Uniting the Bookend Generations

Speaker 1:

The opinions and statements expressed in the following program do not necessarily reflect those of WWDB, it’s staff or management.

Richard Address:

Good day everyone. Welcome again to another edition of Boomer Generation Radio. This is your host Richard Address and we’re coming to you from the beautiful sun-splashed studios of WWDB-AM 860 here in Greater Philadelphia. And we’re streaming live on WWDB-AM.com and a reminder that you can reach the show on boomergenerationradio@gmail.com or like us on the Boomer Generation Radio Facebook page. Also, a reminder that these shows are podcasted and archived on my website, www.jewishsacredaging.com.

Richard Address:

We’re going to be right back with our first segment guest, Donna Butts, the executive director of Generations United out of Washington, right after this message from our friends at Kendal.

Sheila Sylvester:

Hi, this is Kendal staff members, Sheila Sylvester. This portion of Boomer Generation Radio is brought to you by Kendal Outreach. Kendal Outreach serves the field of aging by raising public awareness of important healthcare issues of older adults, and it provides education and training in the development and implementation of comprehensive approaches to safe, individualized long-term care practices. Kendal Outreach has been sharing Kendal’s approach to quality care with consumers, advocates, providers, government agencies and related organizations since 1989. To learn more, visit kendaloutreach.org

Richard Address:

Welcome back to our first segment here on today’s edition of Boomer Generation Radio. This is your host Richard Address and we are pleased to welcome back to the microphone here, Donna Butts, the executive director of Generations United. Donna, I hope you’re there.

Donna Butts:

I am. I am.

Richard Address:

Hi.

Donna Butts:

Great to be with you again. Good morning.

Richard Address:

How are you? You’re in Washington, right?

Donna Butts:

Yes. I’m in Washington where the sun has finally come out.

Richard Address:

Yes, yes. We have this same glowing thing in the sky here too and people are wandering around trying to figure out what it is and waiting for the rain. But anyway, it’s nice to speak with you. Welcome back. I know you were with us about a year ago, talking about Generations United. Just for a little bit of review, Donna, first of all again, thank you for being with us. Give us an update as to what Generations United is and why is it in existence?

Donna Butts:

Well Richard, thank you. It’s great to be back with you again. I enjoyed our conversation last year. Generations United, we just celebrated our 30th anniversary and we represent many of the children, youth and aging organizations in the country. And our goal is to connect generations to help strengthen our communities and to help develop healthy communities that engage people at all ages. So we promote the programs and policies that make that possible.

Richard Address:

Am I correct in saying you’re not a big fan of siloed communities and separating generations?

Donna Butts:

No, we’re not big fans of segregating people by age. We think that, that’s really detrimental to our country and especially when you think about the changing demographics because our country is really, really age advantaged because we were so fortunate to have this healthy, growing older population. But we also have a younger population that’s the same size as our older population, but they don’t look like each other [inaudible 00:03:38] and so if we are segregating them and separating them, there’s really not a whole lot of reason for either of the generations to think or care about investing in the other generation. So we feel like we really need to weave that social fabric and that social contact in our communities and our neighborhoods.

Richard Address:

Yeah. The bookend generations now, the baby boomer generation now being outflanked. The millennials, the 18 to 30-year olds now [inaudible 00:04:06] has surpassed evidently according to the Census Bureau, the baby boomers. But these are the two, these are the two bookend generations. And as you said, very, very, very, very different.

Donna Butts:

Yeah, and you’re really right about calling them the bookend generations too. Because we really look at it as they are our bookend generations that really hold our civil society together. They’re both very, very important. And it’s important that we are working to connect them. And several of the Kendals around the country are wonderful communities that really do reach out and make sure that they engage other generations.

Richard Address:

So let’s talk a little bit about how you, as Generations United try to unite these two bookend generations who do come from very, very different experiences. Actually, we’re beginning to see this in the election campaign, if you could call it that, with very, very different modalities, of points of view, histories, baggage, cultural baggage. So, walk us through some of the things that your organization is beginning to develop to try to foster this intergenerational understanding.

