Intergenerational Care: How It Can Benefit Our Children & Aging Parents

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This post is sponsored by Amaran Senior Living. ABQ Mom partners with organizations that we believe bring value to our readers.

When I first heard of the Sandwich Generation, I assumed it referred to a generation that grew up eating cold-cut sandwiches between sliced Wonder Bread every day in the cafeteria. However, the real definition involves a lot less deli meat . . .

The Sandwich Generation is made of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible for bringing up their own children and for the care of their aging parents. I’m sure many of us are in this phase of life.

When you become the caregiver for not only your children but also your aging parents, it’s easy to feel torn and spread too thin. It’s like wearing all your roles at the same time– dutiful daughter, loving mother, and, somewhere in your free time, maybe just being you.

But there is good news! Caregiving for children and the elderly is one of the few times in life when multitasking is extremely beneficial for everyone involved. This concept is known as intergenerational care.

The Benefits to Our Children

When children and teens spend time with grandparents and other aging adults, they are able to receive support and mentorship. We always speak about the “village” that it takes to raise children, and a good portion of that village can be (and should be) senior citizens who have time and wisdom to pass along to our youth. Additionally, research has shown that children who spend more time with grandparents have more positive and less ageist, stereotypical thoughts about the elderly. If our goal is to raise good and kind humans, intergenerational care is a strategy we can use as parents.

The Benefits to Our Parents

Intergenerational care provides many benefits to seniors, such as increasing self-esteem, growing a sense of community, and improving health. As we navigate our parents aging and possibly declining health, we can find new opportunities to create and maintain their sense of self-worth. Engaging in hobbies, activities, movement, and hands-on learning with younger children has been shown time and time again to improve the mental and physical health of aging adults.

Intergenerational Care in Albuquerque

Amaran Senior Living is an assisted living and memory care community in Northeast Albuquerque. Through a partnership with Montessori ONE Academy, residents have endless opportunities to share their skills, experiences, and talents with the next generation. Unique to the Albuquerque area, Amaran not only focuses on personalized care for seniors but on intergenerational activities and Montessori philosophies that many are familiar with for early childhood education but revised for seniors. In both space and activity opportunities, Amaran aims to create supportive environments that value the human spirit and the development of the whole person– physical, social, emotional, and cognitive.

With more than 15,000 sqft of amenity space, there is a multitude of diverse areas for residents to enjoy individual activities, group programs, or events with family members. These ideal locations include a Cyber Cafe, Sunset Terrace and Bar, salon and spa, art studio, workshop, state-of-the-art fitness center, demonstration kitchen, billiards room, theater, game room, private dining room, and more.

Residents in the assisted living can choose from studios, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom floor plans, with select apartments featuring a patio or Juliet balcony. All apartments come with a washer and dryer, a built-in closet system, a refrigerator with an ice maker, and a technology package.

To learn more about Amaran Senior Living, Montessori ONE Academy, or how they partner to create Albuquerque’s only intergenerational Montessori assisted living and memory care, please call us at 505.447.AMARAN (2627) or visit our website here. You can also contact Montessori ONE Academy at 505.822.5150 or via the website at montessorione.net.