Hudson Grande Senior Living to Celebrate Back-to-School Season

At Hudson Grande Senior Living, we are always excited to celebrate the Back-to-School season! Partnering with local schools is typically a year-long effort, but there is a special focus on the time when most students are heading back to the classroom- whether in person or virtually. Our residents find it easy to relate to school outreach efforts as many of them can recall a time when they returned to school as well.

Fostering these relationships helps build a sense of community among students, teachers, residents, and staff. There are plenty of advantages to intergenerational activities- such as decreasing the social and economic isolation so many seniors feel. Research has shown that seniors’ health, memory, and balance can benefit from volunteering regularly with children. Not only do these relationships benefit the older generations, but also the younger ones as well. Studies have also shown that children who interact with elders are less likely than others to start illegal drug use, will more likely have improved communication with their parents, and are less likely to experience depression. Lastly, these experiences can create timeless memories for both the seniors and children involved, such as making a new friend, trying a new game or activity, or listening to stories of each other’s life.

We don’t currently have a connection with a local school; however, some things I would like to establish would be to have our residents write to a senior class, as well as allow for student volunteer opportunities. I also plan to support a teacher with their classroom wish list.

I am hoping to form a relationship with Ravenna High School. Both myself and our Business Office Director graduated from there and understand how impactful our support could be. I have already reached out to a teacher, and she has been very receptive.

High schoolers are under a lot of pressure, especially seniors. They just need to know there are people out there rooting for them and want to see them do well. I also feel like high schools can be overlooked when people think about supporting local schools.

Residents would enjoy being able to share their own life experiences with the high school students. This gives the students a chance to learn about history, and other parts of life, instead of just reading it from books. It also gives the residents a chance to show the students they too were once a teenager dealing with similar situations; both generations would find it interesting to see the similarities between them.

Hudson Grande Senior Living will continue to show their support in a lot of different ways this Back-to-School season and throughout the school year.