How to know, address an aging loved one's deteriorating driving skills

Intergenerational home sharing is a mutually beneficial option for seniors and young people. There are about 60 programs, run by cities, nonprofits, and platforms in the style of Airbnb, that connect seniors and young people for cohabitation. Seniors benefit by being able to stay in their homes, collect income, and have someone to help with social isolation and household chores. Young people benefit from access to affordable housing options in high-cost areas and engaging in rich relationship building. Home sharing services are facing legal challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic made cohabiting more risky.

Lonliness is a huge health risk in senior citizens. To address this, the U.K. is killing two birds with one stone by assigning mail carriers a couple of seniors to check in on once a week. Mail carriers already know the area well and are easily recognizable, so regular conversations with residents were a logical next step. The carriers conduct surveys every week in order to gain quantitative data to inform their practices, and the program continues to be a success with the senior citizens served.

Loneliness and social isolation are on the rise globally, and feelings of loneliness can be extremely detrimental to health and longevity. In Denmark, the "National Movement Against Loneliness" and GENLYD train community members to recognize signs of loneliness and refer those at risk to these programs and provide services such as group dinners and group activities based on hobby.

Slightly more than eighteen percent of the Dutch population is sixty-five or older and with this aging demographic comes new challenges. To combat the very serious risks that living alone and aging poses to seniors, the Netherlands has seen the rise of a new class: one that teaches elderly people how to fall.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein campus provides an intergenerational community — and housing — for LGBTQ+ youth and seniors experiencing homelessness. The Center has 202 affordable housing units and it also offers several programs and services including counseling, support groups, job assistance, skills training and connections to health and mental health care, all while fostering community between the seniors and youth staying at the Center.

A program run by Hungary’s largest phone company pairs high school students with seniors to teach them how to use smartphones, computers, and the internet. These after-school sessions allow students to fulfill their community-service graduation requirements.

University-based retirement communities help to foster intergenerational connections between younger and older generations. Some of these facilities are simply developments near colleges, while others are physically on-campus. Along with building connections, these programs help fight feelings of loneliness among the older population and break down stigmas young people may hold about the elderly.

In Korca, Albania, the Community Safety Net program supports elderly people who live alone in a variety of ways. Volunteers provide essentials like medication, food, and firewood. But they also organize social activities for groups of seniors to help combat loneliness.

The Idea Works Entrepreneurs Kitchen is a commercial kitchen co-working space that hosts a series of classes to teach seniors how to cook. With the help of grant money, the classes help combat social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, while also helping seniors learn new skills and improve their nutrition.

The Community Produce Program is a weekly produce delivery that serves local seniors in need of fresh produce. Not only does the program helps with issues of food security, but it also fosters community between the volunteers and the local elders and helps reduce waste.