The experience of aging and living as an older adult can be difficult for many students to understand. For the past decade, Brock University’s Through Their Eyes project has aimed to help bridge this gap.

A key component of the undergraduate Health Sciences course “Developing Healthy Communities,” Through Their Eyes is an intergenerational service-learning project that pairs students with older adults living in buildings supported by Niagara Regional Housing to study what makes a community “age-friendly.”

The project, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, was launched by Associate Professor of Health Sciences Pauli Gardner in partnership with Wendy Thompson at Niagara Regional Housing.

“I often say that experience is at the root of understanding, and I feel this is especially true for students who will one day develop health policies and implement positive changes that will affect the public,” said Gardner. “It’s important students are empathetic to people who experience the world differently than they do and understand what services and programs are important to others.”

As part of the project, students interview their senior partners about the health of their neighbourhood using a model created by the World Health Organization that examines age-friendliness across eight domains: public spaces, transportation, social services, health, housing, respect and social inclusion, information and communication, social participation and civic participation.

The seniors share stories with students that describe what it’s like to age and to live as an older adult and comment on the positives and negatives of their community, often offering suggestions for improvement. Students write a reflective journal detailing their experiences and thoughts as they interact with their partners.

In addition to the skills gained from conducting interviews and analyzing the qualitative research, students come away from the intergenerational experience with a new appreciation for aging and a better understanding of how public health initiatives can better serve the senior population.

This past November, Brock University students, instructors and advisors; representatives from Niagara Regional Housing and the City of Thorold; and the seniors involved with the 2023 Through Their Eyes project gathered to debrief the project’s key findings and celebrate its 10th anniversary. Included in this group photo from the event is City of Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini (back row, third from left).

“It got me thinking about how I want to age and the community I want to be in now that will continue to support me when I’m older,” said Angelo Ilersich, fourth-year Public Health student. “This is a wonderful experience for students in Kinesiology, Public Health and Medical Sciences to see what these programs actually look like in practice because a community level like this is where health policy is defined.”

In speaking with their senior partners, students often realize they share more similarities than expected, such as relying on public transportation, having a fixed income, living in communal spaces like student residence and senior’s housing, and needing to develop new relationships with their peers.

These conversations help break down age stereotypes and age barriers, said Gardner.

“Ageism can go both ways. The older adults have some preconceived assumptions and beliefs about the students just as students do about seniors,” said Gardner. “They’re both nervous to meet each other, but after spending time together, they have a better understanding of what they each might be going through.”

Building friendships with their student partners, some seniors in the program keep and proudly display mementos such as thank-you cards and photos.

“They talk about the meaningful relationships they developed with their student partner, and refer to them as their grandchildren,” said Tia Rogers-Jerrall (BPH ’15, MA ’18), former student participant of the inaugural Through Their Eyes project and current community advisor, who completed her master’s research on the project.

“For the seniors to continue to think about the project years after it’s complete and refer to their relationship with the student in a familial-type intimacy, it’s pretty impactful,” she said.