Donna Butts:

One of the things that we do, that for the last five years, we’ve been able to give out best intergenerational community awards to communities that are really intentionally working to engage their oldest and their youngest citizens. And so, it could be a community where they have an intergenerational advisory council that just advises on what the different generations need. Or they’re focused on making sure that community events and activities are for all generations. They may have intentional intergenerational dialogues where they invite people, again at all ages, to have a conversation about what’s needed in their community, what would help them feel connected, feel engaged, and help them contribute to the strength of their community. Sometimes they have a facility, a center that they’ve created.

Donna Butts:

For example, in Maricopa County, Arizona, they no longer build just separate senior centers and teen centers and rec centers. They only build multigenerational centers. So the resources are used to connect generations instead of separate them and they save dollars while making sense. So we have a lot of materials available on our website how to develop these kind of programs, what best practices are. We elevate the excellent work that’s underway around the country and we help connect people in communities that are working in this way so they don’t feel like they’re alone and so they can learn from each other.

Richard Address:

So Donna, what’s the website?

Donna Butts:

The website is … It’s very easy. It’s just www.gu.org. G-U for Generations United, .org.

Richard Address:

So give me an example of some … You mentioned Maricopa County, which I think is Phoenix.

Donna Butts:

Yeah.

Richard Address:

So that’s interesting that you give out these awards for communities that are really pioneering intergenerational work. Walk me through one or two others.

Donna Butts:

Sure. One that I think is really interesting is Georgetown, Texas. And Georgetown is in a part of Texas where they’re not known for supporting school levies and investments in the local schools. And what Georgetown did, intentionally, several years ago, is they realized they had a very large growing Sun City population. And so the city and the school district started to reach out and involve the people in Sun City, the citizens of Sun City in the schools and in the activities. So they would bus older adults to the games. They would do spelling bees, intergenerational spelling bees. Young people would go into the community and help with beautification projects or chores.

Donna Butts:

They just became intertwined and so a few years ago when their levy was up, Sun City voted overwhelmingly to support it because it was their school and their kids. So they, I think, were really innovative in terms of looking at how they used their space, how they intentionally made sure that they built those bridges.

Donna Butts:

San Diego County is another wonderful example. They actually, over the years, have done so much intergenerational programming throughout the county and have such a commitment to it that they now have five intergenerational coordinators on their county staff that each focus in a different region of the county. And the most recent one is focused on in their child welfare department and focusing on foster youth and how to connect older adults to foster youth. So they have really, really committed themselves to using that intergenerational lens when they look at opportunities and issues.

Richard Address:

Di, let me ask you. You have a sense of the nation on this and some of the ebbs and flows when it comes to this. Why do we still attempt to segregate the generations? It seems to be … When you look at the papers there’s this explosion of the 55 and over communities that are restricted. We still haven’t, as a nation, bought into the fact of … And then correct me if I’m wrong. Of this mixture of generations and the ability of generations to learn from each other, old and young, young and old and middle. Do you see this changing or is this still an uphill battle for Generations United?

Donna Butts:

I think it’s still a little bit of an uphill battle, but I do see it changing. It’s interesting because when you think about when the first Sun City was developed back in the ’60s it was an idea that was sold to this new older, adult population. One that had worked really hard, that now is the time for them to play and to recreate and to throw their cares away and be the young again or act young again. And a lot of people moved into those Sun cities.

Donna Butts:

What I say, what happens in those communities is generally what you find is the conversations, which is the three Ps, pain, pills and passing. What hurts, who died, what medication you’re on. Because they don’t have that broader conversation with other generations. And so, people are realizing that it’s not healthy. And also, as boomers are aging, they look and see some of those communities and they go, “I don’t want to live there. That’s not what I want. I want to stay in an age-advantaged community. I want to be able to be around young people when I want to be around young people. I want to be near my own grandchildren or my grand friends.”

