B.I.O.N.I.C. Teams Bridging the Generation Gap
The impact of COVID on families has been traumatic in many ways. At the height of the pandemic, schools switched to remote learning for months on end, and parents had to juggle helping their kids with schoolwork and the monotony of having to stay home, all the while having to balance their own workload for their jobs. One of the greatest relationship stressors that was out of the sight of the national media was when grandparents or elderly guardians were tasked with the schooling of children under their care during the remote times.
Having been out of school themselves for decades, they didn’t remember how to do algebraic equations. Many didn’t know how to navigate through the Internet to help find resources not coming from the schools. In some cases, these stresses drew a wedge between the elderly and the kids under their roof.
Hopefully, as schools are remaining in-person for the most part for instruction now, B.I.O.N.I.C. Intergenerational Teams can bring together these students and their elderly guardians for some greater connections than ever before. These adults became caregivers for the kids’ incarcerated parents or those who were deemed unfit to raise their children. Bless these elders who did not plan on spending their golden years raising kids. One of the sweetest surprises in B.I.O.N.I.C. Team history came from a simple request a few years ago.
Ronda Knuth was the Activities Director for a local senior citizen center in the Denver area. She heard Sandy Austin, B.I.O.N.I.C.’s Founder and Executive Director on a local radio program talking about B.I.O.N.I.C. Teams in the schools. Ronda was fascinated to hear about B.I.O.N.I.C., and thought it could be the answer to some issues her residents were facing in her senior living center that hindered their ability to thrive. So she called Sandy to ask if she had permission to start a B.I.O.N.I.C. Team on their site. Sandy asked Ronda what she was thinking of for their B.I.O.N.I.C. Team’s outreaches there?
Ronda said, “Sandy so often when our residents are new here, they have just lost their spouse or they are having memory issues and it is not advantageous for them to live alone. When they come here, they hole up in their rooms and don’t want to come out. If we could have new resident outreaches, our B.I.O.N.I.C. members could introduce them to others and invite them to sit with them at meals and/or activities.” Ronda continued, “We could also reach out in times of hospitalization, and even reach out to families when there has been the death of their loved one. And we could do community service projects like making placemats that Meals on Wheels could deliver to shut-ins on Thanksgiving in the greater community.”
Sandy gave Ronda her blessing to start a B.I.O.N.I.C. Team, but then Ronda continued, “But most importantly, we want to spend time with your B.I.O.N.I.C. students at Pomona.” Sandy said, “Ronda do you realize that it would take you an hour to drive up here and an hour back?” Ronda said, “Yes, and that’s okay. The experience would be worth it.” And so the partnership began!
They decided to have monthly luncheons at Pomona High School hosting the group from Ronda’s senior living center. They were called B.I.O.N.I.C. “Table Talks.” The students and the elderly sat around the table and answered questions related to the holiday of that month. The very first question that was asked was, “If you could have lunch with anyone throughout history, living or dead, who would it be and why.” The elderly gave answers like Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Abraham Lincoln. The kids said answers like Billie Eilish, BTS, or Arianna Grande. By those answers – worlds apart – it looked like it would take a miracle for these two groups to bond. It happened!
After a Table Talk one December, a student said to Sandy, “Ms. Austin I can’t wait for Christmas.” After Sandy asked why, the student replied. “For Thanksgiving, my Grandma was with my family for the big dinner, but our parents told us she was getting dementia. We didn’t want to do the wrong thing, so none of us cousins talked to my Grandma. But today at the Table Talk Ms. Austin, after seeing how that worker honored and helped that lady who kept repeating the same answer for each question, I now know how to talk to my Grandma at Christmas. And I’m going to teach all my cousins too.” She left beaming with excitement!
That B.I.O.N.I.C. Team member’s Mom called Sandy after the winter break, “Ms. Austin I want to say thank you! A miracle happened at Christmas after what my daughter learned on the B.I.O.N.I.C. Team. My Mom was with us at Thanksgiving and few people talked with her because we knew she was getting dementia. That hurt my Mom a lot.” She continued, “For Christmas, my daughter taught her cousins and the rest of us how to talk with my Mom, and support her, and love her.”
Holding back tears, she continued, “A couple of days after Christmas, my Mom told me in tears that she had felt so bad at Thanksgiving because she could tell people were uncomfortable around her. She had been dreading Christmas so much and was almost going to pretend she was sick so she wouldn’t have to go through what she did at Thanksgiving. My Mom said she felt more love than ever on this Christmas Day as the family loved on her again like Christmases before. All day on Christmas, Mom was beaming with joy! Thank you for teaching my daughter how to love people!”
Love is powerful! Next time we will share the impact of the B.I.O.N.I.C. Intergenerational Team “Table Talks” on the senior living center B.I.O.N.I.C. Team members.