Research, education and training is the foundation of the program, fostering a high quality of care and improved quality of life for the children and adults served. Growth and education occur throughout the lifespan. Imagine a place where:
 

• Children and older adults are mixing cookie dough together at a communal kitchen table.
• An older adult is rocking a toddler and reading stories, or planting vegetable seeds in the garden with a preschooler.
• A toddler receives instruction from OSU students who are interning in early childhood education.
• Your older family member enjoys adult day programming and also receives his/her annual physical from a geriatric specialist who teaches health science students how to care for an aging population.
• New parents could attend parenting classes to learn about the most recent childhood development strategies.
• Interprofessional researchers and educators work together at an intergenerational site to advance knowledge across the lifespan truly improving lives through research, teaching and service.

 

Why an Intergenerational Center?

 

The concept of an Intergenerational Center has been supported by a number of university initiatives over the last few years (faculty survey, World Café visioning event, interprofessional faculty education/research planning group, etc.), dating back to the formation of a Governance Committee of top University leaders in 2010. Throughout this work, there was enthusiastic support for an Intergenerational Center as a university/community collaboration, which would offer a unique and wide array of benefits both to the participants at the Center, those across the wider neighborhood and community, and the collaborative partners who are committed to the creation of a center of excellence. Some of the benefits include:

• The provision of high quality care for older adults and children, enhanced by purposeful intergenerational programming, with a focus on improved quality of life.
• Creation of a "hub" in the PACT neighborhood for caregiver support, education and community outreach.
• Opportunity for students to learn how to care for vulnerable populations across the lifespan in a community setting.
• Provision of health and wellness programming for the attendees, their families, and members of the surrounding community.
• Furthering OSU's mission of learning, discovery and engagement.
• Enhanced collaboration opportunities among various OSU colleges in research, education, and training consistent with the One University goal.
• Opportunity for faculty to teach courses (on-site) in a unique community setting.
• Creation of an innovative interprofessional care plan model that is replicable across care settings.
• Unique training/placement venue for graduate, professional and undergraduate students from multiple disciplines to gain immediately replicable interprofessional and intergenerational practice skills.
• Formation of a unique and innovative platform for developing and securing interprofessional research grants.

 

Support this unique and important program by donating to The Champion Intergenerational Center Fund. 

 

Community Partners

The Champion Intergenerational Center is operated as a University/Community partnership as a model in child and adult care, serving children, adults and caregivers throughout Central Ohio.

 

• National Church Residences Center for Senior Health, the provider of Adult Day Services and associated supportive services/care at the Intergenerational Center. National Church Residences has dedicated a half-century of effort to providing quality housing in affordable, caring communities. With the opening of their first retirement community in 1961, they have expanded their mission to include the housing needs of seniors, families and adults, the formerly homeless, persons with disabilities, and a host of supportive health care services. See http://www.nationalchurchresidences.org
• Columbus Early Learning Centers (CELC), the provider of early childhood education in the Intergenerational Center. Columbus Early Learning Centers has provided nurturing care and early learning experiences in Columbus for over 125 years. They describe their mission as, "Doing what it takes to deliver the best early learning experiences and family support so every child succeeds in school and in life." See www.columbusearlylearning.org
• PACT (Partners Achieving Community Transformation), the provider of local leadership throughout development of the Center, is a partnership between the City of Columbus, The Ohio State University, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and Near East Side Stakeholders. PACT's vision is to create a healthy, financially and environmentally sustainable community where residents can have access to safe and affordable housing, quality healthcare and education, and employment opportunities on the Near East Side of Columbus. See http://eastpact.org/
• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), the owner of the facilities and lease holder for all partners. CMHA's mission is to serve the community by helping people access affordable housing; by working with collaborative partners, to develop, renovate and maintain housing, promote neighborhood revitalization; and assist residents in accessing needed social services. See www.cmhanet.com

 

Lead Colleges

 

The Colleges of Medicine, Social Work and Nursing share a strong philosophical commitment to this vision and through written agreement provide administrative oversight and ongoing financial support for staffing and daily operations of intergenerational and interprofessional programming at the Center, which includes:

 

• On-site intergenerational program manager to develop and administer purposeful intergenerational and interprofessional initiatives.
• On-site OSU teaching, research, and service, and wellness and prevention programming.

The Office of Geriatrics and Interprofessional Aging Studies in the College of Medicine has been actively involved in leading this initiative forward, and continues to be involved in administrative capacities once the Center is established. See h https://aging.osu.edu

The overall mission of the Office is to foster through teaching, research and consultation the cost effective delivery of high quality health and social services to meet the needs of society's older citizens. The Office strives to provide coordinated education, research, practice, and service opportunities in geriatrics and gerontology while enhancing and supporting the initiatives of individual departments, schools and colleges across the OSU campus to meet the demographic imperatives of our aging society.

 

Location

Former Poindexter Community Building, adjacent to University Hospital East

240 N. Champion Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43203

 

Serving

Each weekday, approximately 56 children and 50 older adults are in attendance at the Center.

 

OSU Faculty Collaborative Opportunities

Follow this link to an informational brochure about interprofessional and intergenerational teaching, research and outreach efforts that take place at the Center. These initiatives represent the interests of a core group of interprofessional OSU faculty members when asked "what could be" at the proposed Intergenerational Center. With the primary focus on intergenerational initiatives and what's best for the older adults, children and families that look to the Center for their care, this overview is used to guide priorities, discussions, and the creation of intergenerational programming curriculum/activities, associated research, and teaching efforts that take place at the Center.