Seniors For Living

The MetLife Foundation and Generations United just announced the communities who have demonstrated excellence in building and creating strong intergenerational support systems: from Texas to Virginia, these winners were applauded by members of Congress too, at a special event on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

Here is a list of the award-winning cities, counties and towns:

1. Georgetown, Texas
2. Lamoni, Iowa
3. Oberlin, Ohio
4. San Diego County (California)
5. Virginia Planning District 10 (comprised of the city of Charlottesville, Albermarle County, Fluvanna County, Greene County, Louisa County and Nelson County)

Wondering what made these locations stand out as the best? Check out Generations United’s website (GU.org) for the specifics, as well as the organization’s top 6 resources for creating a community that welcomes and integrates people of all ages. Intergenerational senior housing is definitely an emerging and exciting trend, and a topic we’ve covered here before: Intergenerational Cohousing: A New Senior Living Trend.

Residents of senior living communities (like assisted living, independent living, and Alzheimer’s care) also benefit from intergenerational programming, both in terms of in-house connections (i.e. developing friendships/mentoring relationships with staff members) and friendly visitors (i.e. school children or college students coming in). Read more about the positive impact of these programs here on our blog.