Community Need: A Societal Shift - Increasing Segregation Between Generations

As the aging population continues to rise in the next decade, age segregation and isolation are expected to increase between older and younger generations. Young people may experience reduced interaction with seniors for a variety of reasons, such as dispersed extended families, homogeneous neighbourhoods, and rising segregation as seniors start to reside in more care centres and lodges.

LINKages’ Solution: Intergenerational Programming - Connecting Young People and Seniors

In 1994, LINKages recognized the value of creating caring partnerships between youth and seniors. More recently, we have made a concerted effort to understand the emerging field of intergenerational studies – and the concept that purposeful connections, mutually-beneficial activities and the exchange of knowledge are critical to the development of successful Intergenerational Programs and Practices (IGPs). In 2005, LINKages initiated a study, in collaboration with The City of Calgary and The Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary to conduct an environmental analysis of intergenerational programming in Calgary – the conclusion reached from this research is the foundation for LINKages’ IGPs:

Intergenerational programs can contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities, for example, by facilitating mutually beneficial relationships; volunteering and community building; increasing social cohesion; integration and collaboration; and strengthening family relationships (p. iv).[1]