Bridging the Age Gap

BRIDGING

THE AGE GAP

RELATIONSHIPS ARE ONE OF THE CRITICAL INGREDIENTS IN

OUR HAPPINESS AND WELLBEING—BONDING NOT ONLY WITH

PARTNERS AND PEERS, BUT ALSO WITH THOSE SPANNING DIFFERENT AGES.

Thirty-two Chaminade nursing students did just that by connecting with kūpuna through Purpose Pals, a pilot program designed to foster friendships across generations through the click of a mouse.

“The biggest takeaway from our talks was that I don’t know everything there is to life,” says freshman Kaylen Fernandez. “My kūpuna gave valuable advice in balancing work-life, and the importance of enjoying what you do. If you don’t love it, then it’s time for a change.”

Engaging across generations benefits kūpuna and helps students learn and grow as healthcare professionals.

“This experience provides the nursing students with a more positive attitude toward aging,” says Purpose Pal organizer Dr. Christy Nishita. “In their future careers, many of their patients will be from our oldest age groups. We hope this experience gives them awareness and empathy toward kūpuna that translates to better care.”

Connectedness is more important now than ever, especially since COVID has created social isolation. With an increase of loneliness and stress, Purpose Pals has played a critical role in helping kūpuna stay socially active.

Purpose Pals was made available through a service-learning project in Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe’s NUR 200 Introduction to Nursing Concepts course. The project not only provided students with an experiential learning opportunity but also forged meaningful relationships with their kūpuna. Many have been inspired to stay in touch with their pals beyond the commitment of the project.

Students’ participation in the pilot program has provided a number of key insights for Purpose Pal’s development and capacity building. The goal is to continue to attract new volunteers each semester and continue Chaminade’s mission serving the community and being an active participant in it.

ABC STORES SUPPORT STEM OUTREACH PROGRAM

ABC STORES AWARDED CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY A $10,000 GRANT TO FUND ITS I AM A SCIENTIST (IAS) MOBILE STEM OUTREACH PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM

PROVIDES HANDS-ON SCIENCE

MODULES FOR ELEMENTARY

SCHOOLS IN HAWAI'I TO CREATE

EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TO INTRODUCE

STEM SKILLS TO YOUNG STUDENTS.

Chaminade’s IAS program is operated by practicing research scientists who bring professional science equipment and supplies to local schools. Topics covered include health science, biology, forensic science, and environmental science. The program is meant to instill a lifelong interest in science starting at an early age. Since the COVID shutdown, IAS has been offered through distance learning.

“We’re extremely grateful to ABC Stores for this generous grant that will allow us to continue offering our ‘I Am a Scientist’ program free to Hawai'i DOE schools,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington. “The program offers grade-level science experiments to not only inspire the scientists of tomorrow but also teach them valuable lessons.”

A broader initiative of Chaminade’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the I Am a Scientist program also hosts community events throughout the year and invites schools to Chaminade’s campus so students gain an understanding of an undergraduate science student’s experience.