Running Title: CAPSTONE

PROJECT 1

Katherine Rosinsky

Professor Marilyn K. Simon, PhD

HD497: Capstone

Capstone Project

February 16, 2017

CAPSTONE PROJECT 2

For my capstone project I decided to investigate a subject that has been circulating in my

mind throughout my time at Pacific Oaks College (POC): intergenerational care and living. One

of the most influential books I have read over the course of my year at POC was Joan Eriksons

(1998) Wisdom and the Senses. In this book, Erikson (1998) beautifully illustrates the tension

between the syntonic and dystonic extremes of each developmental stage. Eriksons (1998) was

one of the required books for the class HD300: Early Childhood Themes and Lifecycle Issues,

which I took during my first semester at Pacific Oaks.

For this class, we were also tasked with completing a study of three different life stages:

early childhood, adolescence, and older adulthood. For the early childhood stage, I observed a

preschool class of 3 year-olds, for the adolescent interview I selected a 19 year-old male, and for

the older adult I chose a 70 year-old woman. I was able to correlate the results of each sample to

the theories I was learning about in class. I connected the collaborative play of the 3 year-olds to

Vygotskys ideas on peer tutors, while the 19 year-old exhibited the regressive egocentrism

mentioned by Piaget and Elkind (Elkind, 1967; Oakley, 2004). The older adult interview

illuminated the search for wisdom that Erikson identifies in his eighth stage (Erikson, 1998). But

it wasnt until months later, after more time spent learning about cultural views on aging, did I

see how these life stages are dependent on one another.

Collectivist vs. Individualist

Depending on where one was born, he or she might have been raised in a collectivist or

individualist culture. In collectivist cultures, found in many Asian and Latin American countries,

loyalty to family is valued over independence and households are often shared with children,

adults, and seniors. In America, and many other Western countries, children are raised to be
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autonomous and, as they get older, they move away from their parents (Gonzales-Mena, 2008).

Grandparents also tend to live independently or in a facility with other seniors, contributing to a

societal trend of age segregation. While it may be convenient in some cases for seniors to live in

nursing homes or assisted living, a 2014 paper suggests that there are many drawbacks as well.

Tenants of senior housing are likely to experience isolation, among other vulnerabilities

(Portacolone & Helpurn, 2014). Two ways to mitigate social isolation is through

intergenerational living and intergenerational schools.

Intergenerational Living

In her book Wisdom and the Senses, Joan Erikson (1998) argues that we should not only

care for our senses as we age, but also preserve them. In her opinion, we have wonderful doctors

to care for our senses as they fail, but we pay little attention to the things we can do to keep them

vital. In a 1988 interview for PBS, Erikson talks about the ways in which she and her husband,

psychologist Erik Erikson, have kept their senses vital. One way they have done this is by

moving into a shared home with younger housemates. She tells the interviewer that living in a

community of older people would be terribly boring and says as people age, they should Keep

as many fields and areas of interest open as you can (1998, PBS). Your life cycle is, after all,

your most personal creative effort; shouldnt it in some way continue to communicate with all

the old and young with whom you have shared this life? (Erikson, 1998, p. 126).

For the Eriksons it was important to have active participation in a life with multiple

generations, but evidence supports the benefits for children as well. A 2014 study conducted in

China found that living with well-educated grandparents significantly reduces childrens

likelihood of school dropout (Zeng, 2014). The following section will discuss how

intergenerational collaboration can be beneficial to children as well.

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Intergenerational Schools

At a child development conference in 2016, keynote speaker Dr. Louis Cozolino,

remarked on the important role that grandparents play in a childs development, particularly

relating to the development of healthy attachments. He talked about the unique ability older

adults have to pass down stories and wisdom to our younger generation, otherwise known as

tribal wisdom. In Seattle this idea is put into practice at the Providence Mount St. Vincent

retirement home. In the same facility is The Intergenerational Learning Center for children ages

2-5 year-old. The residents have daily interaction with the children. Intergenerational schools are

a growing trend in the United Sates. According to Generations United, an organization

committed to increasing awareness of intergenerational collaboration, there are over 500 similar

facilities in the US.

Intergenerational collaboration works well to combine academic and social benefits when

children regularly spend time with seniors. A 2001 paper presented the results of a service-

learning (S.L) program called Book Buddies. S.L. programs connect community service with

learning objectives. The five year-olds enrolled in Book Buddies participated in weekly trips to a

senior home where they read books with the residents. We saw children immersed in the kinds

of emotionally warm lap-reading experiences that support their growing interest in, and

competence with, the written word (Freeman & King, 2001, p. 216). The teachers noted

improvements in the childrens literacy skills and also the development of emerging empathy.

There is a valuable social lesson learned when children are in the company of older and ill or

disabled adults. The study also reported on the evident joy that the children brought to the

residents during their weekly visits.

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Concluding Thoughts

Pondering the isolation of old age and the developing empathy of young children, I cant

help but think of a song by John Prine. The chorus to his 1971 song, Hello In There, says:

Ya' know that old trees just grow stronger

And old rivers grow wilder ev'ry day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, "Hello in there, hello

Who better to say hello to old people than the youngest, most vigorous generation? Going

back to Eriksons advice against failing senses communicate with all the old and young with

whom you have shared this life (Erikson, 1998, p. 126)we should encourage these types of

interactions for the benefit of all. There is a wonderful common ground found amid the very

young and the very old. In my own experience of children and the elderly, I see a dynamic

balance that exists in their interactions. There is much to be shared between these two groups of

our society when they are given the opportunity to interact.

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Reference

Cozolino, L., (April 16, 2016). 27th Annual RIE Conference. Keynote address.

Elkind, D., (1967). Egocentrism in adolescence. Child Development, 38(4), 1025.

Freeman, N. K., & King, S. (2001). Service learning in preschool: An intergenerational project

involving five-year-olds, fifth graders, and senior citizens. Early Childhood Education

Journal, 28(4), 211-217.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.tcsedsystem.idm.oclc.org/10.1023/A:1009538708148

Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2008). Diversity in early care and education: Honoring differences. Boston:

McGraw-Hill.

Oakley, L., (2004). Cognitive development. London, England: Routledge.

PBS., (1988). Mcneal Lehrer News Hour. [Video source] Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsHXIPyG6yI&feature=youtu.be

Portacolone, E. & Halpern, J., (2014). Move or suffer. Journal of Applied Gerontology. Vol 35,

Issue 8, pp. 836 856. DOI 10.1177/0733464814538118

Prine, J., (1971). Hello in there. On John Prine [CD]. Memphis, TN: Atlantic.

Sahin, D., (2015). Poignant moments unfold at a preschool in a retirement home. CNN.

Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/19/living/preschool-nursing-home-seattle/

Zeng, Z., & Xie, Y., (2014). The effects of grandparents on children's schooling: Evidence from

rural china. Demography, 51(2), 599-617.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.tcsedsystem.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s13524-013-0275-4