Editor's note: This is the third story in a seven-part series about aging in Athens and concerns of soon-to-retire baby boomers.
Many college students have a special affection for their grandparents and other older adults with whom they are close, but their views of the elderly vary widely.
Students' opinions about their parents' and grandparents' peers often are derived from the amount of interaction students have with members of those generations, said Margaret Manoogian, an Ohio University assistant professor of child and family studies.
Students in Manoogian's Family Ties and Aging have experienced a change of heart in their views toward the elderly through a class assignment requiring them to complete at least 18 hours of volunteer work with senior citizens.
The requirement forces students to confront their attitudes toward the elderly, and most come away with a positive experience, Manoogian said.
Katie Smigelski, a senior in the class, said she looked at her grandparents differently than she did other senior citizens before volunteering at the Lindley Inn, a senior care center in The Plains.
Junior Alison Pratt said she was apprehensive about the assignment but found it less difficult by visiting seniors with a group of classmates, instead of going by herself.
Direct interaction with the elderly showed Pratt that, contrary to negative public opinion, many retired people are socially active and have valuable wisdom and experience to pass along to younger generations, she said.
The concept of retirement is changing to include more activity as health care improvements help people live longer, Manoogian said.
Modern culture's emphasis on youthfulness contributes to another concern facing young people as they develop opinions about the elderly, junior Ann Sacksteder said.
It's not like we're afraid of old people
Sacksteder said. It's that we're afraid of aging.
Several of Sacksteder's classmates pointed out that being around older people often brings reminders of the negative effects of aging: physical ailments, loss of memory and mental acuteness and a sense of dependency.
And then, as junior Emily Petro noted, there is the ultimate fear: Being around old people makes you think about dying.
Sacksteder argued that instead of viewing the elderly as gems of wisdom or burdens to society, students should treat them as just people some who need lots of care and others who live actively and independently.
Students also should recognize a common thread they share with senior citizens, Petro said. The generation gap has left both groups feeling like the other doesn't know anything but both could benefit from the experiences each has to share, she said.
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Christopher Gohlke, the ARA of Tiffin Hall, delivers a Valentine to a resident of the Kimes Nursing Home off of Richland Avenue yesterday afternoon. Ohio University students from Tiffin and Gamertsfelder halls made dozens of Valentines on Sunday evening f
Work with elderly opens eyes
