Project SHARE
Project SHARE (Students Help and Reach Elders) enriches the lives of health-impaired seniors in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and adult day care centers by linking them with children from pre-school through high school in a number of interactive ways. SHARE focuses on what people can do rather than on their limitations. The program works towards dispelling negative age-related myths and stereotypes and raising the self-esteem of both young and old participants. Students encourage and work with senior participants in all the activities at senior facilities.
PARTICIPANTS: One MCPS elementary school (three classes), two private schools (each involving three classes), one private preschool (three classes), one youth center, two nursing homes and two assisted-living facilities participated in Project SHARE this year. A total of 294 students and 187 frail and isolated seniors visited together during the year. The seniors involved in the program spent 1016.5 hours with the children.
ACTIVITIES: At each of our programs the participants enjoyed doing a wide range of activities together: songs to put everyone at ease, a time for conversation on a suggested topic, an art or craft project, some movement activity, riddles or trivia questions to answer, and games to play. All of the activities were designed to encourage everyone's involvement and to stimulate interaction between the students and their senior friends. Activities were planned to make everyone feel comfortable and capable of participating. The emphasis was always on students and their senior friends helping and working with each other.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS: One major accomplishment of this program has been getting the students to feel comfortable engaging in conversations with the seniors. The students became more confident and the level of sharing grew considerably through shared experiences and the numerous tasks that the students and seniors were required to do together as a team. Many became free with their hugs for each other. Another accomplishment was the steady attendance of many of the seniors. They really looked forward to being with the children and made an effort to be present.
Another accomplishment this year was arranging for the participation of all groups from the previous year. We also added a group of teens from a youth center and one more class of preschoolers.
MAJOR CHALLENGES: At all the sites, it was a problem that some senior participants were not there at the time the program was to begin. It appears to be difficult for the staff at all facilities to have the seniors ready for the start of the programs. Most facilities also had difficulty at times preparing the room for the program with enough chairs and/or tables. Occasionally some seniors were sleepy or unresponsive, which could prove difficult for the students to work with. Involving everyone in a large group and planning for a huge range of abilities is always a challenge.
Identifying new schools to join the program continues to be difficult, as most public schools currently do not release students from regular class time to participate regularly in activities. In addition, transportation for children and seniors is a major challenge to SHARE’s potential expansion, as gasoline prices rise and bus/van access for these “extra” activities becomes even more limited.
EVALUATION METHODOLOGY: All student groups completed a survey at the beginning and end of the program to reflect their views about senior adults. Our goal was to realize positive changes resulting from students’ experience in the program. A “Reflections Session” was also held with each group of students at the close of the program year to share feelings, thoughts and opinions about the SHARE experience.
Senior adult participants in our SHARE programs completed an evaluation survey orally, with
Interages staff interviewing them individually at the end of the program year.
SUMMARY OF EVALUATION: For all students completing both the pre- and post-program questionnaire on their attitudes about older adults, more than half (67%) scored the same or higher at the end of the program year.
At the end of the year, sentence completion forms the second-graders filled out reflected strongly how much they liked the program and being with senior friends. When asked to state one thing they liked about being with a senior friend, their answers most often included talking with them, being together having fun, and making things with them (arts and crafts).
Of the senior participants interviewed, 96% indicated that the program improved the overall quality of their life; 78% said the program improved their life “a lot” or “greatly”. 76% also said that the program enriched their life “a lot” or “greatly”. 100% of the seniors were satisfied with the SHARE program and of that, 54% indicated they were “very satisfied”.
Examples of the comments we received from seniors on their evaluations include: “These students restore my optimism about the future of our country,” and “I think it (the SHARE program) is marvelous!”
Written evaluations from teachers and staff at the senior facilities reflected enthusiasm for the program. One teacher wrote, “Interacting with the residents brought out the very best in our students.” An Activities Assistant commented, “Our residents look forward to these activities”, referring to the time spent with the preschoolers and the middle-school students who came “to interact in a qualitative way with the residents.”
COMMUNITY IMPACT: As a result of this program, we believe the lives of the many senior participants have been enriched by the presence of and interaction with children. Besides enjoying the activities, many of the seniors feel they are being helpful to the children by working with and teaching them. The children have the opportunity to learn about seniors and feel they are contributing to the lives of the seniors. Understanding grows between the two generations, and everyone has the opportunity to feel useful and connected.
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