Donna Butts:

So I think that we are starting to see a change. Even developers are starting to think about how do we build communities so that they’re vibrant for all people at every age. And every stage of life, but it’s still going to take a little bit of work and one thing that I say which is not very popular is that I really don’t believe that we should have those age-segregated communities because it’s been proven to be healthier and better for us when we are in contact and connected to other generations.

Richard Address:

Yeah. Talk to me a little bit because you, obviously, are involved with this, I would assume, about the growing trend, especially with boomers, I think, to really want to give back to the society and volunteer and really seek for volunteering activities outside of our own generation. Are you involved in that at all?

Donna Butts:

Yes. Richard, and you’re really right because what’s happening with this new generation of older adults is that they want to stay connected. They want to have purpose. They still feel like they have so many years and so much energy and time to contribute and I think it’s really, really critical. What hasn’t kept up, are the systems or the ways that older adults can connect as easily. Sometimes I hear from people that get frustrated because they’ll try to reach out to, either through their synagogue, their church or a nonprofit organization and they’ll try to see what kind of volunteer work they can do and they don’t find the right opportunities.

Donna Butts:

So a lot of older adults, I think, are beginning to start to create those kind of opportunities. And many of the organizations are starting to really look at how they can engage older adults. I know here at Generations United we started something called the Senior Intern Program and we actively look for, recruit and accept older adults who want to come in and help work on programs that further our mission.

Richard Address:

And that’s just in D.C. or is that nationally?

Donna Butts:

Our office is in D.C. but we have members in a network around the country. And again, on the website there’s a program directory. So if somebody is curious about what might be underway in their community, they can look that up.

Richard Address:

Let’s clarify this. You’re based in Washington, D.C. The organization, does it have outreach people working around the country or is everything focused through the office in D.C. and then there’s the website provides resources and tips as to places locally.

Donna Butts:

Yes, that would be correct because we’re in D.C. And we have resources. We have members and we have a network around the country of people who have intergenerational programs, or involved in intergenerational programs.

Richard Address:

So when you say members, how do you become a member of Generations United?

Donna Butts:

You join. Kendal, for example, is a member as well as some of the groups you may be familiar with like the Children’s Defense Fund and Zero to Three which works with babies [crosstalk 00:13:47]

Richard Address:

Okay. So it’s organizations rather than individuals.

Donna Butts:

Yeah, we do have individual supporters but our members are mostly organizations.

Richard Address:

So you alluded to something before. I just want to, because this an interest obviously because I’m clergy, but with the role of churches, synagogues, mosques, religious organizations to talk up to do intergenerational work and to provide opportunities. How do you work with those organizations?

Donna Butts:

Well, again, what we have our resources, so that say if your synagogue wanted to start a friendly visitor program, we have how-to guides and support materials and how to organize and how to start a really good intergenerational program, the kinds of things that are needed. And oftentimes, I think [inaudible 00:14:34] in New York is just an absolutely fabulous example of a faith-based program that is involved in primarily serving older isolated seniors. And they’ve developed programs so that families can volunteer and deliver meals or they can provide classes over the phone for older adults, things like that. But they have really made sure that they do their outreach in their community. And so I think there’s some wonderful examples like that.

Richard Address:

All right. Thank you.

Donna Butts:

The other thing I would mention is we do do an international biennial conference. So every two years we do a conference. That is the only time really when people are interested in intergenerational work can come together and learn from each other and share what it is that they’re doing in their communities. So it’s a wonderful opportunity to really hatch an idea or to strengthen an idea or a program. And that’s coming up in June of 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Richard Address:

Oh, that’s good to know because those types of conferences, really, that’s an incubator for a lot of ideas sometimes and just that networking alone so people can understand, they’re not doing something alone, that there’s other people who are doing it. That’s one of the values of these types of meetings. So thank you. Donna Butts, the executive director of Generations United, and we’ll be back with Donna right after this message from our very good friends down the street here at Kendal.

