If you are a geriatric care manager or aging professional wishing to enhance an older person’s emotional quality of life, one of the focal point is getting rid of social isolation. This can include engaging with family and friends, or connecting with programs that enhance inter-generational relationships. Elders can be great storytellers or family historians to grandchildren and  grandparents can certainly read those childhood books grandchildren and great grandchildren- helping parents who work or are very busy.

Grown grandchildren can Skype with grandparents, write card and letters, visit occasionally. They can even set up the Skype or face time  programs for grandparent’s social opportunities. If the family lives locally, it could be as simple as a grandchild working to arrange a regular schedule for visits for other grandchildren or using Google calendar or a  great family caregiving calendaring program like Lots of helping Hands . This allows grandchildren who are always super tech savvy to coordinate social interaction with grandparents. You can even do old school and just coordinate call and visits on a paper. Calendar visits or have grandchildren and adult children sign a guest book when they arrive so the client knows when to expect company and can look forward to these interactions instead of not knowing when or if someone is going to arrive. This you are building intergenerational relationships, reducing isolation and boredom and improving emotional quality of life of an older person.