CALGARY, AB, Dec. 9, 2023 /CNW/ – Calgary-based nonprofit Canadian Alliance for Intergenerational Living (CAIL) is joining the growing movement in support of intergenerational living. By working with participating senior assisted living facilities, CAIL matches these facilities with select post-secondary students to provide living accommodations for these students at a subsidized cost in exchange for 30 hours / month of volunteer time within the residences.
Earlier this week, CAIL opened the application process for its inaugural Intergenerational Living Project pilot in Calgary that will see 2 students from local post-secondary institutions placed in one of two local senior assisted living facilities for the 2024 / 2025 school year. The participating schools include the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Bow Valley College, given their proximity to the homes located in Central Calgary, the interests of the seniors, and alignment with the programming offered by these homes.
CAIL will be accepting applications from students throughout December 2023 and January 2024, with interviews of short-listed candidates taking place in the spring. Successful candidates will be notified in early May 2024, with students moving into the homes in late August, just in time to start the 2024 / 2025 school year.
For more information, visit www.intergenliving.ca.
Canadian Alliance for Intergenerational Living was founded in June 2023 by Bonita Paquette. As stepmother to a university student relocating from Calgary to Ontario for her studies, Bonita has witnessed the housing challenges experienced by post-secondary students across the country. At the same time, Canada’s senior assisted living facilities have faced severe staffing shortages over the past several years, which was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemics, and has to social isolation and in some cases, insufficient care for residents.
Inspired by models operating in the Netherlands, France and the US that support inclusive, intergenerational living, CAIL was launched to bring together post-secondary students and seniors to address student housing challenges while creating opportunities for seniors to mentor students and contribute to and feel valued in the wider community.
SOURCE Canadian Alliance for Intergenerational Living