Harry Hammond:

Hi, this is Kendal resident Harry Hannond. This portion of Boomer Generation Radio is brought to you by Kendal, a system of not-for-profit communities and services that advocates for and empowers older adults to reach their full potential. Kendal is committed to working with others as we, together, transform the experience of aging. To learn more about Kendal, that’s K-E-N-D-A-L visit discoverkendal.org or call toll free (888) 759-0128.

Richard Address:

Welcome back to our first segment here in today’s edition of Boomer Generation Radio. Coming to you on WWDB-AM 860 here in Greater Philadelphia and streaming live on WWDBAM.com. And we’re with Donna Butts, the executive director of Generations United based in Washington, D.C.

Richard Address:

And Donna, I want to talk to you a little bit about the involvement because you alluded to it in our first, before we had the break, of grandparents. So many of my friends now boomers are members, card carrying members of the grandparent club and knowing full well that we have obviously the greatest grandchildren ever made.

Donna Butts:

Of course.

Richard Address:

Of course, and I can prove it. My understanding is that you really do some very, very powerful and interesting work with grandparents in the intergenerational work. Walk us through some of this stuff.

Donna Butts:

There’s a couple of areas that we focus on when it comes to grandparents. One has to do with grandparents raising grandchildren and we have our national center on grand families that really works to help change policies and programs so that they’re supporting grandparents who have stepped up and taken on that the role that they never ever thought that they would need to take on. But then there’s also grandparents … When I I think about grandparents, I think about an entire continuum. There are grandparents who have a little bit of involvement with their grandchildren. Some of them provide childcare, some provide afterschool or before school chauffeur service, some provide some financial support, and some are raising them. But for most grandparents, there’s about 70 million grandparents now, they get to do exactly what you were talking about, which is be just totally, totally in love unconditionally with their grandchildren.

Donna Butts:

And that is so wonderful and such a blessing for those children to have that other generation. That somebody who cares so much about them. So one of the things that we try to do to elevate and really honor that role is we celebrate Grandparents’ Day every year, which is the first Sunday after Labor Day. And we have a website with activity guides and suggestions for people that, either for a grandchild that wants to do something for the grandparents or grandparents that wants to do something for the grandchild, or they want to do something together. And that website is www.grandparentsday.org

Richard Address:

You know, it just occurred to me while you were talking, given the longevity revolution that we’re now under way, have you started to deal with great-grandparents and really, this … I see more of them. You know, it just occurred to me, this is another generation which can add to this … If a grandchild is blessed with the ability not only to have their parents and grandparents, but great-grandparents, what a gift that must be.

Donna Butts:

Oh, you’re so right. Because what’s happened, is that people now are more likely to have known their grandparents or their great grandparents or that they’re still living. But the same with grand aunts and great aunts and uncles there. The whole family structure is really expanding and I think that can just bode so well for children, because we know that parents, as hard as they work and as hard as they try, having that other set of hands, that other caring adult in a child’s life can make all the difference.

Richard Address:

What’s the greatest gift a grandparent can give a grandchild.

Donna Butts:

Roots.

Richard Address:

Oh, what do you mean?

Donna Butts:

A sense of history. A sense of themselves, a sense of their history, who they are, because that’s one thing that we see when a generation has been severed from another generation is that … I think that Maya Angelou actually said it so well in a quote that I love hers, which says “Today people are so disconnected that they feel their blades of grass, but when they know their grandparents and great-grandparents who they were, they become trees. They have roots. They can no longer be mowed down.” And I think that is so true. When we think about children, when they have that sense of where they came from, how they connect throughout time. It’s an incredible gift.

Richard Address:

Do you see a change? Because we’re reading all these changes now with the baby boomer grandparents, given the fact that if they’re lucky enough to have the economic ability to do this, but very, very much engaged in their grandchildren, taking them on an adventure trips, really engaged with them. And not only taking care of them sometimes, but being very much more active. Partly because I think sometimes the economy and their parents, mom and dad have to work so much and if you’re lucky enough to be around your grandchildren, you’re there and provide that opportunity for support and unconditional love. But do you see a shift in the way grandparents are behaving?

