource needs to inform future practices. To broaden student awareness, a Careers in Aging Month event was planned to provide information about AFUs and opportunities in the field of aging. Subsequently, an assessment of non-traditional student experiences at the college led to the development of a student club designed for this population. Our overarching strategy, other Age-Friendly initiatives aiding in this launch, and specific resource needs will be discussed.

This project intentionally fostered open, honest conversations about mortality by building an intergenerational Death Café, recognizing that such spaces are not inherently intergenerational. Undergraduates in a Death and Dying course, community members, and members of our university-affiliated Academy of Senior Professionals joined a series of Death Cafés in 2023 and 2024, with an average of 43 participants ranging in age from 18 to 84 years. Attendees were surveyed following each session about their frequency of engagement in discussions about death and dying in their daily lives, their perceptions of the value of intergenerational Death Cafés, whether they learned something new about death and dying, and whether their views on death and dying changed as a result of attending. Average responses indicate consistently high value and learning across all sessions, with a 12.2% increase in participants responding affirmatively that their views on death and dying changed. Nearly half of attendees reported rarely discussing death and dying in their lives, though such conversations increased slightly from 33.3% after the first café to 58% after the third café. Qualitative results indicate that each café built upon the last, shifting from initial openness and comfort (café 1), to refining the dialogue process and balancing perspectives (café 2), to encouraging deeper personal action and longer-term comfort with the subject (café 3). Clearly, meaningful intergenerational conversations about mortality can foster fulfilling and deeply human connections. The process of preparing and planning cafés will be discussed in this presentation.

The idea that universities play a vital role in promoting intergenerational learning and reciprocal sharing of knowledge among learners of all ages is a key principle of the Age Friendly University model. Although there is abundant research on the benefits of intergenerational relationships and learning in the classroom there is less information about details of how to transform a classroom space into a place where these relationships can occur. This suggests a need for reports of practical approaches in this area. I will describe an intergenerational team-based strategy employed with first year undergraduates in an intensive 3-week course. Students collaborated in teams across the semester to design an intergenerational activity tied to Age Friendly University principles to execute at the end of the semester. To assess the quality of intergenerational learning I surveyed students and older participants about the impact of the project on themselves, the College, and the local community. Prior to engaging in the projects the majority of students (66.7%) and older adults (66.7%) reported occasionally interacting with the other. Both reported an increase in the quality of their intergenerational interactions, students by 50% and older adults by 22.3%. Older and younger learners agreed that intergenerational projects benefit the College and the wider community beyond the College. Qualitative results about outcomes of this programming highlighted friendships and intergenerational communication and learning from younger learners and enjoyment and hope from older learners. Necessary to success in developing effective course-based programming are intentional design and ongoing evaluation.

There is a need for Age-Friendly endeavors to include dementia-inclusive educational opportunities in higher education. Given the rising aging population, undergraduate students increasingly will (a) have personal experiences with loved ones diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, (b) pursue careers in the field of aging and directly work with individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or (c) indirectly work with individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers through roles in various professions such as finance or law. Undergraduate students in a gerontology course at an Age-Friendly University engaged in a dementia inclusive virtual reality training intended to sensitize individuals to the needs of people living with dementia. Virtual reality experiences related to dementia can help build empathy towards daily challenges faced by people living with dementia. Prior to and after engagement in the session students were asked questions about their understanding and empathy for people with dementia and their caregivers. Small group discussions followed the session to prompt reflection, encourage critical thinking, and facilitate discussion on the impact and lessons learned from the training. This experiential learning was preceded by an interactive lecture about the basics of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia delivered by a Community Educator from the Alzheimer’s Association. Age-Friendly University principles provide a guideline for the many ways higher education can shape age inclusive teaching and learning environments that promote greater empathy and understanding for people living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers.

Abstract Intergenerational relationships are necessary to prepare the workforce for careers in the field of gerontology. Intergenerational interaction and reflection have been shown to result in valuable skills, such as positive attitudes toward older adults, increased knowledge of aging and needs of older adults, genuine relationships with older adults and a greater appreciation for older generations, greater comfort with the idea of themselves aging, and high satisfaction when embedded into course curriculum. Intergenerational contact in the structure of undergraduate courses also has reciprocal benefits, such as recognizing commonalities, building appreciation and trust, and creating a sense of belonging between generations that can be lasting. Building on empirical evidence, an intensive three-week intergenerational relationships course for first year students using intentional integration with general education goals, while also training students in basic understanding of aging is described here. Students collaborated with the college’s Academy of Senior Professionals, a unique community of retired older adults engaged in lifelong learning, to develop a college-wide intergenerational event. Considerations, outcomes, and lessons learned will be reviewed.

Intergenerational programs have long been employed to reduce ageism and optimize youth and older adult development. Most involve in‐person meetings, which COVID‐19 arrested. ​​Needs for safety and social contact were amplified during COVID‐19, leading to modified programming that engaged generations remotely rather than eliminating it. Our collective case study incorporates four intergenerational programs in five US states prior to and during COVID‐19. Each aims to reduce ageism, incorporating nutrition education, technology skills, or photography programming. Authors present case goals, participants, implementation methods, including responses to COVID‐19, outcomes, and lessons learned. Technology afforded opportunities for intergenerational connections; non‐technological methods also were employed. Across cases, programmatic foci were maintained through adaptive programming. Community partners’ awareness of immediate needs facilitated responsive programming with universities, who leveraged unique resources. While new methods and partnerships will continue post‐pandemic, authors concurred that virtual contact cannot fully substitute for in‐person relationship‐building. Remote programming maintained ties between groups ready to resume shared in‐person programming as soon as possible; they now have tested means for responding to routine or novel cancellations of in‐person programming. Able to implement in‐person and remote intergenerational programming, communities can fight ageism and pursue diverse goals regardless of health, transportation, weather, or other restrictions.