Nursing Curriculum Promotes Intergenerational Learning

BOSTON - Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) and Curry College have recently published a free curriculum guide to serve as a resource for senior living communities and nursing schools who are interested in creating programs for intergenerational learning in an effort to foster interest in geriatric nursing.

Funded by the Boston Foundation, The Intergenerational Learning Curriculum guide is based on lessons learned from partnerships between HSL’s Simon C. Fireman Community and Curry College’s Nursing Program, as well as HSL’s Center Communities of Brookline and Simmons College School of Nursing.

The partnerships introduce nursing students to the special needs of older patients providing the opportunity to learn firsthand from seniors themselves. The benefits of this intergenerational programming are enjoyed by both students and patients. As the students get to know the seniors they work with, relationships are forged and interest in serving the senior population is encouraged. The seniors enjoy the interaction with the young students while helping train the next generation of nurses.

Hebrew SeniorLife President and CEO Lou Woolf said, “We’re eager to freely share what we’ve learned so that others can replicate the program – all with the goal of increasing the number of caregivers who are trained in the specific needs of older adults.”

The guide, which includes classroom tools and a sample syllabus, can be downloaded at here.

About Hebrew SeniorLife

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. Founded in Boston in 1903, the nonprofit, non-sectarian organization today provides communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook, or read our blog.

About Curry College

Founded in 1879, Curry College is a private, four-year, liberal arts-based institution located on a wooded 131-acre campus in Milton, MA, just seven miles from downtown Boston. We offer 24 undergraduate majors, over 60 minors and concentrations, as well as four graduate programs.