Donna Butts:

Oh, I do. I think that people are realizing it changes a life when you become a grandparent and the connections that can occur are amazing. When you talked about the trips, I was smiling because I remember, probably 15 years ago or so, meeting with the folks at Road Scholar what was [crosstalk 00:22:19] and they had one grandparent, grandchild trip in their catalog of trips you could take. Today it’s the largest portfolio they have, are grandparent, grandchild trips.

Richard Address:

Oh really?

Donna Butts:

Yes. Yes. So you’re really right. I mean the things are changing and the and the role that grandparents are playing has really changed.

Richard Address:

Before we start running out of time, talk to me about … Because on your website, on Generations United, you talk a little bit about public policy with a statement that public policy should meet the needs of all generations. Does Generations United get involved politically lobbying legislation to really talk about family leave issues or support for caregiving legislation, which really does impact all generations? Do you have that in part of your portfolio or is it just letting information out?

Donna Butts:

No, that is part of our portfolio, is that we do … We are acting active on Capitol Hill and we try to make sure that we elevate that unique intergenerational intersection when people are thinking about public policy. And we do a lot to elevate the issues of, especially around caregiving and grandparents raising grandchildren. So, that is one of our roles. Another is that we try to help … People have kind of difficult conversations and so, one of our more recent efforts has to do about valuing vaccinations across generations. And we’ve created a discussion guide as well as some social media tools and a video of one of our 89- year old friends talking about the importance of discussing vaccinations with grandchildren.

Richard Address:

Really?

Donna Butts:

Because people don’t realize they … People think about that as sort of a specific life. Like an infant needs to get vaccinated or somebody who needs it at different times. They don’t think about the lifespan aspect and the fact that there are three illnesses that can be prevented by vaccine that are passed between grandparents and grandchildren. So it’s really important to raise that kind of public awareness and understand the connection and have those kinds of difficult discussions across generations.

Richard Address:

Wow. The website again, Donna, before we start running out of time. The website again, if people want to touch base with you is what?

Donna Butts:

For Generations United, it’s gu.org

Richard Address:

Www.gu.org, right?

Donna Butts:

Right. And for Grandparent’s Day, it’s www.grandparents.org and to learn more about our vaccine campaign, it’s www.bandageofhonor.org. Bandage of Honor.

Richard Address:

Wow. Just give me a summary of where you see the future now of Generations United going. I mean, you’re involved with the public policy issue, you’re involved with grandparents, you’re involved with the community awards for best practices for intergenerational programming. Looking forward, in these next couple of years, where do you want to go? Where do you want to have the next generation of Generations United focus?

Donna Butts:

I would really like to see more intergenerational dialogues around the country. I think that there’s that need, especially now in such a difficult political climate for people to come together and look across our differences and one of those big ones can be and sometimes is age. So, I think, intergenerational dialogues and communities are one thing that we’re going to be really elevating as well as intergenerational use of space. I think that we’ve done a disservice in our communities by building separate siloed facilities and we need to create spaces where generations can come together more naturally again.

Richard Address:

Wow. Well, Donna Butts, the executive director of generations United. Thank you very, very much for your return visit here. Lots of good information. Once again real fast, donna, the website.

Donna Butts:

GU.org. www.gu.org and thank you so much for the opportunity to be back with you.

Richard Address:

Oh no, anything to de-silo generations. I really admire what you’re doing because I see it in my own work and the benefit of just mixing generations and getting to know each other and learning from each other. If nothing else, because the little ones actually know how to work computers and-

Donna Butts:

We all have something to learn from each other.

Richard Address:

I’m telling you, I’m telling you that’s my … But in all seriousness, thank you very much and I appreciate it. Continued good luck and take care of yourself. Good luck with everything.

Donna Butts:

Thank you.

Richard Address:

Thank you, Donna. Thank you very much.

Donna Butts:

Bye-bye.