Everyone seems to be in a constant hurry to accomplish something these days. While some children immerse themselves in extracurricular activities, others are occupied with their studies to achieve high grades. Both men and women are working and trying to create a better future. The left behind are the elderly people who, in their early lives, devoted their time supporting families, looking after the children. In early elderly life, they pass their time with the kids by taking care of them or perhaps doing something they love, but the question is for what length of time? These people eventually stop pursuing accomplishments or material possessions in favour of something much more basic: friendship. They constantly need someone to talk to them, entertain them, which is overlooked by most of the people in this fast-paced world, due to which these people suffer from feelings of loneliness, being disregarded and not valued.
However, there is always a solution to a problem, and sometimes that solution is as straightforward as a human connection. By providing rent-free housing to students in return for something priceless, their time and company, a Dutch nursing home has come up with a novel and inventive solution to the problem of elderly loneliness. Students who live rent-free at Humanitas, a retirement community in Deventer, are required to interact with senior citizens for at least 30 hours each month. This could be eating together, conversing deeply, or just being there. Loneliness is not the only benefit of this intergenerational living arrangement. It improves mental health, dispels generational stereotypes, and provides a fresh sense of purpose to both young and old.
Programs like ensemble2générations in France and 1toit2ages in Belgium have made intergenerational home-sharing a well-established practice in Europe, but other regions of the world are just now starting to follow suit. To address the shortage of affordable housing, Canadian universities are collaborating with websites such as SpacesShared and Canada HomeShare. Students and seniors are paired through these programs, which offer reduced rent in return for company and housework. Graduate students and retired faculty and staff are paired in UC Berkeley’s Front Porch Home Match pilot program in the United States. With plans to expand throughout campuses, the pilot program currently matches six students with below-market rent, which not only provides companionship for the elderly but also saves trees and space and addresses the student housing crisis.
This September, the Canadian Alliance for Intergenerational Living will launch its first intergenerational living pilot in Calgary, Canada, inspired by Humanitas. For the 2024–2025 school year, two students from a post-secondary institution in Calgary, Alberta, will be placed with a local seniors’ home as part of its first project. Students will interact with residents for 30 hours per month in exchange for a small rent payment.
Intergenerational home-sharing provides a straightforward yet effective solution, i.e. bridging generations through companionship in a world that is too fast to stop. It not only tackles the growing student housing crisis but also fights loneliness among the elderly, demonstrating the positive effects of meaningful human connection on all.
