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Intergenerational voices sharing stories and tips for how to connect in our evolving new world

Five Components to Resilience

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Karen Young

I’ve been thinking a lot about resilience.  Last month we brought Sweet Readers back to our long term partner, The New Jewish Home, in Manhattan.  It was a pleasure to be able to see so many residents and their dedicated staff again.  One particular resident stood out for me, her name is Carol.  Carol looked gaunt and withdrawn when she first appeared on the Zoom screen.  Living in any nursing home this past year has been by necessity, extremely stressful and isolating.  As the 45 minutes … [Read more...]

Interview with Christopher Diaz, 80th Street Residence

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Chris and daughter Julie

Chris is known as a hero in our communities.  He patiently listens to and cares for the residents at 80th St. Residence where he works as their Assistant Director of Recreation.  I have had the pleasure of working with Chris for many years, watching him facilitate meaningful engagement with our Sweet Readers, first in person in Manhattan and most recently, through Zoom, connecting residents with our Sweet Readers in Chicago, New York, Toronto and Greenwich. I was amazed to learn that Chris … [Read more...]

Participation Across Generations is Key to Human Connection

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Wilson Martinez, De La Salle Academy Facilitator

This term we launched our first Spanish Sweet Readers Program - everyone participated!!  It started with Nerea, a high school junior and Young Leader who engaged her school to help us find a talented Hispanic Musician to help us build an authentic and engaging music based curriculum.  Then Nerea translated our training and brought the curriculum to life for the students and facilitators.  Next came the school De La Salle Academy students were in a hybrid schedule and pandemic learning, as we … [Read more...]

Flipping the Frame from Isolation to Connection!

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Karen Young

During this season of thanks, I'm humbled and filled with deep gratitude for the enduring partnerships which form the core of Sweet Readers and resonate through every facet of our work and communities. Isolation can be a terrifying experience and this year, along with partner loneliness, it became a new common ground transcending gender, race, geography and age. The opposite of isolation is connection and that’s what we’re all about. Countless partners have come together to make our work … [Read more...]

Doris & Fred: Partners for Life!

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Fred & Doris

Fred & Doris came to Sweet Readers through our wonderful partnership with Mount Sinai School of Medicine.  Although they are only in their first Sweet Readers program, the joy they both bring to the programs, transcending Zoom,  was effusive and I was delighted when they agreed to an interview with me - over Zoom no less! Doris and Fred have been married for 34 years (the second marriage for both) and were both middle school teachers - Doris taught Home Economics and Fred was a band … [Read more...]

Stuart & Wilma: Dancing through the Raindrops!

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Stuart & Wilma Bridging Communities (with Shona's help!)

In 2018 I had the pleasure of meeting Shona when she enrolled her parents, Stuart and Wilma, in our programs at the Ramaz School in Manhattan.  Stuart and Wilma are Scottish and have enjoyed a marathon marriage spanning nearly 60 years that has brought them from Scotland to England to Massachusetts to Manhattan.  Stuart was an electrical engineer and Wilma a nurse.  Shona is the quiet enabler, creating art behind the scenes while empowering her parents to engage in life to the fullest, in spite … [Read more...]

Kevin Landesman: Brunswick Facilitator

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Kevin leans in as Facilitator

Now in its 8th year, I remember year one as if it was yesterday. one of my favorite Brunswick Sweet Readers stories was about Mary and Charlie.  Mary was a reluctant resident at a local home and was struggling to find the value in her life.  When I interviewed her for the program, she was stuck in a repetitive loop, saying, emphatically, "I can't work with kids, I can't remember a thing.  I'm worthless."  The more she repeated it, the more I insisted she give it a try.  I wasn't able to get her … [Read more...]

Dara Cohen: The Jewish Museum Partnership

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Sweet Readers at the Jewish Museum

Back in May, 2011, Dara and I were invited to MoMA to a symposium centered on engaging people living with Alzheimer's in the arts.  Sweet Readers has just completed its first pilot at the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) and the Jewish Museum was planning its first program to bring people living with Alzheimer's or some form of dementia into the museum after hours with their care partners to enjoy a facilitated experience with the various works.  It was an exciting time and groundbreaking in many … [Read more...]

The Power to Bridge Communities – A Sweet Reader’s Perspective

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Karen Young

This past month I had the pleasure of watching our first Spanish Sweet Readers program come to life.  7th and 8th graders from De La Salle Academy in Manhattan made almost immediate connections with older adults at the Tejano Center in Houston.  The creation of these bridged communities - already connecting like old friends, was the collaborative work of many people in both communities.  Teachers, administrators, aides, students, older adults, friends and colleagues came together in beautiful … [Read more...]

The Gift of Being Present

by

Karen Young

Present.  What an interesting multiple meaning word.  The pandemic has pushed us to be present, regardless of our circumstances.  This is a gift! It can be so easy to mind wander, to stand in the presence of another and be miles away, distracted by our own ruminations. Ironically, during these pandemic times, many of us have been forced to keep physical distance from the people in our lives we care most about.  This has been particularly agonizing for people with loved ones in need or on … [Read more...]

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