CoGenerate, an organization promoting intergenerational activity to address pressing social problems, released a report “Can Intergenerational Connection Heal Us” that includes communities of practice from Massachusetts.
The report focuses on solutions to loneliness and social isolation rather than data and causes, saying “Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of organizations find in younger and older people both a loneliness problem and a solution.
Instead of treating loneliness as an individual struggle, these groups create spaces where younger and older people form real relationships built on shared purpose and mutual support. They don’t just offer companionship; they create ways for people to matter to each other – to work, learn, teach and create side by side.”
The report goes on to cite the number of news stories that mention intergenerational or age-gap friendships, which, they say, has increased 214% in the last five years while the estimated reach of these stories has increased 256%, indicating an increase in publications and websites with larger readerships.
The solutions mentioned in the report have string representation from Massachusetts, including Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, FriendshipWorks, Nesterly, Northampton Neighbors and the Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness.