Earlier this year, Chestnut Hill College, through support of Pennsylvania State Representative Tarik Khan's office, partnered with Cathedral Village Senior Living on a new Adopt-A-Grandparent Program.
College students who live away from home often experience feelings of being homesick, which can manifest in anxiety, sadness, and impaired scholastic performance. Similarly, loneliness and social isolation are common in older adults, with one in four considered socially isolated. Adopt-a-grandparent programs can help combat loneliness in both students and older adults. In addition to positively supporting mental health, these programs can provide critical mentoring support to young adults who are finding their way in the world and give older adults an improved sense of purpose in their lives.
The Adopt-a-Grandparent collaboration between Chestnut Hill College and Cathedral Village will provide this symbiotic support for college students and residents. Cathedral Village is a large retirement home in close proximity to the college. The older adults, and their adopt-a-grandparent mentors, will meet periodically for food, conversation, and other gatherings to promote dialogue and connection between these two groups. The College and Village will work together to arrange periodic transportation, food, and other social gathering logistics.
The expectation of this program is that students and residents will express feelings of support, community, and engagement as a result of this initiative. This program also has community, university and local elected official support.
"Chestnut Hill College is thrilled to be able to partner with Cathedral Village and Representative Khan's office on this enriching initiative, which is in direct support of the College's mission," notes College President William W. Latimer, Ph.D., M.P.H. "It is our hope that this partnership will create relationships, foster community building, and establish lasting bonds between our students and their grandparent mentors at Cathedral Village."
More information on this exciting new partnership will be available soon.
