They have become a means of turning young people away from mischief and making older adults feel worthy and secure. We can either look at it as a huge problem that's developing, or a wonderful opportunity. This was pretty tame stuff. There are still worthwhile programs where children and older adults pass around glue and colored paper, but the trend is racing toward more substantial activities, he said. In Boston, older adults spend hours with young people at teen parenting centers and correctional institutions.
Advocates say a cultural thread connects their efforts.
They say Americans are trying to erase the stigma of aging and recapture the sense of community that once embraced all living generations as necessary elements of a well-rounded society. In the Naturalization of Elders. College students help immigrants study for the U.S. citizenship test. In a storefront senior center called the Coffee Cup, near the trendy restaurants and shops of the Center City neighborhood, students work with older adults from China, flipping through questions printed on white paper, crinkled and stained with jasmine tea. The students can't speak Chinese, and the immigrants know little English, but they communicate with heavy use of hand gestures and smiles.