Peter Leith is 89 and describes himself as ‘half-deaf and half-blind’, but he has never been one to dwell on his challenges. Bridging the generation gap continues his Aspects of Ageing series of true short stories.
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The Grange is a very posh girls’ school. As part of its humanities and society curriculum, the principal arranged for Year 10 and 11 girls to visit a nearby aged-care facility and spend a set amount of time with the residents.
The girls quickly discovered that they could be a great help in showing residents how to use the electronic devices their families had given them to help them ‘keep in touch’. Many of the older people were actually a bit in awe of their electronic devices and even a bit afraid of their ‘too-smart’ phones.
Friendships blossomed and some of the girls even discovered and developed an interest in the old-fashioned arts of knitting and crocheting.
Young people who had lost touch with their own grandparents discovered new ones and vice versa. Bridging the gaps benefitted both groups.
Some of these new relationships continue to this day.
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This is one of a series of short stories in a growing collection called Aspects of Ageing. Peter says the anecdotes are based on fact and “reflect the reality that there are many forms of ‘age abuse’.”
Do you have a story or an observation for Peter? Send it to [email protected] and put ‘Sunday’ in the subject line.
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