Oswego State students have the opportunity to form relationships with the elderly outside of campus and bridge the generation gap through the college’s Adopt-A-Grandparent program.

The program was created to bring awareness to students as to what is out there beyond the campus and to build connections with the elderly, said Kayla Peterson, the coordinator of Adopt-A-Grandparent.

“It’s just a really rewarding experience, for the both of you to learn,” Peterson said.

Students make weekly visits to nine different nursing homes, such as St. Luke’s, St. Francis Commons and Seneca Hill Manor, Sunday through Thursday.  Students also have the opportunity to go outside of Oswego during the weekly visits. One of the nursing homes, Meadowbrook Manor, is located in Hannibal.

Activities done during the visits include playing bingo, different crafts and one-on-one visits between the students and the seniors. Egg painting has been planned for Easter coming up in a month.

A Super Bowl party was thrown by Drew Dunlay, a group leader of the program, and his group of volunteers. Seniors and the volunteers watched the game together and talked.

“They loved the food, decorations and the game, and we even had a 104-year-old woman come and enjoy the party,” Dunlay said.

There are also fundraising opportunities to raise money for the various nursing homes, like a casino night.

“People don’t realize how big of a population of nursing homes that Oswego has and neighboring towns,” Peterson said. “We really go in there to try to connect the students with the seniors, because sometimes that’s the only outside interaction that the elderly will have that week.”

The visits help in decreasing the elderlies’ loneliness, which in turn could help increase their lifespan, Peterson said.

The Adopt-A-Grandparent program has been a great success at Seneca Hill Manor, said Jessica Lamb, an activities aide at the nursing home.

“Our residents look forward to seeing the students and playing bingo,” Lamb said. “Not all of our residents have a lot of family, so it is special for them to be able to visit with someone from a different generation, similar to visiting with a grandson or granddaughter. “

Lamb also stressed the importance of the program in bridging the generation gap, which in turn allows the seniors to have relationships and students get to have an experience on a personal level with them.

“I feel that even though there is a large age difference, since a lot of the residents are from Oswego, they have a lot of memories to share with us,” said Maryssa Romeo, a group leader of Adopt-A-Grandparent.

Peterson became involved in the program during her freshman year at Oswego State, three years ago, as a volunteer. She then worked her way up to a group leader her sophomore year and is now the program coordinator.

One of the reasons she became involved with the program was because her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and she did not know what the disease was.

Peterson said she was hesitant at first due to not knowing the extent of some of the health issues the seniors may have, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.

“It was really difficult to see some of the different stages that they were at,” Peterson said. “I was a little nervous at first. It’s not like going into a school, where you know what to expect, but you learn to really connect with the people. You learn how they work, and you learn how to work with them.”

Every week is a different experience since some of the residents have Alzheimer’s or dementia, Romeo said.

“There is constant change since some of the residents in my home have dementia and Alzheimer’s, but watching my volunteers step up to the plate and roll with each week puts a smile on my face,” Romeo said.

Dunlay praised his group of volunteers for their work especially with those who suffer with Alzheimer’s or dementia, such as when one of the residents forgot her husband passed away and was very upset about the news.

“One of the girls in my group did a tremendous job showing her love and comfort to the resident and definitely lifted the mood in the room,” Dunlay said.

Currently, there are around 85 volunteers within the program, but the goal is to have 100.