Watch Hebrew SeniorLife Communities Intergenerational Programs in Action

“It’s one of the prize accomplishments that I have had, to be able to be attached to young people and to benefit from them and for them to benefit from me.” These are the words of Irving Silverman, a 96-year-old resident of NewBridge on the Charles, discussing his friendship with 16-year-old Mariah MacKenzie through the Adam and Matan Adelson Multigenerational Program at Hebrew SeniorLife.

At Hebrew SeniorLife, we believe that seniors and young people benefit when they are able to learn from and about each other. Stereotypes about both generations break down. Young people of all ages can learn from the life experience of older people. And seniors gain youth, energy, and a connection to the community. That’s why we offer many different types of multigenerational interactions on all our campuses, from holiday celebrations with children at the Rashi School, to visits from preschoolers at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston, to the Harvard College Alzheimer’s Buddies program.

We had the pleasure of meeting three young people and even more seniors whose lives have been changed through the relationships they’ve built. Watch the video below, which was originally screened at our EngAGE 2016 event, to hear directly from them about how they’ve reached out of their comfort zones to build long-lasting bonds.