Intergenerational friendships prove rewarding
Non-stop chatter overflowed into the hallways as students from Cedar Falls, Don Bosco and Wapsie Valley high schools met with residents of Western Home Communities for a final time in the fall semester.
The mid-December celebrations at Willowwood and Diamond Event Center marked the first time some of the pairs had met in person, after seven weeks of online Zoom meetings with each other.
“You’re taller than you are on screen!” Laverne Middleswart remarked upon meeting Seth Fredrickson.
At the corner of one table, Barbara Cooper of Willowwood and Cedar Falls High senior Zoey Carbiener smiled and laughed out loud as they looked at photos on Zoey’s phone and listened intently to each other.
“Barb is so sweet, nice and mellow,” Zoey shared. “And she’s a real jokester! She has such cool stories from her childhood. Barb has done a lot in her life.”
Their once-a-week hour-long meetings for seven weeks made a deep impact on Zoey, who gave Barb a tight hug as they parted ways and promised to keep in touch.
“I’ve been prone to overthinking and it’s not fun,” Zoey explained. “I’ve definitely taken her advice to go with the flow and take things as they come.”
It makes a difference to these high school seniors to have an older adult interested in who they are, what their life is like and what their struggles may be.
“Everybody wants to be known. It feels good to be asked questions about yourself,” said Mae Lillibridge, BSN, the CAPS medical instructor. “The residents really model this, so the students learn how to build relationships.”
It makes a difference to the mentors, too.
“We don’t get to connect that often with the younger generation, and it’s fun to reflect on those years in our lives,” said villa resident Dot Clausen, who was paired with Ashley Ferson. “We realize that some things have not changed!”
As if to accentuate the point, Ashley piped up to tell Dot that she’s getting her hair done on Friday. The pair bonded over several things, including their tutu-wearing dogs.
Kaitlin Doyle and villa resident Bev Fish found many common interests, among them Bev’s decades as a hospital microbiologist and Kaitlin’s current plans to study radiology.
“She’s got me interested in labs now,” Kaitlin laughed. Kaitlin feels comfortable sharing her dilemma of where to attend college, and the stress she feels working in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a local hospital.
“She just started last week,” Bev explained. “I told her to calm down, she’ll be just fine. It takes time.”
That reassurance carries weight, coming from someone who’s been there, done that.
Real-life experience is the point of CAPS, the Center for Advanced Professional Studies. Seniors spend half a day outside the typical classroom to explore their community and potential careers, learning just as much – or more – than they do at school.
“Sometimes there’s hesitancy about a new relationship at the front end of the semester,” Mae said, “but I tell them this will become their favorite part of CAPS. And it always is.”
If you’re a Western Home resident and would like to volunteer for a CAPS student match, contact Director of Life Enrichment Carolyn Ayers at carolyn.ayers@westernhome.org or 319-222-2048.
Villa resident Roy Justis shares a laugh with CAPS student Jordan Jones-Whitaker.
Zoey Carbiener and Barbara Cooper chatted and laughed like long-time friends at the CAPS celebration.
