Intergenerational Friends and Neighbors

A national conference taps the USC Davis School's Kaoru Nashiro to discuss how Kingsley Manor's intergenerational living program benefits both retirees and students.

By Jonathan Riggs

Kaoru Nashiro’s neighbors are a little older than she is, but what’s 60-plus years among good friends?

Entering her third year in the Student Volunteer Live-In Program, the USC Davis School of Gerontology Ph.D. candidate spoke about her experiences at the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA)’s 2010 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on October 31.

Nashiro served as one of the panelists for the “Students at Home at Kingsley Manor” breakout session along with Kingsley Manor executive director Jeffrey Kirschner and a resident representative Dorothy Green (who, at 94, was the oldest presenter at any of the more than 200 programs offered over the week).

The Student Volunteer Live-In Program, an intergenerational program designed for students and retirees both, provides resident rooms for graduate college students focused on work with the aged in exchange for 16 weekly hours of volunteer time. Students live, eat and play as a member of the community, which benefits everyone involved.

“We recognize youthful interaction is in the best interest of our residents,” Kirschner says. “As a nonprofit, we see volunteerism as an important part of our mission.”

“Thanks to our Student Volunteers, we residents enjoy physical fitness classes, crafts, current events, classical music, personal stories and social hours, as well as relishing their friendship,” says Green. “Kingsley Manor is not a storage facility, it is a care facility—care of the mind as well as of the body.”

“People have all these myths about retirement and aging, but it is an important educational opportunity to see that there is more to retirement life,” Nashiro says. “This program allows students to see positive aspects of old age.”

Students who participate must take a substantial portion of their meals with residents as well as becoming fully involved in the life of the community.

“We are not looking for folks who just want a nice place to live,” Kirschner says. “We want them to start a program, service or activity consistent with their talents, interests or perceived needs of residents.”

The activity levels at Kingsley Manor rival that at any of the USC dorms, with Nashiro facilitating classes in exercise, music, and the traditional Japanese paper-folding art of origami. Popular, too, is her lively discussion class, which covers topics ranging from current gerontological research to personal stories. Residents who are unable or unwilling to participate in a particular class’s activities are still encouraged to attend for the social aspect, and it’s not uncommon to find residents coming to origami class to chat and socialize.

“We residents realize what a valuable opportunity Kingsley Manor is providing: exercise for our aging bodies, stimulation for our carefree minds, plus the cheerful association of these young people who become our friends as well as our instructors,” Green says. “It is refreshing to mingle with ambitious and energetic young collegiates.”

Although Nashiro and her fellow Live-In Student Volunteers appreciate the hands-on experience they get interacting with staff and the real-world application of skills they’re learning in school, it’s the personal relationships that mean the most. Whether it’s facilitating an art class to create cards and gifts for ill residents, helping to lay out the community’s monthly newsletter, or coaxing residents to take a turn on the dance floor during socials, Nashiro says that all the effort and heart students put into the community is returned tenfold.

“The residents are very welcoming and warm,” she says. “They enjoy learning from us, and we gain their wisdom.”

In addition to the joy Nashiro gets from sharing her personal interests with her neighbors, she takes pride in discussing her scientific and scholarly work with them. Nashiro makes it a point to include Kingsley Manor residents in her award-winning research on emotion and memory, and is set to publish a study conducted within the community.

“We’re not just getting grad students, we’re getting the best. People such as Kaoru help us to learn and to grow, and having those kinds of links to the academic community for us is important,” Kirschner says. “Amazing things happen at universities. Their young people bring us these cutting-edge ideas, new technologies, and new concepts.”

Since 1984, the Student Volunteer Live-In Program has been providing an invaluable learning experience to more than 75 students, and Kirschner says they are always on the lookout for exceptional additions to the program.

“We provide real-life experience for students, an opportunity to test their commitment to a difficult career choice, an opportunity to compare theory and practice, and a meaningful opportunity to provide care and comfort to others,” he adds.

Of the many professional lessons she has learned during her years in Kingsley Manor, perhaps the deepest for Nashiro remain the personal connections she has made with the seniors behind the science: her neighbors, her friends.

“It is a nice process to watch the intergenerational divides disappear. We watch out for each other,” she says. “I try to get to know different residents as much as I can, and I am delighted to see people light up.”